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As i am aiming my designs at the age group of my brother i thought it be a good idea to ask him some questions about his thoughts toward some of the images i have been researching and also asked for some images of his own drawings.

To start with i sent him an image of one of Sam Taylors pieces and Jon Burgerman. These two artists have had the biggest impact on my thoughts for my illustrations so far so i thought it be a good idea to see if he actually enjoys the imagery.

To start with i asked what he liked most about each image. With Burgermans design he said he liked how it looked like a Wheres Wally drawing. Although i had not previously thought of this once he said it i could easily understand where he was coming from. The high intensity of detail forces you to look closer at the image where you have to engage your eyes and brain to separate the different elements. Within Taylors illustration he liked the “exploding head” as he put it. Although the head is not actually exploding within the image it is clear he liked the more groosom element.

After this i went on to ask him if he enjoyed the colours in both or perhaps preferred one or the other more in relation to this aspect. Unfortunately asking an 11 year old boy about the use of colour within a piece of art over Whatsapp does not get you the critical analysis you may receive from someone 10 or 20 years older. Although i did not get any information on which he did prefer he mentioned he liked the colours and when i asked why he said because they are not boring. This information matched what i found from my in store research. Even if there is only a limited amount of colour i believe the contrast between the hues is very important for capturing the attention of this age group.

At the age of 11 my brother still very much enjoys drawing. Most if not all of his illustrations are of monsters or imagery that can be clearly related to something that has been inspired by the aliens on doctor who or in lord of the rings. To gain inspiration for my own work i asked him to send me some of his drawings so i can see exactly what he is into.

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There is a big contrast between the first two images and the third through the use of colour and how threatening the imagery looks. I think it is interesting how he has combined a flying monster form with a slice of pizza, this is something that would seem natural to someone of his age demographic; however, to someone my age or older slightly obscure. I think to really attract his age demographic this juxtaposition of imagery will have to be central within my own illustrations.

As well as asking him about the work that i have looked into i also asked him about some of his likes when it came to TV and books. He mentioned really enjoying the films of lord of the rings and the book Darren Shan as his favourites. To extend my research i will look into the imagery and themes within these to try and figure out what really sparks his attention and grips his imagination.

Although i understand this is only one 11 year old boy speaking to him about some of my research so far has given me a good understanding about how the mind of this age works. Although he enjoys colours that are not boring he doesn’t necessarily have an opinion over exactly what shades should be used or he prefers. Because of this i can then look at what the market and millennials want in order for this area to still be researched and informed.

This being my third London trip since being at CSAD i knew i should have a rough plan of what i wanted to do/ see before leaving so’s to make the most of my time whilst there. Using google maps i had planned 4 places of interest around London which took a circular route so i was not going forward and back on myself. Originally i had planned to go to Harrods, Tate Britain to see the Turner Prize, Oxford Street to see Selfridges amongst other stores and then to Camden to see is i could find any graffiti. Unfortunately by the time we reached London i realised there would not be time to fit everything in. Because of this i had to skip the Tate Britain as although this would have provided more diverse research it was more for personal interest rather than research of the project.

PAPERCHASE

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Although having been to a Paperchase in Cardiff as i was passing i thought i may as well see what this branch had to offer near Marble Arch. This store had a much bigger and more diverse range of products compared to Cardiff so was a worth while visit.

Out of the gift sheets the bottom left image of 3 different designs really stood out to me as being appropriate for my target market and as inspiration for how my illustrations could be developed. I enjoyed the contrast of photo realistic sharks against the blue geometric background as the two are very different styles; however, pair nicely as the zigzags resemble waves. The second green monster paper has imagery that directly relates to my own. I like the use of speech bubbles to incorporate text which is something i will consider using within my own designs. This idea is also represented within the top right dinosaur gift wrap. The space themed multicoloured gift sheet stood out to me because of the colours; however, also as i could try to incorporate some of this imagery within my own designs. Although my main theme is monsters i feel this will pair nicely if in the same style.

Although ribbon is’nt within our brief the ribbon in the bottom middle image also stood out to me as it has been cut to show the letters. This is something completely different to what i have seen previously. Despite this, to suit my boys market a blue/ green tone would be more appropriate.

The top middle design really stood out to me as a blender design. The simple abstract pattern remind me of scales that you would find on an animal. If i can try to incorporate this pattern on a monster in my hero designs then there would be a clear link throughout the collection.

