OUGD502: TANK Collaboration 02

Interviewing Kristina Sergeeva, photographer of the series. 

When observing Tank magazine it was evident the main aspect of descriptive content was mainly interviews and reviews of issues by creative writers, as well as artist statements. To follow suit with the holistic design approach to position Kristina's Tank as the real thing, I decided to practice my interviewing skills in preparation for visiting Kate Allsop in London, and interview Kristina for a feature within Tank Magazine. This experience was extremely beneficial and made me realise the importance of pre-prepared questions when interviewing, something I will keep in mind for future interviews.
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JL: Hello, today I am talking to aspiring photographer Kristina Sergeeva whose work is featured in this magazine. Titled I am a cliché Kristina’s work focuses on the differences in culture and appearance that she has encountered after moving to the United Kingdom from Dubai. Can you explain a bit more about your concept?

KS: Hi, yes of course. Basically since I moved from Dubai to the U.K I have noticed a trend of what the young women wear here. It is not a bad thing, it is just an observation that I had. Certain trends such as denim, Adidas, Nike, and leather are a few examples that I saw being worn by the vast majority of people. I found it interesting to explore this idea, because since moving here, you know I went and bought myself a denim jacket, Adidas originals and hoop earrings. It shows how fast these trends are spreading and in a way, over time they have become overused. Therefore, Cliché.

JL: We are talking about what it was like moving from Dubai to Britain it must have been a bit of a culture shock, but what did you think was the hardest part for you about every day culture and fashion life?

KS: The culture in Dubai is very different from the culture in the U.K. In Dubai we are not allowed to show our shoulders, or knees, covering up is respectful. Obviously I was living in their country I had to obey their laws. That was something that is obviously different here, especially on nights out, when I would see girls wear short skirts and tank tops, I would think in my head, ‘oh gosh, she needs to cover up!’ it’s kind of like, you are not allowed to do that, but in fact you are, I was in England now, I had to accept that that was totally okay.

JL: No, I totally understand, it’s almost like this project for you is a kind of understanding project. Now it’s about understanding the culture here and accepting it. I can imagine that some foreigners have not accepted British culture as well as you have.

KS: Yes 100% having lived here for one and a half years, that type of thing is now acceptable to me. I understand and accept the fashion here and I am genuinely inspired by it. You know I still have my views and the way I was brought up from the beginning, like I would never wear short clothes because that part of my Dubai culture will always be with me. I do not mind the culture here and I don’t see it in a negative way, it is just something that I have been able to identify. A lot of the girls here probably don’t see it as a cliché in fact, because they wouldn’t as they have never properly been exposed to a different culture before.  

JL: That is quite an interesting observation. What made you choose the cover image?

KS: After looking at past Tank Magazines, I noticed some key features that most magazines include within their cover photographs. For example in a lot of the issues, the model is looking directly in the camera, and I personally think that is important because it makes her appear more powerful, confident and presents a fierce look. This presents a direct and explicit connection between the viewer and the subject. The cover image say’s a lot about the magazine and can either make the buyer want to purchase it, or not. Eloise York is wearing her leotard body suit and denim which I think is an outfit that a lot of young women wear today accompanied with hair extensions and fake eyelashes. Having a strong stance and the facial expression that she has are some of the qualities that made choosing this image a lot easier.

JL: Okay Cool! So outside of like the fashion aspect what did you feel was the British thing? Was it make up? Was it piercings? Was it weed?

KS: Oh, a variety of all of those really. Before being opened to this culture, I have never seen that many piercings nor double nose piercings on anybody ever. It was quite cool noticing these small little aspects about Britain’s culture. Also nipple piercings, not common in Dubai at all, but very common here. Weed was also a big shock to me, I didn’t think that I would always be around me. Back in the U.A.E I was never exposed to drugs, as it is illegal. Although, it is also illegal here, it seemed to be all around me in first year. This was one of the biggest culture shock’s I had ever experienced. Drugs are bad, yet the vast majority of people around me seemed to be consuming them on a weekly if not daily basis.  

JL: Do you think it is because sex sells more over here?

