by jasmin

this course was a toughy.

so glad i had karen as my teacher, but she was what made me terrified from the start, HAHA! i guess she’s what made me nervous, but it benefitted me in a way, as i pushed myself to do more and more, improving what i could week to week. i had great difficulties balancing my jobs with this subject in particular too, which was outright horrible... but hey! i managed :^) (i think.) couldnt thank karen enough for her toughness and her endless support and feedback each week.

i really appreciate the world karen and andy have opened to use through their lectures (and classes) the capabilities and strengths of design, introducing and teaching us the past, present and future of design and designers, with their impact to the world and their audience. our lecturers enthusiasm and spirit were beaming through our screens, and looked forward to every week for them! they were full of engaging content, small banter and their knowledge/experiences. i really appreciated these lectures and the effort that went into going through them.

my final assignment for cds allowed me to reimagine and reexplore my design interests and styles, engaging with the topic: coco chanel and understanding her interests and aesthetics with mine. as for the tumblr assignment... it was a difficult mess.. but i got there. i was so focused on perfecting my posts and controlling the order of it... it affected my workflow, which didnt really benefit me. this lead me to lack in content and lag behind, unfortunately. posts remained in drafts and/or google drive.. but nevertheless, i found my way and still got to experience exploring ideas and inspiration and documenting my process throughout communication design.

wk 13, 5th jun ‘20 - i

finalised zine! (whoop whoop)

the final changes made to complete the zine:

changed to portrait, thought it would work better for a zine, the readability, structure and the content included.

redesigned and reworded the introduction page, imitating a letter to coco chanel

adjusted and played around more with the layout of the first question: grammar errors/readability and layout of texts with images

took advantage of the spread of two pages (flat lay) and experimented a bit more for more variety in spread

added another font for the coco’s quote

(the 6th page is coming out a bit differently than my actual submission, but you can see the idea behind it?) added hues to the images to pop out from the b&w pattern

restructured the reference page

“bedazzled” the back cover

assignment progress

fig 1: front cover

fig 2: contents

fig 3: one page of (two) questions

fig 4: overall layout, in progress

i decided to change the questions!

what do you feel is the most vital in your industry of design? and what did this motivation help you create or influence?

as a designer, it must be exhausting working 24/7 almost everyday, what kept you motivated?

what were your design choices behind you fabrics?

what were your intentions in the creation of the little black dress?

do you have any advice for new designers in regards to dealing with criticism?

i felt as though my questions were much more appropriate and 

this time around, karen was happy with the progress i had made! and it was a relief! i took great inspiration from this: https://unluckyhex.tumblr.com/post/620358515931906048/wk-11-22nd-may-20-i; the colour palette and the style. i had also briefly learnt that coco chanel was deeply interested in art deco, and took inspiration of the gold embellishments and patterns/shapes of the era, incorporating it into the zine.

i also added more of coco chanel’s work, placing it upon a signature pattern from chanel, used in her suits: houndstooth. these images were cut out of photographs of her models in chanel clothing (referenced in zine) and placed randomly, considering balance and its overall presentation.

some criticism i received today:

remove the page numbers with the contents page

removing the contents page will allow for a better use of the page

revise the introduction of chanel

needs a bit more implementation of chanel’s style and her work

touch ups here and there

another piece of inspiration for my zine!

lecture #10, art activism and design activism?

this week explored art and design activism, by first understanding the rise of conceptualism and how it could arguably be the start of design activism. this was a period of time where conceptual art and artists collided with traditional art, experimenting and “thought out of the box” to get a message across. such artwork was heavily impacted/relied on its form, presentation and its function.

i was super engaged towards viewing the iconic and compelling works of colors magazine. their works are controversial and intriguing. rather than getting upset looking at the work, i am fascinated and interested of the art direction and intention. 

fig 1: colors n.7 magazine cover

fig 2: outline and cover of another colors magazine issue

colors was surely unafraid and bold about their opinions, and i can appreciate that. they speak their mind and hold strong opinion, straying away from typical magazines and present a strong layer of intention.

in figure 2 for example, even though a majority of it is not in english, the images clearly show the audience the “differences” and similarities of being a human, considering physical differences and the variations in appearance/s. at first glance, you could interpret this an analysis of race + the human body, and global human issues like racism and the black market/human trafficking.

assignment progress

fig 1: page with the description of coco chanel

at this point, i have already compiled a better set of questions:

Considering you were not so well off... What had helped start up your interest in fashion, let alone starting up your brand, Chanel?

What are some things you would change with your previous work?

What project are you most proud of and why? ... What inspirations were drawn for this project to be made possible?

What are some difficult challenges you faced throughout your career? Did your time as a Nazi spy during WWII create any adversity or did it bring any fortune to Chanel?