The bottom right image of dinosaur napkins sparked my interest of an idea i could use within my cards, gift tag or gift bags. The zig zag edge which links in with the dinosaur back creates a much more playful finish than that of a straight one. I feel this idea would really attract a boy or their millennial parent.

Within the image of 3 ribbons there was clear evidence of use of hero, secondary and blender designs with from top to bottom it going hero, blender, secondary. This range was evident from the variety of motifs used within the top design, the minimal flat colour of the second design and the one motif repeated in a simple structure within the third. Having the blender design in the middle really helps to break up the collection.

HARRODS

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Harrods collection of cards and gift wear was not as large nor luxurious as i was anticipating. Although they had a range of adult cards which featured glitter which added a more luxurious feel there was not quite this high standard for a younger age.

One certain piece of text imagery i keep seeing appearing though out different stores is the classic comic ‘boom’, ‘wack’, ‘pow’ sound effects. This is often depicted with reds, yellows and blues and is clearly aimed at my target market. This typeface design is evidently on trend for A/W’ 19 as it has appeared in almost every store i have visited across high and low end. This is something i am now considering to include within my own work; however, in a more subtle way such as the way Paperchase in the images above has in order to develop this trend.

As well as ofering a range of cards, gift sheets, rolls ect Harrods like many other stores also offered a range of gifts. In the central image above there was a range of phone cases which coordinates with their notebooks and cards. In our lecture by Mat Rhys we were told to consider what would actually go in the gift bag/ wrap as well as the design themselves. Especially at the higher end of my age demographic boys will start to be receiving their first phones and i think it would make a nice addition to my collection if i could design a phone case that matched the bag/ wrap.

As well as lots of 2D cards and those covered in glitter there is a form of paper art that is evidently in fashion from Harrods collection. In the bottom two images of the grid above (depicting a floral reef and the other 2 boats) the designer has used paper that has been curled and twisted to create a luxurious 3D feel. This technique i have encountered on social media before and know they sell the elements to create this effect in Hobbycraft. Although this does create a very high market feel i believe it is too elegant and mature for my target market. Despite this it is worth considering how i could adapt this technique to suit my target market.

EDEN FINE ART

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Wondering around the back streets of Oxford street i encountered 2 art galleries, one of which really stood out to me because of its bright colours and graphic style. Although the pieces of design and sculpture were aimed at an elder target market with a very large disposable income, the way the pieces have been composed really played on my imagination for a younger demographic.

The images above depict 3 pieces of sculpture that used the human form; however, distorted it to create interesting flowing shapes which were paired with bright colour and bold pattern. The sculptures themselves looked as if they had been born out of continuous line drawings and then brought to life. Although these pieces could have been exceptionally elegant if painted in monotone or limited colour the designer decided to add colour and pattern until their hearts content which brought a very modern feel. Within my own work i am wondering if i could recreate the idea of a seemingly simple; however, imaginative structure and then inject colour and pattern to bring them alive.

Another thing which stood out to me in this gallery was art made out of small metal figures/ elements and then all carefully placed within a frame to make one larger image. This is displayed within the bottom left image in the grid and then again within the larger image at the bottom. This idea of using elements that all blend together to construct something much bigger reminded me of the Jon Burgerman x Kirkirby collection. I think for a child of my age demographic the idea of seeing an image and then having to look a lot closer to break it up into lots of smaller images will really interest them; much like in the much loved children’s books of wheres wally. These pieces have brought to light a more interesting way of laying out my imagery rather than just one flat pattern that covers the entire sheet/ page.

GALLERIES BARTOUX

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Gaalleries Bartoux was next door to Eden Fine Art. There style was a lot more reserved and didn’t in-capture the graphic look i was searching for; however, i did manage to find this piece down stairs. The pants and ears within the painting resemble micky mouse; however, everything else in the image is so abstracted it is clear this piece entails many more themes than just micky mouse. The colours within the piece are almost sickly and remind me of a tick tack. Despite this the bold black lines break up these coloured sections making the overall image a lot easier to digest. I feel the artist has got away with such a bold colour pallet because of these lines and the limited detail; however, if i want to create a much denser and busy image my use of colour will have to be a lot more refined. Despite this, this could present an idea for a gift tag which will have one abstracted element from the gift bag. As it will be a lot plainer featuring perhaps only one or two motifs bold colours may be a lot more suitable. This is something i will have to experiment with as the project goes on.

SELFRIDGES

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Selfriges had a huge range of gift wraps, sheets, tags and cards. Unfortunately all the envelops were bound to the card so were unable to be seen.

