Research > Ideas > Rinse & Repeat
To begin our first project back we were given a number of tasks and activities to complete each day, with only 24 hours to complete them. We were each given a random word from which to interpret and use as a starting point for generating various visual treatments and ideas through typography, which would then be used to produce a finished piece of design.
Day 1
For the first task, we had to identify the different definitions, as well as find synonyms, antonyms and quotations which include or resonate with the meaning of our word. I also included a collage of images to show some of my initial thoughts. We then had to produce a range of typography experiments, exploring typefaces, styles and treatments appropriate for our word.
Definitions:
bond
/bɒnd/
noun
noun: bond; plural noun: bonds
1. a relationship between people or groups based on shared feelings, interests, or experiences. "there was a bond of understanding between them"
2. a connection between two surfaces or objects that have been joined together, especially by means of an adhesive substance, heat, or pressure. "there was no effective bond between the concrete and the steel"
a strong force of attraction holding atoms together in a molecule or crystal, resulting from the sharing or transfer of electrons. noun: chemical bond; plural noun: chemical bonds "each carbon atom uses three electrons to form bonds with the adjacent atoms"
LITERARY ropes, chains, or other restraints used to restrict someone's movement or hold something in place. "he stooped over the trussed man and tested his bonds"
3. an agreement with legal force
LAW a deed by which a person is committed to make payment to another
SOUTH AFRICAN a mortgage
a certificate issued by a government or a public company promising to repay borrowed money at a fixed rate of interest at a specified time
an insurance policy held by a company, which protects against losses resulting from circumstances such as bankruptcy
US a sum of money paid as bail
4. BUILDING a pattern in which bricks are laid in order to ensure the strength of the resulting structure. "English bond"
verb
verb: bond; 3rd person present: bonds; past tense: bonded; past participle: bonded; gerund or present participle: bonding
1. join or be joined securely to something else, especially by means of an adhesive substance, heat, or pressure. "press the material to bond the layers together"
2. join or be joined by a chemical bond. "neutral molecules bond to the central atom"
3. lay (bricks) in an overlapping pattern so as to form a strong structure.
4. place (dutiable goods) in bond. "assets may have to be sold or bonded to provide cash for the payment of this tax"
Synonyms:
noun binder or fastener
band, binding, chain, connection, cord, fastening, fetter, gunk, handcuff, hookup, irons, ligature, link, linkage, manacle, network, nexus, rope, shackle, tie, tie-in, wire, stickum
noun association, relation
obligation. relationship, affiliation, affinity, attachment, connection, connective, friendship, hookup, interrelationship, liaison, link, marriage, network, restraint, tie, tie-in, union
noun guarantee; contract
certificate, debenture, obligation, security, transaction, warrant, agreement, bargain, collateral, compact, convention, covenant, guaranty, pact, pledge, promise, warranty, word
verb fasten; stick
bind, connect, fix, glue, fuse, gum, paste, stickum
Antonyms:
dislike, divorce, enmity, hate, hatred, breach, break, disagreement, let go, loosen, open, unfasten, unstick, freedom, option
Quotations:
Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. - Khalil Gibran
No matter where you live, brothers are brothers and sisters are sisters. The bonds that keep family close are the same no matter where you are. - Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata, Animal Crossing: Wild World, 2005
I'm not handsome enough to be James Bond. Maybe a villain, though. - Matt Smith
As women, we may not be a minority, but there is a bond that we all share. It is not a bond of geography. Or religion. Or culture. It is a bond of shared experience - experiences that only women go through and struggles that only women face. - Amal Clooney
To me, a forever love is a bond that can't be broken. - Nick Cannon
Your word is your bond.- Melvyn Douglas
A gang is the same as a wolf pack; gang members do not use their energies in friendship with one another, for they do not know what friendship is. If they are united, it is by the common bond of a desire to attack their world. - Haniel Long
Advertisers also know that humor can help bond us to their product. - Allen Klein
Constructed Type:
Day 2
On the second day we had to take our word and use a camera to create images related to it, considering colour, texture, shape, scale, contrast, tone and viewpoint.
Colour:
Texture:
Shape:
Scale:
Contrast:
Tone:
Viewpoint:
Day 3
On the third day we had to come u with a series of colour schemes and textures suggested by our word. I tried to get inspiration from the objects I photographed from the previous task, such as metals, tapes, movie etc. We then had to create visual interpretations of our word as abstract compositions, combining colour and/or texture in different shapes.
Colour Scheme Combinations:
Textures/Surfaces:
Abstract Compositions:
Day 4
On the final day, we had to explore the potential of spots/stripes, grids/geometric shapes, and letterforms and create patterns.
Spots/stripes:
Grids/geometric shapes:
Letterforms:
Monograph
Brief
Using the research we did last week as the basis and inspiration for the content, the brief was to produce a typographic/visual monograph on our particular word, using an experimental approach.
Inspiration
To begin, I researched online to find some inspiration for aesthetics and layouts. I really likes the scanner distortion effects used in the examples below and thought it would link in well with the idea of melting in order to bond metals and other materials. I thought this would give me a good excuse to also make use of the cut up type I did during the first week and combine he two techniques together.
Thumbnail Layouts
I then started to sketch out some layout ideas. This I found quite difficult because I didn't know how to illustrate the distortions and create a clean layout while still keeping it experimental. I wanted to create a a good balance between that and being minimalistic.
Rough Mock Up
I then created a mock up of the booklet using layout paper and roughly sketched out the pages so I could get a better idea of how the spreads would flow together.
More Experimentation
I then decided to experiment more with the techniques to create elements specifically for the spreads. I decided early on that I wanted to try something different and explore using limited, if not any, colour. Initially I tried to incorporate the James Bond films into some of the experiments; I was inspired by the opening sequence so focused a lot on circles and spirals. Ultimately, I decided to take the definitions of the word and distorted them to use as the basis of the theme. I also found imagery that linked and created a collage inspired by the work of Chris Ashworth.
Developments
I then began putting the spreads together in InDesign. I had the idea of incorporating black out lines throughout the spreads inspired by secret agent files.
Final Piece
Below is my final monograph, including JPEGS and mock ups of the entire booklet. I think some pages turned out better than others but I'm pleasantly surprised with how it turned out as it was very much out of my comfort zone.