Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling great.

My name's Ms. Afzal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm feeling very pleased about that because I love teaching art and because today we're looking at designers.

Today we're going to be looking at designer research pages.

Our lesson is called Showcasing a Designer Research Page.

And this lesson comes from the unit of work Finding Your Artistic Voice: An Introduction to the Creative Process.

So I'm really interested in finding out more about your creative voice in terms of your inspirations, which designers inspire you, themes, ideas, and so on.

So if you're feeling curious, if you're feeling ready, open, and have some energy and enthusiasm, then we'll begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can create a research page that creatively presents a designer's work using visual choices and annotations.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

Aesthetic, annotation, and influence.

So what do these words mean? Aesthetic is a set of principles guiding the visual style or artistic appearance of a piece of work.

Annotation.

This is a written explanation or comment added next to images or designs to clarify or analyse them.

And influence, the impact that one artist, designer, or style has on another's work or creative process.

I'm interested to find out about your influences.

So these are our keywords, aesthetic, annotation, and influence.

Let's look out and listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Today's lesson is called Showcasing a Designer Research Page, and it consists of two learning cycles.

First of all, understanding aesthetics and influences, and then creating a research page.

Let's begin by understanding aesthetics and influences.

And let's fast forward to having a look at what an outcome for today might be.

You can see here a research page based on the contemporary designer, Paula Scher.

So much to notice there.

Just pause for a moment and share with someone, what are some things that are really standing out for you about this research page about Paula Scher? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

A research page is a visual response to an artist or designer's work.

And there we can see an example of an artist research page.

These pages should show what you've learned, what inspires you, how you interpret their style or aesthetic.

An aesthetic is a set of principles guiding the visual style or artistic appearance of a piece of work.

And we can see some images and ideas generating an aesthetic on the screen there.

By understanding aesthetics of an artwork or a designer's portfolio, we learn more about our own preferences and can create meaningful personal responses based on them.

Creating a research page involves selecting images and presenting information clearly, using annotations to communicate ideas around their aesthetic, showing influence and a personal response through design choices.

And there's a collaged image we can see on the screen there involving text and mixed media.

Pause the video and share with someone your impressions of this artwork.

Thanks for sharing.

Let's have a check for understanding.

What does the term aesthetic refer to in design? Is it a, the size of the page, b, message of the text, c, the visual style or appearance, or d, the speed of creation.

Pause here while you decide what the term aesthetic refers to in design.

Well done if you selected answer c.

Indeed, the visual style or appearance is what the term aesthetic refers to in design.

The main purpose of a designer research page is to visually communicate your analysis and response to their aesthetic.

This can be achieved by showing what you've learned, what inspires you, and how you interpret their style or are influenced by it.

We can see a display board of imagery on the screen there.

Listing facts about a designer is important to contextualise their work.

However, a research page should go beyond simply placing images beside facts.

And we can see another example of an artist research page.

Your research page should be carefully curated, analysed through annotations, and demonstrate a personal response through design choices.

So we can see there's that magic mixture of curation, annotation, and personal response.

Components of an effective research page should include a strong layout, thoughtful image selection, clear, relevant annotations, colourful choices and design details that reflect the designer's influence.

And we can see an example of an artist's research page here.

Pause the video and share with someone the different components of an effective research page that you can see in this example.

So it does contain a strong layout, thoughtful image selection, annotations, colour choices, and design details that reflect the designers or artist's influence.

Pause here while you do this.

Thanks for sharing.

I think this is a great example of an effective research page, and I would say all of those components are present.

It got a really strong layout, some thoughtful images.

You can see some annotation there.

And the colour choices seem considered.

When choosing a designer to create a research page, it's helpful to think about our own interests, inspirations, place, and aesthetic preferences.

Pause the video and share with someone, what are some of your interests? What inspires you? What are some of your place and aesthetic preferences? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

I wonder if you had any similarities with the person you shared with in terms of your interest, inspirations, place, and anaesthetic preferences.

Let's hear from Jun, Lucas, and Izzy.

Jun's inspired by music and book covers, balancing imagery, and text.

Love that.

Lucas, "I love bright, colourful designs and bold, graphic typography." And Izzy, "I'm interested in how designers can reflect identity and culture in their work." Oh, my goodness, me too, Izzy.

Understanding your own interests and aesthetic preferences can help you to search for and select designers to research.

Paula Scher creates impactful designs that express movement and energy through bold imagery and typography.

Elijah Vardo communicates Roma culture and his experiences through illustrative and colourful graphic designs.

And Sabrina Tirvengadum explores identity and ancestry in their designs, as well as challenging ableism and accessibility in digital spaces.

And another great example of an artist research page on the screen there.

Check for understanding.

What is the main purpose of a designer research page? Is it a, to display random design styles, b, to present your final artwork, c, to copy the designer's work exactly, or d, to visually communicate your analysis and response to a designer.

Pause here while you decide what the main purpose of a designer research page is.

Well done if you selected answer d.

Indeed, the main purpose of a designer research page is to visually communicate your analysis and response to a designer.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to consider the themes you would like to explore, your interests, and which types of designers you might search for.

So pause here while you complete this table with the theme you would like to explore, what are your interests, and what kind of designers you might be searching for.

Pause here while you have a go at this task.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Okay, it's great to be back with you.

How did you get on with this task, in considering the themes you'd like to explore, your interests, and which types of designers you might search for? You might have said something like this.

Here's the theme, identity and culture.

Interests, history, places, and environments.