Once again i encountered the comic book ‘boom’, ‘wack’, ‘pow’ imagery displayed yet again in a slightly different way to what i had encountered previously. Unlike other stores this was now featured on gift bags (as displayed in the top left image) and on party plates, napkins ect in the middle image. Despite them including the same imagery it was clear they were not from the same collection as the gift bags featured a much different and mature colour way than the birthday party accessories.

The top central image stood out to me because of the line art and contrasting colours. This image was of a note book; however, i wondered if i could, much like the phone cases i looked at in Harrods create a notebook or some sort of drawing pad that matched the gift wrap. I feel a drawing pad would be more appropriate than a note book as boys between the ages of 8 and 11 don’t make notes, nor lists on their day ahead…

Throughout the stores in London and Cardiff i have noticed a definite Dinosaur theme with both Selfridges and Paperchase stocking the same dinosaur napkins with a jagged edge. This idea is clearly something that is appealing to multiple stockists so i should consider within my own work. As well as the napkins there have been a variety of cards featuring dinosaur. Although i am going for an elder age demographic where they would have left the dinosaur obsession stage. I feel i can still use some of their key features to integrate into my monster illustrations. By doing this i will only be looking to take inspiration and key features so the 8- 11 year old does not feel the card is to babyish for them.

Also in selfridges i found a gift sheet that really stood out to me because of the inks used on paper. This is depicted in the bottom left image where the ink has a shine. I will not be using glitter within my cards as this will not appeal to a male market; however, using an ink that also produces a similar shine could give my designs that edge i have been looking for. When looking for a label on the back of the sheet it did not explain what substrate the ink was printed onto nor what the ink was its self. Later i will look online to see if it has a break down on these items. Despite liking the glossy inks as i feel they will really help my designs to stand out and add a more luxurious feel i will have to check how environmentally friendly they are to ensure they are not doing more harm than good to the environment. Although i want my outcomes to look good i still have to consider that my millennial parents will also want gift sheets that are also sustainable and good for the planet.

The price of products in Selfriges were for those with a high disposable income and varied greatly from the likes of the Card Factory. Because Selfridges has a lot more high end brands across departments naturally their gift wear range would also be a lot more expensive. Amongst other elements i would like to work for a store such as Selfridges as then i could also think about ideas such as drawing pads and phone cases that match the variety of gift wraps and cards. Not only would this extend my collection; however, also demonstrate to Mat that i have considered what would actually go within my gift wraps and bags.

FENWICK

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Also whilst wondering the back streets of Oxford Street i passed a department store called Fenwick. This store i had not heard of previously; however thought i may as well pop in to see if they had a collection of gift wear. Overall i am very happy i popped in as they had a similar range to Selfridges, just slightly smaller. The store had a good range of occasions for different age demographics which gave me a good in site into what is already on the market for the age i am looking at.

The top 3 images in the grid above feature 3 designs by the same designer. For my own collection the style does not suit what i am looking for; however, i really enjoyed the imagery used. I like how the two animals have been put in interesting compositions that a young boy may enjoy. This has given me lots of ideas for how i can arrange two separate illustrations together rather than just have them standing next to each other. I really enjoy how the monkey is balanced on the crocodiles open mouth as this creates the idea of a story unfolding.

I selected the 4th card in the second row on the left not because of the imagery, theme or market; however because of the embossed effect. By embossing the card the designer has enhanced the text so it stands out although the bright and soft yellow compliment each other. This embossed effect i will consider using within my own designs. I feel the extra tactile feeling will really attract my target audience as well as literally help my designs pop out of the page.

Within 3 of the images animals have been used to create a number. Although 2 of these ages are out of my target market i liked the idea of distorting animals to create numbers and letters. This is something i had thought of previously and encountered in previous research; however, i thought it be worth while to document the complete range on the market. Although i find these inspiring the style does not suit my research nor theme. Despite this i do enjoy the colours that have been used. The bright and contrasting colours really help the designs to stand out and i also enjoy how the designer has added their own style to the cards through colour by not going for classic Pop Art bright reds, yellows and electric blues.

Amongst the party accessories i found some sparkle cannons. I felt these would really attract a boy between 8 and 11; however the colour and sparkles probably not so much. It would be interesting to experiment to see if i could extract simple motifs from my designs, scale then right down and then put them in the cannon. This would be something very different from products that are already on the market. Despite feeling this would attract my 8- 11 year old market i do not feel the plastic packaging would attract my millennial parent market. If i were to incorporate this idea into my collection i would have to design packaging that was made out of recycled paper.