Is there some message or value you would like to pass on for inspired, future designers and craftsmen?

talking to Andy (for a change of pace, specifically for this situation,)  asked about my lingering concern about whether or not i should change my topic from chanel to a wacom tablet. i had this at the back of my head, as i felt that my zine could be much more artistic and experimental compared to coco chanel’s aesthetic of femininity, high-end fashion, over the top pearl jewellery, and upper-class france. i have just been apprehensive and indecisive about whether it’s too late or too ambitious.

Andy ended up encouraging it if i seriously felt like it would be the right choice to make. he also made the point that my (current) questions and the way i have presented coco chanel does not serve justice or the best potential to the assignment. this is in the light of the relevancy to the topic of design. so far, it is evident it has been more garnered towards the direction of a biography.

i lightly reflected, and had to reevaluate my direction and next move. i was still strongly considering the wacom instead... but redoing my research would be exhausting and consume a ton of my time.

fig 2: example of one “completed” interview page

but taking the questions and my current concern to karen for feedback, i was told the overall appeal of the document was extremely lacking, and appeared very “hotel brochure”-like. i could definitely agree, i wasnt very focused on the appearance of my document. the description page was also deemed a bit unnecessary and/or lacking, as there could be more implemented, otherwise use it as another page for more questions, that would actual serve more purpose.

on the topic of changing my subject from chanel to wacom, karen was against it, unless i felt extremely sure and definite towards changing it. karen encouraged the idea of changing the questions up, in order to provide a stronger focus on design.

fig 1: “chopped” “ziplock”

placed into a small group of 4, cutting out images out of newspapers and magazines that we could manipulate and replicate into a certain letter, we were to share our images on to a google presentation for the next step.

the only magazine i had at home was a tourist guide booklet, that i didn't think we’d care for anymore. with this, i was limited again with my choices and imagery. there were too many images of nature, not even ones that were legible and focused. it was mostly compiled with fields of flowers, large bushes of leaves and empty bodies of water. luckily, it still featured some man-made landmarks: like the sydney harbour bridge.

i could see my group wasnt struggling too bad, but they too were restricted by small range of images and a concentrated range of food products.

assignment progress

fig 1: screenshot of general, brief descriptions on a word doc, on the topic of coco chanel - who she was, and my reasons for my interest in the designer.

at this point in time, my questions are underdeveloped, and i’m quite all over the place with what i want to ask, how she will answer, all while trying to abstain from asking anything generic to chanel.

What had started up your interest in fashion, let alone starting up your brand, ‘Chanel’?

lecture #7, the futurist cookbook

i was entertained by the concept and wanted to learn just a bit more about the eccentric idea...

futurism was during the era of modernism, begun by Filippo Marinetti as an artist movement. Marinetti proposed a strong rejection against the traditional forms and intended to embrace the use of energy and the dynamism of the imagined “modern world” and its technology. futurist work featured visual depictions of light, movement and speed.

fig 1: Cyclist - Natalia Goncharova (1913)

Marientti had also created The Futurist Cookbook.

“The Futurist culinary revolution … has the lofty, noble and universally expedient aim of changing radically the eating habits of our race, strengthening it, dynamizing it and spiritualizing it with brand-new food combinations in which experiment, intelligence and imagination will economically take the place of quantity, banality, repetition and expense.” - Benito Mussolini

the cookbook proclaimed to be one of the “greatest artistic prank[s] of the twentieth century” and a “serious joke". recipes featured bologna served onto a table shaped as an airplane, “spicy airport” which was essentially olivier salad, and “rising thunder” as orange risotto. ‘Lambrusco’ wine was served in gas cans. the idea was to bring elements separated apart together with, in order to create combinations unimaginable and flexible.

workshop #7, architexture

i wasnt able to take proper photos outside my house due to illness and having to be constantly busy with two jobs... so i had to look within my house.

i’ve an extremely small place so my choices were limited... regardless, i felt the first three options were quite “meh” but i was really glad about my heel as a ‘y’!

lecture #7, what is this bauhaus, anyway?

fig 1: Poster for the Bauhausaustellung (1923)

the “house of construction” originated from the bauhaus art school in germany (1919) by Walter Gropius. the function, intellectual and theoretical approaches of its subject were their primary concerns.

the school was intended for the practical arts: being architecture, interior design, textiles and woodwork. the diversity of the work coming from the school indulged in spanning building theory, carpentry, ceramics, fine art, graphic printing, glass and mural painting, weaving, geometry, mathematics, business administration, metal, photography, printing and advertising, and plastic arts. this was due to Gropius believing in the collaboration of diverse artistic fields.

the art school taught numerous timeless lessons:

not limit your knowledge and capabilities: roam and get messy with ideas

collaborate and create iterations: gain feedback of different contexts, mindsets, fields, etc rather than secluding yourself to one respective industry.

embrace change and new concepts

understanding the designer has the capability to control the affect and appearance of the design

to go back to the basics: refine technical skills and knowledge, revisit the fundamentals of colour, form and the meaning of design, connecting back to the basic elements.