This weeks lecture was about the research jouney, a vital part of the essay process. below are my notes from this lecture.

This weeks blog task is to read the following essay summary and answer these three questions..

1. Their main research aim or question
2. The method or approach they used to conduct that research
3. Any key findings.

1. The main aim of this essay is to research how illustrators digital mimicary of the handmade contributes to our visual enviroment. Whether positively or negitively

2. They are conducting research by interviewing contemporary illudtrators aswell as reviewing their work. theu will also be looking at theoretical perspectives on the subject.

3. The key findings of this essay concern the usability of  these illustrations along with their benifits and pitfalls. 


References: Black, S (2019) 'Fibs and fripperies: References to the real in digital illustration', Journal of Illustration, 6(2), pp. 289-304

Lecture notes from session on Post Modernism, With discussion about the three different interpretations of post modernism including; After Modernism, Anti Modernism and Hyper Modernism

Post modernity- The time we are living in
Post Fordian - Post industrial age, society has moved away from a factories way of doign things
Mini narrative- Personal take on culture
Anti Modernism- A more antagonistic view of post modernism
Subversion- A reversal of principles
The Hyper real- Architectural spaces from films, a fictional space, treated as real. The merging of fiction and reality. (Real is produced, hyperreal is reproduced)
Bricolage- Sampling images and ideas from the past.
Pastiche- Images Presented without reality or meaning
Intertexuality- The idea that one cultural text will reflect another cultures text
Double coding- Apeals to both audiences, it works on two levels
Multi Modality- Movement from one mode to another. going from one narrative to another.

This weeks lecture was about global culture and ethical design. the main focus was on how through improved comunication cultures have become interconnected on a global scale. Thid interconnectivity has created cultural hybridity. Below are my essay notes from this lecture. 

References:

Weedon, C., 2009. Identity And Culture. Maidenhead: Open University Press, pp.p22-45.

Notes from Subculture Lecture

A subculture is a group within society that has differing ideals, fashion, behaviours, music tastes and polital beliefs from that of the mainstream culture. Modern western subcultures emerged post war with rebellious groups of youths. early subcultures included the teddy boys.  Examples of subculture are; punk, metal, hippies and emos.

The blog task for this week was to look into a specific subculture of our choice and describe them. i have chosen to focus on the E-Girl/ Eboy Subculture.

E-Girl/Boy Culture    (Electronic girl/boy culture)

E-culture  has evolved in the social media era and takes its inspiratoin from the emo, scene and anime subcultures. It is an example of an internet subculture, it mostly exists online on social media apps like tik tok and instagram. This makes it appear to be a much smaller subculture than it is due to the lack of exposure in the real world.

Much like their Emo/Scene predpredessors, the e-girl/boy demographic are teenagers and young people who feel isolated, frustrated or sad however they present themselves as sensitive, kind and quirky popularising the phrase "soft boy" to describe a way of being. They are interested in expressive, emotive and alt music and fashion, challenge gender stereotypes through makeup and clothing and want to seperate themselves from the mainstream. It is a direct rebellion against insta infulencers and the beauty standards they perpetuate.

The term e-girl was created as a derogatory term to objectify women by people who perceived them as someone who was looking for attention online

They can be identified by their characteristic style which is divided into two catogories 

E-girls fashion closesly resembles the scene style in having brightly coloured or black hair, sometimes dyed 50/50 with full fringes or pigtails. Oversized t-shirts and jumpers are paired with high waisted skirts or trousers and worn with fishnets and boots. Where it differes from scene style is the make-up which is heavy on blush that covers the nose and cheeks, thick black eyeliner, fake freakles and symbols hand drawn under the eyes. 

E-boy fashion is more influenced by Emo's often layering long sleved striped tshirts with a sweater or short sleved tshirts. other common fashion items include croptops, rolled up jeans, coudory or patterned trousers, chains, spikes, thick belts, dr martin boots. hairstyles are usually longer on top and the 50/50 hair is also used but bright colours less important. 

While the names of these are gendered both variations are genderless and are simply used to differentiate the styles so can be utilised by anyone.

References:

Dictionary.cambridge.org. 2020. SUBCULTURE | Meaning In The Cambridge English Dictionary. [online] Available at: <https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/subculture> [Accessed 25 Feb 2020].
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Grinnell College. n.d. What Is A Subculture? – Subcultures And Sociology. [online] Available at: <https://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultural-theory-and-theorists/what-is-a-subculture/> [Accessed 25 Feb 2020].

Jennings, R. (2019). E-girls and e-boys, explained. Available: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/8/1/20748707/egirl-definition-what-is-an-eboy. [accessed 25th feb 2020.]

Leskin, P. (2020). Everything you need to know about e-girls and e-boys, teen gamers who have emerged as the antithesis of Instagram influencers. Available: https://www.businessinsider.com/e-girls-definition-tiktok-e-boys-anti-influencer-teen-gamers-2019-9?r=US&IR=T. [accessed 20th march.]