The prices in Fenwick were for a customer with a higher disposable income that matched selfridges. Because of their higher price their design collections seemed a lot more considered as did their colour pallets.

Overall i found the in store research around London very useful and much more so than Cardiff. Visiting high-end department stores has been prominent as i feel my designs would really fit in well. Creating my designs for these higher end stores would also allow myself to consider printing with sustainable inks onto recycled/ sustainable substrates. I feel if i were to create my designs for the Card Factory because their cards are so cheep it would all be about the profit line and limited consideration within this area.

As well as the sustainability factor, department stores often offered a board range past cards into gift rolls, sheets, tags and gift bags. By producing my designs for these stores they would be able to sell the full range of my collection and not be limited to what they could stock.

In conjunction with these factors when looking around the customers in shops such as Fenwick and Selfridges matched my millennial target market and especially in Selfridges they often had children with them. I feel because of the customers in Selfridges as well as their higher prices they would be a suitable store to produce my designs for.

In order to expand my knowledge of products already on the market i went to variety of stores in Cardiff’s city centre that all stocked gift wear items. I wanted to ensure i visited a range of stores from low end to high end with a range of different target markets in order to see where my products would best fit into the current market. Knowing my theme will aim for a boys market i focused my photography on the areas that depicted cards/ gift wear for boys.

Before embarking on my trip i decided to put together a list of potential shops i should visit. Although i did not get around to visit all these shops i selected a range from low to high end with different target audiences.-

• Sainsburys
• Tesco
• Morrisons
• Waitrose
• ASDA
• Paperchase
• Scribble
• Poundland
• Card Factory
• Hallmark
• Ryman
• John Lewis
• WHSmith
• Clintons
• Wilko
• Hobbycraft
• Typo
• Harrods
• Selfridges
• Smythson
• Online- Not on the highstreet, funky pigeon.

WILKINSONS

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Wilkingsons had a limited range of items all jumbled together with no clear consistency of gender nor occasion. The boys cards they did stock focused on humour, sometimes using photographic imagery such as a banana with drawn arms or a pizza slice with googlie eyes. From their range of cards i did not see anything that matched the style i will be aiming for within my own collection. This makes me consider whether Wilko would buy into my style and if my designs would be suitable for their market.

Wilkingsons did have a range of gift wraps however no gift sheets. The range was quite small featuring a marvel wrap that was clearly aimed at boys/ males. Except from this and a wrap which featured butterfly’s the rest of the wraps gave a gender natural impression. I believe because they have such a small range they only have one product aimed at each gender and for the rest it is more profitable to make them gender neutral.

In store the shop had a very high student presents. This could be down to that it is September and their low prices of house hold goods. Despite this i do not feel the store attracts prominently the right age demographic that would be buying my designs. As i will design for boys it is most likely the parent that will be buying the card. Overall i feel Wilko does not already sell the style i will be portraying and their customers are not of the right age demographic so the shop will not be appropriate to sell to/ design for.

CARD FACTORY

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From my own personal impressions Card Factory has to be the lowest end of shops that supply only cards and gif twear to the market. You can often find cards for far less than £1 and the quality reflects this. However, unlike Wilko their collections are neat, orderly and it is easy to distinguish one age and occasion from the next.

Within Card Factory i decided to focus on the age section of the children’s designs. This not only provided me with a wide range of designs to browse; however, also showed me exactly what imagery is being sold to which age bracket. From the ages of around 12/13 depending on the card and its style the cards become more mature and the imagery changes. This will prove vital information for when deciding exactly what age range i will be aiming my designs at.

Overall Card Factory had a much larger range of gift bags for girls than they did for boys. Where as the girls featured flowers and princess themed designs the boys mainly featured football, dinosaur and some plainer spotted or striped designs. From this i have gathered the impression that much ‘cooler’ and simpler designs attract boys (or adults buying for boys) compared to the girls. Each and every bag already had a gift tag attached which directly matched the pattern on the bag, sometimes using a flat hue from the bag design or taking a single element/ motif from the design. It is understandable now how much the tag has to match the bag within this market area.

The Card Factory stocked a wide range of gift sheets aiming at most ages, genders and occasions. With this gift wrap you could also purchase a gift tag separately. These gift tags varied greatly from the ones already attached to the gift bags with only block colours available in a variety of tones and hues. For the age demographic i am researching into the only real gift wrap that would be suitable would be the football design on the left hand side. This features dark colours with a contrasting lighter tone for the print. It is interesting to consider the limited colour pallet of this compared to the girls designs aimed at a similar demographic. The top 3 designs on the left hand side would also be aimed at boys however i feel these would better suit a child market. From the boys range of gift bags and tags from Card Factory i am definitely censing a very ‘cool’ theme for the age demographic i will be researching.