KS: Yes, in Dubai you are not allowed to have sex outside of marriage, and if you do and the wrong people find out then you will get deported. Because it is illegal, everything is much harder and stricter on expats in Dubai. Restrictions of being able to hold your boyfriends hands while walking in the Mall, or kissing in public must be kept to a minimum and if you are caught or if someone complains about you, you could get in trouble.

JL: I guess the U.K is the complete opposite of that.

KS: it really is, it’s so strange how different it actually is, another thing that I noticed is my reaction when I saw people making out in public, I was like ‘omg what are you doing, that’s not allowed’ but then again, I was on different turf, this was allowed, and no one cared.

JL: Okay, cool. So you chose a close- up shot of Eloise because you were trying to show the make up?

KS: Yes exactly. I wanted to show how perfect it was. I chose to include a beauty shot because I wanted to capture the make-up, hair style, fake eye lashes and the eyebrows. I noticed that a lot of people wear fake eyelashes on nights out and I thought it would be interesting to portray that in my images.

JL: How did you manage the wardrobe and what the models wore for each shot?

KS: They had full control over their outfits. I think that is quite an important element because if I chose what they were to wear it would be classed as stereotyping English girls, which is not what I was trying to achieve. A few images that are included in my series are of clothes they came to the shoot in, which I thought was interesting to record as well.

JL: A few of the images look very ‘clubby’ in a way, as if they were shot outside of the club which contributes to the British girl culture. Is that something that you tried to achieve?

KS: Actually no. When I was post processing I came across those images and I loved them! I thought they would link very well into the series because clubbing is quite a popular activity in most British girl’s lives. Therefore, I thought the aesthetic linked very well so I decided to include them. I also believe that the image is being displayed as a double page spread.

JL: It is quite interesting because Tank Magazine promotes high end brands, whereas you have focused on brands such as Topshop / New Look etc... Why is that?

KS: Well because most students cannot afford clothes from Prada or Gucci because they are students. However, I did find aspects of the higher end brands within my photographs for example Tiffany and Co necklace, or Pandora Rings, and Custom made body jewelry.

JL: What camera and equipment did you use for this series?

KS: I used a Nikon D610 Camera with a beautiful 85mm lens which allowed me to achieve a very wide aperture and create very natural beauty shots. Lighting equipment: I used an external flash for the ‘clubby’ image and then I used a Ranger RX location lighting set for the other few images. I decided to use natural lighting for most of my images because Tank does give me that natural and calm feel when looking through the types of images presented in this magazine.

OUGD502- TANK Collaboration 01

As part of a collaboration with Kristina Sergeeva for her Level 5 Photography Specialist Practice, I have been commissioned to help with Layout and Editorial Design to aid the imagery. Prior to meeting with Kris, I asked her to create a small brief (even just in note form) for me to follow, so I know 1) What the client is expecting from me and 2) To increase professionalism and the habit of following a brief.

The deadline was penciled in for the next meet, the real deadline was January 10th, Kristina's print slot ready for the Specialist Practice hand in. I found receiving a brief useful as this articulated all the necessary information for me, allowing me to research and design.

Meeting with Kris allowed her to explain her intentions and the concept of the images, stemming from her own brief 'I Am a Cliche?'. The use of a question mark was a decision added by Kristina as the models within the picture are positioned to be questioning if they are a cliche, just by the clothes they are wearing. Coming from Dubai, Kristina was highly influenced and inspired by British culture, especially what the girls over here wore. She described it as a "culture shock" and was amazed at the way trends developed in the West. 

CONCEPT:

Initial Observations of TANK Magazine:

I went to the Library to look at current and past issues of tank, investigating each issue for commonalities and consistency in theme. As this is an appropriation of a magazine, it is essential that typography, colour, sizing, typesetting, grids, and conventions all match up, making Kristina's version look like the real Tank. The magazine is not found on the high street, only through online or specialist publishing retailers (such as colours may vary or Village Bookstore). The higher standard of production quality and substantial thickness suggests a luxury which is equally consistent through the quirky and unique design characteristics. 

The covers have started featuring the white border, yet in the historic issues of Tank vibrant colours have been incorporated as a strip down the side, with a smaller logo instead of the overpowering masthead.

