OUGD406 - SB2 - Initial Ideas and Concepts

OUGD406 - SB2 - Initial Ideas and Concepts

The very first recorded example of the word micro-genre being used was in the liner notes for a compilation album called Nuggets compiled by musician Lenny Kaye, this micro-genre was Garage-Punk. Since these humble beginnings, micro-genres have expanded to be practically infinite now, any conceivable combination of music genres or sub-genres exists somewhere as a micro-genre. This is the principle that this group project aims to communicate; the idea of combination and creation, visualised through the use of a D.I.Y garage aesthetic for the curation and design aspects of the exhibit. 

Name

This idea of combinations and musical hybrids can be easily communicated with a hyphen. The majority of micro-genres are hyphenated because they are the product of two things; Garage —— Punk, Indie —— R&B etc. For this reason it made sense that the name of the exhibit shared this sentiment. The 2 main components of a cassette tape are the tape the music is recorded on and the plastic casing it is stored in. So in effect the name of the exhibit could communicate this by pairing a word suggesting auditory experience, and a word for storage, which is not unlike a garage. After synonyms were found for each, the combination that sounded the best was chosen - Phonic Depot.

Products/Outcomes

Poster

Catalogue 

Logotype/typeface

Invites

Social media

Exhibition Plan

Presentation

In order to have a coherent and strong visual identity throughout all the different products/outcomes which were delegated to different members of the group, some design rules and ideas were put in place. The design and curation will focus on things/objects one might find in a garage, this promotes the use of carrying out more physical processes when exploring the texture and pattern of these objects and materials. The colour scheme will follow this idea to some extent; utilising hues such as brick red or wood colours and even the colours of earth, live and neutral wires - brown, blue, yellow/green - as highlight colours. The exhibit will take on the visual identity of a garage or workshop, using metal shelving, peg board and cardboard boxes which are all cheap materials to buy. These elements could be refined through screen printing/stencilling on the mdf tops of the shelving or boxes or using vinyl on the floor and walls as a method of way finding. 

The catalogues will use Haynes Car Manuals as visual inspiration in order to maintain that they would be found in a garage. An exploding diagram of a cassette tape will take the place of the car on the front (which may also feature on the poster) and the contents will utilise more contemporary design principles to layout the information such as bold typography and interesting grid systems and imagery. Other ideas for the poster and catalogue include using a brick pattern for a grid system and photographing textures such as chip board or brick to use as a background.

The logotype will capture the idea of a micro-genre being the combination of two things by emphasising the hyphen and using drastically different processes/typefaces for the two different words on either side. The aesthetic of the logo will be informed by the visual exploration of materials such as tape, wire, brick and screws. Another idea was creating an updated and contemporary version of the classic stencil typeface.

Thoughts and Opinions 

I am happy with the way the conception of the project has formed and the ideas behind it. I think a lot of my ideas have benefited the group and I have taken on a good managerial role, organising what we will do and brainstorming ideas with people. The tasks I will undertake will be sharing designing both the catalogue and the presentation. I think the idea to take on the aesthetic of the Haynes Manual from Alex who is designing the catalogue with me will work really well and it will be interesting to combine this vintage aesthetic with more contemporary design. I intend to do some research which will inform the design of the catalogue, I will look at designers/projects involving similar vintage car imagery and also look for more contemporary ways of laying out a catalogue. My biggest concern for the project right now is that design aspects such as the logotype and poster will be too informed by the garage idea and ultimately end up less contemporary and bold than they should be.