How design influences culture and is used by communities.

And search for, designers who explore identity and culture.

Posters or banners used in social activism and protests.

Thanks for joining in with this task.

I hope that was helpful for you to explore what is the theme that you wish to get into, what interests you have, and who the designers are that you're going to search for.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle, creating a research page.

We are going to get practical.

There are many artists and designers exhibiting countless aesthetics that you might create a research page from.

Try to select one who inspires or interests you to work with.

You could research a local artist, maker, or designer, or visit a gallery or museum to find inspiration.

And we can see a visitor at an exhibition with so many works of art to ponder and explore.

Design takes many forms. You might find inspiration in unexpected places.

Corita Kent was a nun who used graphic design to communicate messages of hope and spirituality through slogans, logos, and posters.

Samuel Mensah works with brands and companies, influencing the creative industries towards anti-discrimination design choices.

And Georg Olden was a pioneer for graphic design and art direction for early television broadcasts and advertisements.

Now we can see an exhibition display on the screen there.

Pause the video and share with someone which of these three designers would you be interested in exploring if you were to choose one of them.

Thanks for sharing.

I think they all sound fascinating, but I would really like to look more into the work of Corita Kent.

I love a slogan, and I'd especially love to see Corita Kent's messages of hope and spirituality.

Once you've chosen a designer, select three to five images which best represents their work.

Think about variety, composition, and visual interest through your selection.

So pause here while you consider who might be a designer that you would like to explore further.

And then select three to five images that best represent their work.

The next thing to do is to plan and consider your page layout.

It might be helpful to create two or three thumbnail sketches which show possible layouts.

And through these sketches, think about balance, spacing, and the flow of images and text.

Where might you place images, titles, and annotations? So pause here while you reflect on this.

Thanks for reflecting.

A clear title should quickly and effectively establish a connection to the designer's aesthetic.

Consider using typographic font or typeface which reflects visual elements in their work to show influence.

So you could use script, you could use block lettering, or something more creative.

For example, using script, calligraphic style text could suggest a traditional aesthetic, while a block typeface is bold and attention-grabbing.

Pause the video and share with someone which kind of typeface are you most drawn to.

Thanks for sharing your preferences.

And remember, you'll be looking for a typeface that best reflects the visual elements in your chosen designer's work to show influence.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Effective annotations are a, a list of facts about the designer, b, personal responses and observations about designs, c, large decorative fonts and typefaces, d, random captions under each image.

Pause the video while you decide what effective annotations are.

Well done if you selected option b.

Indeed, effective annotations are personal responses and observations about designs.

Using your thumbnail sketch layout as a rough guide, place your selected images on the research page accordingly.

Make sure to leave space for annotations and reflections.

To annotate your chosen visuals, write or record a voice memo or film a response to each image using analysis and your personal response to the work.

You might use a sentence starter such as, this design uses, this artwork creates a sense of, this piece inspires me because.

And there we can see someone writing, perhaps annotating in a sketchbook.

With the title images and annotations in place, you might add other related design elements, colour swatches, patterns, textures, motifs, typography and keywords which reflect the designer's visual language.

The last step is to evaluate your research page.

Refer back to the designer and consider, does your research page reflect their aesthetic? Do annotations offer a personal response to their work? Is the designer's influence on the page noticeable? Check for understanding.

How can you best show influence from a designer on your research page? A, show elements of their work that inspire your ideas, b, include their biography to show information, c, copy their logo to show your technical skills, d, write an essay about how they inspire your ideas.

Pause the video and decide how you can best show influence from a designer on your research page.

Well done if you selected answer a.

Indeed, the best way to show influence from a designer on your research page is by showing elements of their work that inspire your ideas.

And now it's time for your next task.

Using your chosen designer, create a single-page layout that includes a clear title, three to five visuals of their work, high quality, printed, or sketched, annotations around each of these visuals, short, analytical, personal, colour swatches, typography, or visual elements inspired by the designer.

Focus on developing visual balance, clear communication, and a creative layout.

Pause here while you have a go at this task of using your chosen designer to create a single-page layout.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's great to be back with you.

So how did you get on with that task of creating a single-page layout based on your chosen designer? You might have created something like this and said something like this.

Here's Lucas.

"I made this digital research page based on graphic designer Paula Scher.

Making it allowed me to experiment with the alignments of imagery, graphics, and typography in a style similar to her aesthetic.

I emphasise key details, such as why I find her work inspiring by using bold, clear text." I think you really hit that brief, Lucas.

Terrific job.

And now pause here and share with each other your research pages and offer each other some feedback on whether the research page matches the aesthetic and whether the annotations add a personal note.

So pause here while you do this.

Offer each other some feedback.

Good to be back with you.

Thanks for doing that.

I hope that's been really helpful for you to explore a little further and to get some feedback about how effective your research page has been.

In our lesson, Showcasing a Designer Research Page, we've covered the following.

A research page is a curated, creative presentation of a designer's work and aesthetic, not just a collection of images.

Effective layout and annotation help communicate analysis and personal interpretation.

Design choices on the page, for example, colour, type, composition, may reflect the influence of another artist, designer, or style.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

It was really great to find out who are you influenced by, who are you interested in, what themes you'd like to explore, and then to find out the designer that you wish to explore further through your designer research page.

Well done for considering the font that you used, for giving a personal response through your annotation, and generally reflecting the influence of your chosen designer.

I think you've done a great job today, and I hope you're proud of what you've created.

I'm really looking forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

In the meantime, stay creative.