 Many commonalities were found throughout TANK, including page layout, grids and image positioning.

- No more than 8-9 lines per length. 10pt type.

- Custom Masthead and custom subheading text. Looks to be a Scandinavian take on Caslon Bold + Semi-bold, incorporating linear patterns through the accents and intersecting bowls.

After further inspection the subheading and title type are all custom typefaces. The thicker curve when the stems are connected and intersect are much more fluid than that of Caslon (or Bodoni). In addition, a flat top is added to the lowercase 'a', corresponds with the heavy mechanical aesthetic of the accompanying custom masthead.


There looks to be a trend developing within magazines of either a bold horizontal masthead, a slightly angular slant to fill negative space, or in older issues more experimental adaptations are featured. In almost every previous cover, a border of 12.7mm is applied to every cover, easing into a simple spine containing publisher information. As Kristina's cover is much darker than the others, as well as looking at a slightly alternative (high street rather than designer) aspect, taking inspiration from some experimental aspects could prove useful. Kris and I discussed how she wanted it to almost act as a 'special edition', a slice of normality almost- I feel that this is emphasised by the slight break in the current white trend, setting it out from the cohort.

Overcoming the first design problem

I plan to keep in touch with Kris and keep meeting up for constructive feedback throughout the process, yet I am happy she has released majority of the design responsibility to me. I plan to use Tank's consistent formats and distinctive qualities, inputting Kristina's work and concept.

Initial cover Kristina and I created at meeting no.2, after explaining to Kris the principles of Tank and how I want to approach the project (from a realistic, classic point of view).

OUGD502- Whats on 2016/17

OUGD502- Trip to London

As this is my first solo trip to London, project management and organisation needs to be working at top functionality, informing uni of any absences, organising trains/accommodation and organising studio visits. This is an exciting opportunity for me as I have always been drawn to London, so feel that Level 5 is a great opportunity to be more proactive in going to the capital.

As part of the COP research I am doing into how consumers perceive Type and Visual Merchandising, I am heading down to London to check out the christmas window displays. Naturally this is also a great opportunity also for me to connect with people of interest.

In the PPP session today I identified a range of studio's in London and Leeds, quite accessible to contact. One studio in particular is Harlequin Design, based at Coldbath Square, central London. Their work spans the fashion industry and explores companies i've always visually and conceptually admired. Its interesting to see the scope of work they do and what the components are to making it. I would love to gain feedback on the process and possible outcomes when retail spaces are unavailable. Through their work, Harlequinn have developed a reputation as a specialist of Retail Windows, with over 20 years experience making connections with the likes of Chloe, John Lewis, Karl Lagerfeld & Hackett. To make the connection prior to the London trip, I will handwrite a letter and attach something cool- a postcard perhaps ?, as well as phoning on the day if no reply.

Who I need to contact:

There seems to be many sectors of the studio environment, allowing freedom between design and accounts. With this in mind I want to research into each person and try and utilise their knowledge while I can, not just focusing on the top level either.

Alongside Harlequinn, I plan on contacting PLANarama, the creative design team behind the VM & Display award winning Debenham's window collection.

After doing further reading on Retail Focus about Award Winning and exceptional work throughout the year, it was interesting to find out even Topshop/Topman outsource visual merchandising help at the flagship store during peaks. In the past it has generally been refined to high end stores, as these are the ones with the budget. This suggests that high-street shoppers are responding well the projection of art onto the street, possibly foreshadowing a rise of high street artistic visual communication- narrating a story to each subject featured.

It would be interesting to see how a collection of christmas window photographs would translate as editorial content.

I emailed Dereck, figuring I may swell start at the top and work my way down to get in contact with Harlequinn, hopefully to interview as part of Studio Brief 02!.

OUGD502- Utopian Worlds- Self Driven Project

Inspired by the LCF x H&M Sustainability campaign, I wanted to create my own response exploring the idea of a sustainability's relationship with visual culture. The emphasis with the LCF x H&M campaign was predominantly on garment design, sourcing material and exploring ethical practices to further push forward the fashion industry- things I am personally interested in as a practitioner. After further researching area's of Visual Merchandising and Window Dressing in a wider sense, I was drawn to the magical worlds created by Bergdorf Goodman, New York store. 