The customers in the shop featured mostly women at a general ‘your mums age’ probably between 35-55. That is exactly the demographic i will be aiming for; however, it will just be a question of whether my designs best suit a low, mid or high range market area.

Overall i found Card Factory to be a much better fit for the image i wish to portray; however, they still had nothing close to the style and composition i want to use within my own work.

POUNDLAND

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Because of Poundlands very low prices i was not expecting to see an amazing range of designs that really spoke to the research i have been doing so far. Despite this i still felt it be good to look at their products in order to see what range they have in store.

As expected there was a very limited range of all products which has most likely not been helped by christmas approaching. Their designs were very clearly aimed at a very low age range for boys and girls separately and then a wide range of gender neutral products. Much like Wilko i believe they do this because they can make more profit from one design, but also young children receive more gifts than elder ones.

The customers of Poundland featured a whole range of ages and was pretty equal in gender unlike Card Factory. What is worthy to consider was Poundland had a very high presents of older children, around secondary school age. Although it will mainly be parents buying the products Poundland definitely had an outreach to the market my designs would be for. As the children are younger the prices would more so appeal to them as they have a low disposable income, meaning they would be more likely to buy e.g. a gift bag for a friend in this store.

Although Poundland does have an outreach to a younger demographic they do not stock a wide range of designs for boys of the age range i am looking for so it would be harder to get my products in their stores.

M&S

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Marks and Spencer supplied a wide range of designs all aiming at different ages and occasions. Their collection featured mostly cards; however, also featured a wide range of gift wraps. Much like i have seen previously there was a lot for very young boys and girls, a lot for younger girls; however, not much for boys above a certain age. So far it has been consistant throughout the market that boys eventually reach an age where their presents are wrapped in plain spotted or striped paper. Although this does not provide much in the way of in depth research it may a low me to bridge a gap in the market of gift bag, wrap and sheets which appeal to this very ‘cool’ age.

The cards on display were a lot more refined than i have seen previously in Wilko or Card Factory. There was no cheesy humour and the colours were a lot softer in tone. Also the designs were a lot more simplistic with a few key elements rather than a whole host of texts and images all trying to scream at you. I photographed one card up close as i liked the layout of the design. I enjoy how the dinosaur wraps it’s self around the card rather than being restricted to the boundaries of said card. The design is for a lower age range than what i am looking for; however, it still managed to catch my attention because of this.

M&S had a dramatically different customer profile compared to the previous shops i have looked at. There was a elder demographic and without being rude those that were the same age of those in Card Factory (35-55) but in M&S they were dressed a lot better. This suggests that M&S is a lot more upmarket and their prices reflect this.

Thinking back to my favourite inspiration so far by Jon Burgerman x Kirkby designs this is also aimed at a higher end of the market so my designs may suit this shop a lot better than they would say Poundland. I feel working for M&S would help me to refine my ideas down to simple key elements rather than working for Card Factory and trying to fit every colour under the sun onto one card.

ONE BELLOW

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One Bellow is a variation of poundland in Cardiff’s city centre. Like Poundland they have reduced their selection greatly because of the Christmas range now coming out. Unsurprisingly however, i was not blown away by their collection and their designs reminded me of the themes Poundland was using. From my work experience at Peacocks i learnt that the lower end market will simply copy the higher end market and release very, very similar designs just in a simpler style. I believe Poundland and One Bellow are so similar because they have been copying the same designs from the high end market.

One Bellow did not stock the full range of cards, gift tags, ect making them inappropriate to work for. As well as this most of their gift bags had a high gloss finish which is most likely made out of a plastic coating and therefor not recyclable. I want to work for a slightly higher end market at least to ensure my products are sold at a price which means i can make them eco friendly.

PAPERCHASE

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Paperchase is one of the best known retailers aimed at my own age demographic. They take a cool twist on designs and are able to produce trendy collections which follow trend research. They stock a wide range of cards, gift wraps, sheets, bags and tags.

When looking through their selection of cards i found it hard to pinpoint an exact area for the age demographic i will be looking at. Unlike the direct cheesy humour of Wilko’s cards there is an element of humour within Paperchase’s designs; however, this is a lot more subtle. I believe this form of humour would be more appropriate for a slightly elder demographic than what i am looking at as boys of my demographic may find it a little hard to understand.

