Hello dear blog reader, I'm having a little trouble and wondered if you might give me your advice. I'm working on a poster as a response to a brief asking us to make a sequence of images following a figure through Porto. I chose to do a child running around counting things that he notices. So it goes, 1 boy, 2 hams, 3 boats, 4 pears, 5 moustaches, 6 sardines, 7 barrels, 8 birds in cages, 9 hands on 9 hips, 10 pigeons.
I don't want it to be too obviously a counting game, hence not including words or numbers but I do want it to look more like a cohesive journey that it currently does. I think I would naturally read each row from left to right like a book but I need to make the layout design strong enough to show that in the second and fourth rows read right to left. I hope the windy path will achieve this. Confused?
I've got bodies to add to the moustache men and I want to use less colours to make it bolder and either block in some colour or make a continuous grey track for the boy to follow. The photo is of my first draft.
I realise I am procrastinating to the max by blogging this instead of just getting on with it but I genuinely feel stumped. Help me please!
8 comments:
Hi,
I'm procrastinating on doing by ironing by writing this comment, so hooray for procrastination!
My thoughts would be:
A clear path, with a start and finish would make it pretty easy to read. (at first I tried to read it bottom right to top left, as, my addled mind thought the boy in the bottom right was the start point).
If you do have a path, it could get complicated in the middle section, eg which path are the birds and hips attached to; they could be considered attached to the 2nd line, or 3rd (if that makes sense).
Also, the ham, boats and pears, with more white space around them, are easier to understand.
It already looks like it's going to turn out great - good luck & have fun!
ummmmmm
well it's gorgeous if that helps?!
Maybe if the pears, moustaches and sardines graduated more from the top of the second row and the sardines were placed lower on the last square of the second row then it would 'read' more like you want it to. Taking the viewer on a journey is hard~ you have to help them along...the paths work though so don't get rid of them. And the birds on the last row naturally read from right to left.
This is my procrastination, I'm waiting for some ink to dry...
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That is lovely! I too am procrastinating from exam revision.
I do see what you mean about wanting for it to look more cohesive, but I also think once the path is drawn more clearly it will be easier to see what is going on. The only other thing I thought was to do with the sizes of the objects, to get the sense of perspective right. I wasn't sure if the boy was supposed to be wandering 'towards' the viewer as well as along the path, because some of the objects seem to be getting larger as he goes along... but others not.
It is really a lovely idea and I will look forward to seeing how it comes along!
It does make sense and it is a good idea but because it is a first draft the viewer does need to have the explanation.
Looking forward to seeing the next draft when you have had a chance to develop your visual language. I like the idea of it being simplified and bolder.
Once you have achieved that it will be easier to decide what role (if any) you need the path to play.
V exciting. Well done!
I'll chime in for moral support, though not sure I'm much help. On first glance I got confused about the path too, but you hadn't finished the colouring. Maybe a line to help the eye. Also I think if the scale/perspective was standardised it might help. Especially in the part where the moustaches are in between the close ups of pear and sardines. Can you include the boy in silhouette in the foreground? Or can you put all the pictures into one image and just have the boy move through it?
I am probably not much help but I saw the path perfectly and thought it was wonderful.
I am so looking forward to receiving our package from you. I purchased it for my sister in law. We will let you know when it arrives and I am sure it will have a safe trip here, much like the boy in your poster to be. Wishing you the best of luck on your work!
xoxo
~dee
Hmmm. Could you add a brick wall or something by the figures to anchor them in the space? Almost create an area of shops that he's wandering past?
Good luck finishing it. When I was stumped with floorplans in school for interior design, sometimes I'd flip the plan upside down and it would help see something differently.
Anna! This looks great! can't wait to see the finished product! I am in agreement with what Mariss says.... But like you mentioned...the colors will be toned down some, I am sure once that takes place then it will be even easier to read... I guess my only thing is just to make the starting point more confident...i.e. make the boy larger? Because when looking at the poster my eyes keep going back and forth between the top left hand corner and the bottom right... and forgetting all that is in between. + good luck! +
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