​Ritschel, C. (2019). E-girl: What is the trend and how do they dress. Available: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/e-girl-what-outfit-clothes-soft-makeup-hair-anime-tiktok-a9121871.html. [accessed 20th march 2020.]

Spellings, S. (2020). What is an e-girl. Available: https://www.thecut.com/2020/02/what-is-an-e-girl.html. [accessed 20th march 2020.]

Images:
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Fig 1. Eubanks, N. (@notnoen) i wonder what we’re looking at. Instagram. 17th march 2020 Available: https://www.instagram.com/p/B92Z18cneoO/. Last accessed 28th Apr 2020.
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Fig 2. Eve, (@eve.frsr) posing in chair. Instagram. 18th September 2019. Available: https://www.instagram.com/p/B2j9TzMH7Vb/ Last accessed 28th Apr 2020.

Fig 3. @fagerinoz. how do we feel about these homies. instagram. 17th February 2019. Available: https://www.instagram.com/p/BuADBItHxID/. Last accessed 28th Apr 2020

​Fig 4. Hudson, C. (@lilhuddy) Self Portrait. Instagram. 24th march 2020 Available: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-IJhmvpGK5/. Last accessed 28th Apr 2020.

This weeks lecture focused on the graphic code of comic books and how artist use the visual language to influence their design decisions

The blog task for this week was to conduct some research into a comic artist of my choice. For this i have chosen to research comic artist Charles Forsman.  Charles forman is an american comic artist born in 1982. A graduate of the center of cartoon studies, he is best known for creating comics, The End of the F***ing world and I'm not okay with this. 

​The end of the f***ing world, also known by the acronym TEOTWF, is a dark comedy graphic novel focuses on james a teenager who believes he is a psychopath and his sarcastic classmate alyssa whom he pretends to fall in love.

The black an white comic utilises a simplistic drawing style including cross hatching, block colour, and carefully thought out lines to create a dynamic aesthetic within the pages, the format of the pages switch between six and nine panels but follow the traditional nine panel grid format. (as seen in the images below)

Scott mcloud transition types applied to TEOFTW

Fig 3. Annotations of transition types on TEOTFW p17

​This entire comic page uses subject to subject, where eacch panel depict the same scene but switches between subjects. It is used on this page as a means of displaying the disagreement taking place between the two main characters and a waitress.

Fig 4. Annotations of transition types TEOTFW p4.

This scene depict the protagonist James mutilating himself in the garbage disposal and uses a few of the transition types. The transition between panel two and three is aspect to aspect, in which it shows aspects of the same scene with no aparent change in time. you can tell it is the same scene due to the use of the onomatopoeia WIRRRRRR in both panels to depict the sound of the garbage disposal.  The transition between panel three and four uses action to action as some closure is needed to be understood. it shows the same subject and scene but diferent actions. In panel three james is peering into the sink and in panel four he begins to lower his hand into the drain. The transition between panel four an five is moment to moment, this depicts the same action with a small lapse in time. The final transiton used is again aspect to aspect. This is used to show james reaction to his injury.

Fig 5. TEOTFW p149

References:

Fantagraphics. Charles Forsman. Available: https://www.fantagraphics.com/artists/charles-forsman/. Last accessed 26th Apr 2020

​Flynn, N (2018). How Charles Forsman created The End of The F***ing World. Available: https://www.huckmag.com/art-and-culture/books-art-and-culture/charles-forsman-end-of-the-fucking-world-netflix/. Last accessed 26th Apr 2020.

McCloud, S (1994). Understanding Comics. 2nd ed. New York: HarperPerennial. 152 - 161.

​Images:

Fig 1: Forsman, C (2013). TEOTFW. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books. p39
Fig 2: Forsman, C (2013). TEOTFW. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books. p9
Fig 3: Forsman, C (2013). TEOTFW. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books. p17
Fig 4: Forsman, C (2013). TEOTFW. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books. p4
Fig 5: Forsman, C (2013). TEOTFW. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books. p149

This weeks lecture focused on decoding advertsing through semiotic analysis. By analysing the non coded and coded messages within magazine advertising you can begin to understand the intentions of the designers and advertsments themselves..

As part of this weeks lecture we performed a group semiotic analysis of two advertisements below are notes from this;

The first was a Panzani Advertisement used by Roland Barthes as an example of how semiotics is use in advertsing.

Fig 1. Panzani Advertisement

The second is a perfume advert for yves saint laurent.

Fig 2. Yves saint laurent advertisement

The blog task this week is to chose a magazine advert to decode, i have chosen this perfume advert for Narciso Rodriguez 'Pure Musk' taken  from Harpers Bazaar.

Fig 3. Pure Musk Advertisement

To begin decoding this advertisement i am going to begin by looking at the linguistic messaging.

non coded linguistic messaging, (Denotation).

The text within this advert is kept very minimal, with there only being the name of the fragrence, the brand and a simple tagline. The name of the fragrance is Pure Musk, Pure meaning untainted and Musk being a aeromatic substance used for the making of purfumes. the tagline "the fragrence for her" helps to define the target audience for the product.

