Feedback from Tutorial, SWOT Analysis

In preparation for hand-in in a few weeks, I had a tutorial with my tutors to discuss my progress, targets and to make sure I'm on track. Before the tutorial, I was sent a list of questions to prepare answers to so I thought I'd include them here to give a rough idea of what I'm working toward.    

1. Please give a recap on your chosen film, research and proposed outputs.

Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel, produced a review and summary early in the project, sketches and mindmap looking at themes, characters, context, ideas to underpin the project. Colour mood boards, I wanted to focus on Zero's relationships, both romantic with Agatha and friendship with the hotel concierge, M. Gustave. Use imagery/colours associated with characters and scenes.

2. What is going well?

A good understanding of what goes into the Little White Lies cover and spreads, design features and use of typography in illustrations associated with the film. Bought the 'Call Me by Your Name' Little White Lies issue, inspired by Luiz Mazon's surrealist style. Tried many concepts with all the scanned ink assets, learning more about Illustrator in the process, documenting all the experimentation, nearly finished!

3. What has been problematic with your project?

Too many options! Can't decide which approach to take and not being as comfortable with portraiture its hard to know how to make a composition where the background doesn't distract from the portrait. Project work is mainly digital so compiling it all in a traditional sketchbook format is more complex, relying on print quality and colours being accurate. 

4. What are your targets for the next 3 weeks?

Complete final ink assets, work on framing the cover portrait, could make a repeating pattern using ink assets and use it like wallpaper behind the character? Figure out how to add continuity between the magazine cover and spread, using similar colours and ink style. Complete evaluation and finish any sketchbook annotation.

5. Have you been regularly posting to your blog?

Trying to keep of it, writing weekly update documenting progress and goals for the week. Could include more artist research, looking at commercial illustrations to inform my development. Talk about personal work as well as uni work, book reviews. Ordered a few issues of 'Character Design Quarterly' so will be reviewing them.

6. Are you keeping on top of issued tasks?

Yes, good time management, produced an action plan early in the project so that's been helpful to refer back to. Could post more regularly on my blog with shorter posts. Started on digital sketchbook PDF so just need to add to that for hand-in.

7. Do you have sufficient R&D to support your project and clarify your intentions?

I think so! Just finished research files on Wes Anderson and Adam Stockhausen (Production Designer for 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'), research of Annie Atkins and Lauren Child earlier in the project to help figure out compositions and how to integrate typography into the illustrations. Lots of response work. Evaluate and compare my double-page spreads to existing Little White Lies designs.

8. Do you have any areas of your projects that you need further support with in terms of theory and practical?

Comparison of magazine covers I was inspired by at the beginning of the project and how my ideas have developed since them, compare styles and overall design. Update blog regularly with artists I've discovered, talk about illustration Instagram account. 

9. What is your target grade for this module?

I'd like to get 80% or above, to maintain the level I've been working at. Trying to get a good grade for each project as the final grade is an average of all of my coursework. Need to make sure blog doesn't bring the grade down. 

During the call, we discussed the questions above and my tutor was happy with the progress I'd made and thought my research was very clear and relevant. I've done a lot of response work so hopefully this all counts as development, establishing links between research and my designs. We agreed that the cover needed further exploration, figuring out what needed to go in the background. Like many of the designs I researched, I wanted something that linked to the context with iconography and colours seen in the film without being too obvious and giving it away. It needs to not be too distracting and allow the portrait to be in focus, so I want to look at using muted colours light pastel yellow, blue and pink which would push the character into the foreground. 

As for my sketchbook, I managed to get a lot of the development and annotation finished over the Christmas break so I can focus on the magazine cover and decided on a double-page spread that matches. I'm happy with my progress and feel on track to get everything complete within the next week, with the evaluation and finalising the front cover still to do.

SWOT Analysis based on Progress:

Strengths-

• Explored different design avenues backed up by editorial and artist research
• Related everything back to Little White Lies editions so I'm not going off track. Make sure what I produce resembles or has similarities with the publication
• Completed action plan early in the project, good for reference to look back on what I wanted to achieve

Weaknesses- 

• Not being able to access studio facilities, wanted to try the Risograph printer using the pink and purple inks for Zero and Agatha
• Look into other magazines to compare styles, artwork more photographic or illustrative? New Yorker and The New York Times, for example, see how editorial illustrators approach themes

Opportunities-

• To engage with an audience, use Instagram platform to get feedback from other creatives, compile as primary research
• The Grand Budapest Hotel has so many characters, themes and scenes to focus on, not limited for inspiration. Can pick up on a single scene or character interaction and it will probably still be recognised in relation to Wes Anderson

Threats-

• Not as much inspiration from others in the studio, relying on self-motivation, can be harder to generate ideas
• Creating continuity between the front cover and double-page spread, never worked in editorial before so its a new concept, linking colours and iconography
• Make sure the artwork appeals to the target audience, people who read the publication. The design needs to be inclusive and appeal to all readers, also sticking to the brief