Over the summer and since returning to university I have been hugely interested in the idea of a 'fashion story'. I wanted to see if a narrative or concept could be translated through Visual Merchandising, to the same effect a story could be portrayed through graphic design. Despite not having the facility or materials to create my own objects, I decided to source relevant pre-made things and give it a go for myself, self-learning along the way

This was a vital opportunity for collaboration- one of which being a team of photographers. Looking back on Level 4, collaboration isn't something I did a lot, but that is something I really want to change going into Level 5.

Photo: Alec Aarons / Me setting up the window

All of the images were shot at night to retain a ominous glow seeping out of the window. Two photographers accompanied me, Claire McClean shooting on Nikon D3000, and Alec Aarons shooting with a Fujifilm X100T. Both photographers have different aesthetic qualities and values that underpin them as a photographer. I wanted to explore both styles and see how each photographer interpreted the scene, whilst I was providing art direction and scene touch ups throughout. It was also interesting to direct the model, Cloe Stead, posing as a real life mannequin.

Photo:  Alec Aarons / Model: Cloe Stead

Photo:  Alec Aarons / Model: Cloe Stead

Photo: Claire McClean / Model: Cloe Stead

Photo: Claire McClean / Model: Cloe Stead

Photo:  Alec Aarons / Model: Cloe Stead

Photo:  Claire McClean

Photo: Claire McClean / Model: Cloe Stead

House at night / Jen Lea

Street View / Jen Lea

In total the process from idea generation to the final shoot was only 2 days, with approximately 12 hours of set up/sourcing time. We chose to shoot at about 2 in the morning, giving us plenty of space on the road without cars coming by, along with a dark dewey lighting desirable to boost the vibrance of the scene along the street.

As I decided to improvise, I used a bedroom window bay in my student house for the shoot- a quite busy area in Hyde Park, Leeds. Countless people were passing by and stopping to watch us work, it was nice to explain the idea to a bunch of drunken strangers (and it go down well!). Looking back it was a shame not to incorporate a documentary side to the social aspect that came with a night time window instillation. After myself and fellow collaborators posted the final selection on social media, an overwhelming response came back which is encouraging to do more (possibly using snapchat as a form of small scale advertising?).

I have learnt project management skills and more technical aspects, including art direction and directing photographers and models. I had to improvise with directing the model, using mobile phones on speaker phone to communicate hands free through the glass. All of these little things I've learnt will allow future projects of this nature to be much more organised and technically executed, as the important of a sleek outcome is essential moving onto Level 5.

In the future I want to expand my time frame, allowing development on thoughts and pieces to follow the same narrative in a more creative way. Other elements of design which interest me is Typography and the production of large scale typography. Andrew Bryom - 'If H Was A Chair' is a huge influence to this, especially when dealing with creative problems such as neon.

Since conducting further research into window displays and specialist studio's such as Harlequin Design, I intend to start creating sketches and digital mock ups- prior to jumping into the finished piece. After processing the images I submitted a select few to country-wide zines, one being GUM in Glasgow. I felt this was a good opportunity to get my own work out there and explore another interest- editorial design for fashion communication.

An Overview of Fashion Month

Saint Laurent, PFW

A gothic 80's disco, oozing sex and empowerment. Runway show features old YSL logo, hovering in a white neon light bringing an almost religious presence. Classic elegence which is brought through the presentation of the YSL logo juxtaposes the edgy collection, presented by Anthony Vaccarello.
I feel the relationship between crisp white elegance and the rock chick inspiration evident through the collection creates a balance, letting the guests know YSL is chic, it is different, but it is so deeply routed into the fashion world as a classic icon it has almost acheived god like status.

Dolce & Gabbana S/S 17', MFW

'Tropico Italiano'

A mix of Italian influences celebrating rich, vivid every day culture. A botanical twist adds a Carribean luxury, combining bold vivid prints and classic Italian lace. Big shoulders and arms are concurrent themes between numerous collections. After only researching a few 2017 collections it is evident that designers seem to be moving away from the oversized 'boyfriend' trend, currently dominating the high street.