Coded linguistic messaging, (Connotation).

‘Pure’ is to be untainted. The definition of the word pure differs slightly depending on the context, the general definition according to the oxford English dictionary is as follows “not mixed or adulterated with any other substance or material” however it is also defined as “wholesome and untainted by immorality, especially that of a sexual nature.” so in the context of the magazine advertisement its could relate to the  the purity of the product or perhaps the purity of the user themselbes. 
Musk is a product used as the based of purfumes and so when used in combination with the word pure, in the context that pure means untainted it suggests that the perfume is purely 'Musk' . A perfume thats scent is not mixed or 'adultered' with other substances connotes one of value, an expensive item and therefore luxury. 

Non coded Image Messaging:

The images in the advert include a black and white photograph of a woman, in which the viewer can assume is naked, she is wearing little to no makeup and her hair is up and out of the subjects face. also present is the pure white purfume bottle. The advert also features large areas of white negitive space. The purfume bottle in the bottom corner corrilates with western reading funtions. we read left to right.
The photograph itself doesnt have a great amount of contrast and the photo has been taken with soft lighting to flatten the tonal range.

Coded image messaging: 

The nakedness and natural image of the model links with the written elements and connotes purity in alignment with the overall messaging of the advertisement,  a humans purest form is nakedness. The overall imagery is minimal much like the text and brings focus to the the product itself. But more so leaves an impression of the untainted image. The choice to keep the advertisement entirely in black and white is interesting as it gives the image a flat tonal rage, however it gives the image a softness that corrilates with the connotations of innocence behind the word pure. The decision to have a woman present in the advert makes sense due to the tag line and target audience. There is however the possibility that the decision to have a woman present is as much to do with a male audience as a female one. perfume advertisents are famous for their portrayal of women in an sexualised fashion.

References:
Lexico Dictionaries. English. 2020. Pure. Definition Of Pure By Lexico. [online] Available at: <https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/pure> [Accessed 28 April 2020].

Tuna, S. and Freitas, E., 2012. Gendered adverts: an analysis of female and male images in contemporary perfume ads. Comunicação e Sociedade, 21, pp.95-108.

Images: 

Fig 1. Panzini. (1964)  Advertisement [Online] Available from: https://tracesofthereal.com/2009/12/21/the-rhetoric-of-the-image-roland-barthes-1977/  [ Accessed 28 April 2020]
Fig 2. Yves Saint Laurent. (2003) Rive Gauche Advertisement. [Online] Available from: https://libguides.ioe.ac.uk/c.php?g=482485&p=3299740 [Acsessed 28 april 2020]
​Fig 3. Narciso Rodriguez​ 'Pure Musk'. 2019. Harpers Bazaar. Apr 2020 issue. 

This weeks lecture focused on the subject of reading Words and Images, with reference to the study of semiotics while defining Connotation, Denotation and Anchorage. Below are my notes from the lecture. 

Fig 1 - Rene Magritte, The tretchery of images

Types of anchorage.

Word specific: This is where the words provide all or most of the information needed to decode the message. 

Image specific: This is where images provide all or most of the information needed to decode the message.

Dual message: In which the words and image comunicate the same message.

Interdependant/ Convergent: Where the words and images work together whilst also contributing information independantly. They convay an idea that is dependant on both text and image to be convayed.

Parallel or divergent: The words and images appear to follow different paths and comunicate ideas that do not intersect.

References:
​
​Barthes, R. (1977). The photographic message. In: Barthes, R Image, Music, Text. 1st ed. London: HarperCollins. p15 - p27.

Scott McCloud (1994). Understanding Comics. 2nd ed. New York: HarperPerennial. 152 - 161.
​
Images:
Fig 1: Magritte. R (1929). The Treachery of Images. Available: https://www.renemagritte.org/the-treachery-of-images.jsp. Last accessed 26th Apr 2020.

Week one was an introduction to semiotics, it focused on the origins of semiotics, citing the key ideas of Ferdinand Sassure.  Below are my notes from this lecture, Key terms of semiotics as well as notes on Media semiotics by Jonathan Bignall and The World of wrestling ..

Semiotics Key Terminology -

Parole: The partial example of speech or writing.
Paradigm: A list of signs that could be used to subsitute another sign within a sentence structure.
Langue: A whole language system
Sign: Any thing capable of convaying meaning.
Iconic sign: Any sign where the signifier perectly reflects the referent. photographs are a form of iconic sign.
Code: Groups of signs form Codes such as; Gestures (Body language) and Clothes (Dress code)
Syntagm: A complete ordered sequence of signs 
Signified: The mental concept
Signifier: The physical representation
Diachronic linguistics: The evolution of linguistic signs through time
Synchronic Lingustics: Signs existing at a given point in time

References:

​​Barthes, R. (1993). The world of wrestling. In: Mythologies. New York: Random House. p15-25.

Bignall, J. (2002). Signs and Myths. In: Media Semiotics. Manchester: Manchester University Press. pg1-17