extra! extra!

again doing a little of ze experimentation on photoshop. attempting to make my poster look like it's meant to be there. not sure i really succeeded....so amateur!

some chick.

inspired by some photos i saw on the internet, a very basic first try at fiddling with a pic in photoshop...

gen Y to do list.

i'm trying something different...the idea for this poster stemmed from an article in jmag magazine, commenting on the state of gen Y...in between applying for youth allowance, avoiding swine flu, and budgeting in alcohol for saturday night, we're looking for meaning, and purpose. we now have a mountain of opportunities that were denied our predecessors, but with all this choice we've lost our way. we want freedom, but we need direction. and on top of all that, any independence we've gained has been offset by a complete loss of trust by Gen X's, and belief in ourselves. the simplicity of the design hopefully allows its message to come through.

split personalities.

the beginning of a design, i hope. the three faces is taken from a photograph of a mask, to pursue the idea of 'split personalities'. again, i directed toward a design for the band, ikarii, which helps in providing me with guidelines, a type of brief i guess. again the colour is off because of the lighting when i took the photograph, but i think it could be a possibility for the design. this original sketch is simply with greylead, but i'd like to try it with black fineliner (surprise, surprise). 

...on second thoughts, i don't really like the colour.

the con.

the lyrics for tegan & sara's album, the con. my sketch was initially just their two heads - drawn from a photograph of them - and then i thought to extend the black area and include the text. this could possibly be one way to display lyrics for an album...

where does the good go.

another quick sketch - sticking to black and white, comic book style - inspired by the tegan & sara quote.

so impossible_take 2.

this is another older sketch that i wanted to take another look at, to make it appear more as a finished piece. again i adjusted the image slightly. i also added to the dark puddle so that it extends to the edge of the design. i redid the text in illustrator, changing both its look and placement.

as lovers go_take 2.

this is a sketch i put up a while ago, but i tweaked it a little using adobe illustrator. i've cleaned up the sketch itself, making it a little...softer. i also created the text on the computer, replacing my own hand drawn efforts. i don't really want to colour in the design, but i would mind perhaps adding a background....

clouds.

a sketch i developed beginning with the idea of clouds. i used the band's existing typeface for ikarii. as usual, i began with just black fineliner and marker,  but to add more colour i tried using watercolour pencils. the final product looks significantly different on screen, the colours altered by the lighting when i took a photo of the design...but i think i like it...but i think i could like a greater contrast between the colours of the clouds, and the background.

...is it just me or is the text crooked? 

lungs.

florence and the machine's debut album, lungs.

i'm not really sure why i love this photo so much . . . i think mainly it's because of the lungs necklace. i recommend checking out their myspace page, the artwork there is great.

tattoo.

again sticking to my black and white style, i used black fineliners and markers to create a traditional tattoo-type design. the heart and dagger is an old image idea, but i love it!

i am a twenty somethin'.

a weird, completely random sketch, centred around the idea of personality, and identity. again, entirely black and white, but i could see it working in bright colours, like a comic book or pop art piece.

stencils.

again i chose two black and white, high contrast photographs, to design two stencils. the first stencil, of joaquin phoenix, worked so well because of the division of the photograph into half white, and half black. the second - of ian curtis - was much simpler, the main focus being his eyes.

marsh & ian.

these are two sketches i did, from two black and white photos. the first is one of a friend, the lead singer in the band ikarii, and the second is ian curtis from the joy division. i chose the two photographs purposefully, as they were both high contrast images, and so lent themselves easily to the type of sketches i wanted to create. i used only black fineliners and markers, creating the darker areas with a crosshatch-type pattern. i think the use of a black background works extremely well, especially helping the image to fade into its surroundings. 

la roux.

la roux's self-titled album.

again, this is most likely 'cause i love la roux's hair. but it's true, the direction and shape of her fringe helps the viewer's eyes move from left to right, along the line of the writing. the design emanates a warm, red glow, emphasised by the background and, again, her hair. the lighting used has helped of highlight la roux's features, and the photograph has been given a kind of glow, so it almost doesn't look like a photo at all. the typeface is distinctive yet simple.

horehound.

the dead weather's new album, horehound.

it's just a sweet sweet photo. the girl is striking (and it doesn't hurt that it's alison mosshart, i love her!) and the black and white works oh so well. what i love is the perfect symmetry of the design. that's ocd for you.

nothing personal.

all time low's new album cover, nothing personal.

i think i like this design so much because it's something i'd like to - and think i could - create. the regal looking background contrasts well against the scribbles and scrawls of the centre piece, and the paint splatters only add to this image. i like the scrapbook-type feel behind the design, and i love the combination of both photographs and illustrations.

a chunk of change.

the chunk of change ep cover, by passion pit.

i think i'm attracted to bright colours. either black and white, or super bright colours! from this design i gauge a strong connection between the name of the band, passion pit, and the pit-like collection of geometric shapes. the typeface used also links into the clean lines and simple shapes. the colour of the background, as well as the colour of the shapes are slightly dulled, which helps break up the design a little; it creates greater texture. 

the reminder.

the cover of the reminder, by feist.

i love this design for its simplicity. the use of a silhouette is particularly effective. the background is plain, but add depth to the design, and the small use of colour helps create an aura around the centre piece of the piece, the woman.