OUGD502- Harrison Park Talk

Harrison is an LCA Graduate, working at 2 studios throughout the week, including StudioDBD, in Manchester 2 days a week

"The most humble people are the best to work with"

Advice to students:

• Build Connections & Relationships
• Its not handed to you on a plate
• Attend as many events as possible
• Don't be a Dick
• Don't be afraid to ask
• Rejection Happens
• Stay true to yourself
• Go to events alone, make friends and get your face out there
• Communicate       

Park discussed selling your Idea's, how you communicate with clients and the importance of making communication personal. He advised to stroke peoples ego's and show/do something different than other students.

• People like receiving mail, much more thoughtful and considerate. - Send letters to studio's/professionals i'm interested in. Try and cut out the PA.
• Theres more to life than London
• Use what you have here- Photography studio, Collaborative Environment, Digital Print
• Building your portfolio isn't through just set briefs- build portfolio in your own time. The majority of work is dull, boring problems
• Grade follows- focus on the portfolio
• Copyright innovative idea's, it allows you to put concepts into words
• You can't teach (or be taught) concept
• ALWAYS email back, even if they reject you- it keeps you in their mind as available

Advice on working life

• Start at a competitive rate, the moneys not great. 
• People disrespect idea's, so fixated on aesthetic its hard to justify why things should be as they are.
• Rejection happens. 9/10 you won't get accepted- you need a passion for design.
• In some studio's its more about the money than the passion - Allocated money per hour, so managing time is essential - "just do it and get it out the door"
• 'Everyone knows everyone', be a part of the community

Relevance of Own Practice/Work :

• Shows you can manage own projects and time
• Expands portfolio from student & studio work
• Proves ability to generate concepts and execute ideas

Relevance to MY practice/ What I can take from this:

• Prior to my upcoming trip to London (29th-30th Nov), I need to identify who I need to speak to/pick the brain of, and how to get to them. If applicable and possible, send letters this week to contact these people in an inventive way- perhaps design the envelope in or put something cool inside?

I am not going to be a Graphic Designer- this all looks like hell- what high paid alternatives are out there to give ME a bread and butter income, without loosing my mind?

OUGD502: Contacting Creatives 01

GREY London

Grey is one of the largest and most successful advertising firms in central London, based in Farringdon. Their work caters for profit and not for profit organisations, exploring eco typography solutions such as Rymann's eco-typeface, designed to use less ink than alternative typefaces, as well as advertising campaigns for some of the worlds biggest clients. Grey was responsible for The Dove Real Women campaign, expressing natural beauty away from photoshop and shot by David Bailey- one of my all time favourite photographers and campaigns.

Kate Allsop

I was really interested to hear about the experience of working in an agency like this, and after discussing my future plans, a family friend gave me the email address of Kate Allsop, an advertising creative currently working for Grey! 

Kate has previously worked at Ogilvy & Mather, with a keen focus on art direction and typography. I was aware from my conversation with a family friend Kate had imputed to the Real Women Campaign, so I was really interested in meeting and interviewing her.

The process of getting in touch with Kate was really easy, giving me confidence to contact more professionals in the future. I plan to meet Kate on the 30th November and interview her, asking about her experience and other aspects of her practice.

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The meet up with Kate went really well, she was really friendly and down to earth and the interview was much more relaxed than planned. I recorded the conversation on my phone, using a prompt sheet of things to ask her about, which was a useful tool as I wasn't scrambling for ideas or time to get down what she said. We had a coffee at the Grey and Kate asked to see some of my work. She said gave positive feedback, saying it was a much better standard of art working and concept explanation than some of the current people there on placement, she also said how she'd like to keep in touch and talk about placements in the future! 

Since this, Kate phoned me and said that a placement at Grey was not possible without going through the proper process on the website- something I plan to do. 

Kate gave me some advice recently to contact the specific people handling placements directly, and send my portfolio to them. Kate mentions a book, which is a tangible portfolio  which could be a really nice touch to appeal to each company directly.

I plan to keep in touch with Kate and explore the possibility of a placement at Grey. I am really happy with Kate's response and that she wants to keep in touch with me too!