Over One Hundred

Visual Communication in Context:

For this project, we were asked to create a designed and illustrated document, holding an interview from one of six possible typographers. Each typographer had done an interview for Type Radio, and it was up to us to create a document that housed this interview; we could be as experimental as we liked, but the target audience for the document was designers with a discerning and appreciative eye for good visual communication practice.

This is my final designed document for this unit, an 8 page article, all laid out on a typographer’s desk space.

Tags: Black and White Illustration Illustrative InDesign Klim Type Foundry Kris Sowersby Typography VCM413 Visual Communication black booklet design desk doodle doodles graphic graphic design graphics illustrator industry info infographics insert inspiration internet klim magazine type typeface visual

Blot:

[Any links below lead only to screenshots]

It doesn’t take much to notice how high the bar has been set in the Games Industry for graphical representation of characters, landscapes, flora and fauna; it only takes a look at recent years to see the likes of Mass Effect 3, Rage, Skyrim and suchlike to find a truly awesome display of photo-realistic textures, high quality meshes, and mind-blowing attention to detail (accompanied by smooth frame rates) that generally make up the recipe for a hyper-real gaming experience. When the industry is dominated by a constant push for photo-realistic, better-than-last-time graphics - it is eye opening when a game with a strong visual style, that departs so much from this way of thinking, draws the attention of both casual and hardcore gamers alike.

Games like Angry Birds Space and Blot go against the grain, tearing away from strong, realistic detail - and developing more of their own visual, graphical trademark.

Essentially, Blot is a mouse driven game - where the player controls a blot of ink through a page, avoiding obstacles. Blot does not stick to one consistent art style, using a blend of 8-bit graphics and smooth vectors; complete with tea stained paper and sketchy doodles to fill the background. This art style reminisces gaming’s arcade roots, keeping in tact with the present by implementing a fresh, clean-cut graphical style.

A truly charming and beautiful game to play, Blot is backed up by some wonderful audio that really completes the experience. It is refreshing to see the difference that a solid art style makes, and how important it is in creating a fresh and aesthetic piece of work - be it oil painting, magazine layout, business cards, or indeed, games.