secrets & lies.

black & white, original sketch.

this is a very bad copy - i don't own a scanner - but you get the general idea. i designed this poster for bertie blackman's upcoming tour, centred around the idea of secrets & lies, the title of blackman's latest album.

i began with the key and slowly added each design element. the background was the last thing to be included; i used watercolour pencils to try and create an ethereal looking background. i'm really happy with the end product, especially with the incorporation of a couple of different typefaces, and how the text really fits 'into' the design. the only thing i'd like to change is perhaps the colour, or the placement of 'secrets and lies', because i think it may get lost in with the other swirls. 

i like what i've come up with, but i always struggle knowing that you could take the design a million other ways; no design is truly finished, you could work and rework them forever. 

as day follows night.

sarah blasko's new album, as day follows night. 

i'm really into the whole kind-of-illustrative-watercolour-type designs at the moment, which is why i love this cover so much. the photo fits in so well with the small pocket of colour, especially because of the pencil-like outline of her hands. the text is simple and clear, it suits the rest of the design.

cage the elephant.

cage the elephant, their self-titled album cover.

oh i love this!! the skull is a favourite symbol of mine so this alternative take on it is great great great. it is also clearly the centre piece of the design; the background doesn't detract from it at all. i like that the design is illustrative, but still quite bold. the background in particular, its colour contrasts well against the dark writing and near colourless skull.

a week in the life of.

a series of sketches around the idea of 'identity' and 'personality'. i have an idea on how to extend this further - i want to connect them all in one, larger design - but i'm not sure how it will work. i think i want to keep this black and white though, perhaps place them on a colour background?

as lovers go.

using another dashboard quote to inspire a new sketch. i'm not too good with drawing either hands or faces, which is what helped in deciding where to place the text, but i actually think it works kind of well. i'm experimenting with gaining a greater amount of detail in my sketches, still using just a fineliner. i could probably take the detailing in this further though. and the typeface needs ~major~ refinement!

twenty-first invites.

a collection of designs i made for last year's birthday celebrations, entirely on my mac. the main aim of the designs was simply to convey necessary information.

stenciling.

using an existing photo, i wanted to try and apply one of my silhouettes, to see if i could create a stencil-type look...

circa survive.

two album covers from the band, Circa Survive.

i am in love with these designs. both are beautifully detailed and hint toward the story within the album. i enjoy the smooth brush strokes, that make it seem as if every object runs seamlessly into the next, creating one united piece.

addicted romantic.

faker's album cover, addicted romantic. 

striking photo. easily identifiable text. borderless. what i love most is the representation of an addicted romantic as a bloody, cut up and bruised individual. 

so impossible.

just another quick sketch...something i thought represented the dashboard lyrics. i don't like the placement of the text, and i'm not sure where else i could go with the design...

instrumental.

beginnings of a potentially cool design. if only i knew where to take it...

a prescription for mankind.

the album cover for spinnerette.

i think i love this cover simply because it's so sexy, so daring. the blue overtones work really well, especially against the block yellow writing. 

personalities.

a quick sketch using the rorshach inkblots to connect with the ep title personalities.

the black ghosts.

the black ghost's self-titled album cover.

this is exactly the kind of design i want to create. i love love love the cover because it is seemingly so simple, and so immediately eye catching. it is such a clever design. 

bang!

i really like the concept of this design, but the whole thing - the girl, the heading and text - all need extensive refinement.

trial kennedy.

this poster was created to put to use the ikarii stencil i developed. i'm extremely happy with the black and white stencil of both the text and the plane. i also think the rich, textured background works well, however, i'm unhappy with the black, fragmented shapes at the bottom of the poster - they need further refinement. 

 

friday the thirteenth.

this was just a quick poster i put together using adobe photoshop and illustrator, for a friday the thirteenth party. the image of tim curry is the obviously main component, and i am really happy with its placement within the design - it helps the eye run from left to right. i also think the text works really well - the use of red for 'the' provides a strong contrast, and its placement suggests tim curry is almost speaking the words. 

young love.

i used an old family photo for this design, to emphasise the inclusion of the band, the young lovers. i used adobe photoshop to slightly distort the photograph, and make it appear more like a polaroid. the background is a collage of old family photos, to further highlight the 'young love' theme. i'm not entirely sure of the choice of typeface, but i do like the contrast between the block letters of the main heading, and the scrawl of the details.

comic book me.

i am so happy with this design. i feel the shading on the tee and arms is sufficient, but doesn't draw away from the text too much. i think the choice of typeface is appropriate, it further suggests the idea of a comic book sketch. i also think the black background, and black border are particularly effective. 

tessellations.

with the new ikarii ep possibly called personalities i thought a design centered around the use of tessellations could work really well. i'm happy with the overall concept, but i feel this design has a long way to go before completion.

valentine's day.

i was really happy with this design mostly becomes i completed it - start to finish - in about half an hour. it was composed entirely on computer, using adobe illustrator, and i wanted to create a kind of darker, punk alternative to the traditional vday messages.

i always struggle with backgrounds but in this case i think the white works well. i was also happy with the placement of text, especially including 'the peninsula lounge' within the broken heart. i also think the choice of typeface fits. i am unsure of the border however; i placed an uneven black border around the entire design, but i'm not entirely sure it's necessary.