From not only the cards but also the gift bags, wraps and sheets i got the feeling that Paperchase’s target market is not what i am looking for. They have a wide range of designs for both boys and girls; however, much elder. What confirmed this view of their target audience was when i was in the shop looking at the other customers everyone was seemly under 30 so most likely not buying for their 10 year olds sons friends birthday party. I feel Paperchase mainly aims its self within the 17-27 age bracket because of their wide range of designs to suit both ends of the scale, buying for their friends or someone of a similar age.

JOHN LEWIS

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Overall i was actually pretty disappointed with John Lewis range of gift wear for children in their Cardiff branch. I was expecting to see an array of inspiration and ideas; however, only found a limited range of designs in stock. Despite this i was impressed that they actually had a range of designs that was aimed at around my target market, especially in the form of gift sheets.

One of the designs that really stood out to me on the gift sheets was the sharks featured in the left image. Normally i would think of sharks in association with much younger children; however, because of the layout and overall style i feel it does appeal to a much elder audience than the normal under the sea theme does. This layout of them all built up in layers also reminds me of some of the designs i have looked at through my book and online research.

Unfortunately all though the gift wrap section was semi impressive the gift tags and bags were lacking. John Lewis sold packs of metallic silver gift tags which although would be appropriate for almost any occasion didn’t spark my imagination much.

The customers in John Lewis were approximately 40 upward. As John Lewis is a more upmarket store this is appropriate as people of this age have a higher disposable income. I feel this audience would be suitable to my market as i could appeal to those who may still have young children or know friends with them and a low for a higher price so i can include more environmentally friendly features/ materials.

CLINTONS

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Focusing on gift wear alone Clintons featured a wide range of cards, gift wrap and gift bags aimed at all sorts of occasions and ages. Most of all i was impressed with their range of gift wraps which covered a broad range of themes, gender and ages. It seems consistent within every shop that they have at least one marvel themed product for boys. I hope my monster designs can somewhat tap into this exact market by providing a cool alternate option.

Much like i did in Card Factory i decided to look at the cards which had ages directly printed onto them. This not only provided me with exactly what designs currently appeal to what ages; however, also now allowed me to compare both Card Factorys designs with Clintons. Clintons designs were a lot more similar to that of the Card Factory than M&S because of their dramatic use of colour up to a certain age. Despite this Clintons still felt overall more refined than that of Card Factory.

Overall i felt the customer profile of the shop was around the same demographic as M&S. This directly links to the shops prices as people of a higher age range will generally have a higher disposable income. I feel my designs would fit in well with Clintons range meaning they would be an appropriate company to aim my designs at.

I feel so fortunate I encountered this artist earlier today in my magazine research. Looking through his website his designs are aimed at the exact age demographic i have been looking at. They feature a bold array of colours and imagery that i believe my target market would really enjoy. I have attach the link to his website which features a range of illustrations including giffs which are awfully appealing to the age group i am researching.

Link to website- https://www.samtaylorillustrator.com/projects

Taylors designs feature cool imagery which combined with bright colours have a very cartoon feel which i believe will engage my target market. As my brother is 11 i decided to ask him about some of his favourite things for my market research. Knowing i will be aiming for a fairly cartoon style i decided to ask which is his favourite cartoon and he responded Scooby- doo, which Taylor has done his own illustrations of. This has really reinforced that i am on the right track with my research and ideas as some key themes are popping up multiple times.

I believe the imagery depicted within his work would very much appeal to an 8-11 year old boy. He uses footballs as a basis for his illustrations often which is something that came up as being popular with this age within my in store research. As well as footballs aliens are often depicted and foot that is made to look alive. I believe this sort of imagery is really what gets children’s minds to run wild and would intrest them.

His colour pallet uses bright tones; however, not quite that of pop art. The reds have a slightly pink/ purple tint, blues with a hint of green and yellows with a slightly muted tone. Taylor has been able to still incorporate bright distinguished complementary colours within his work but makes them his own through slight differences to what we would normally expect.

Looking more and more into the style i want to portray i coudn’t help but remember a design i saw at London Design week from the trip last year. When i was there the design really stood out to me because of its graphic style and fun colour pallet; however, i was unable to use it to inspire my previous project because it did not fit my theme nor target market.

Now going online to try and find the design it turns out it was actually created by one of the designers/ illustrators i have already researched within my Street Art Book Reference blog post; in association with a company that was exhibiting at Londons Design week.

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One thing that really attracted me to this collection was how so many busy designs could be unified through style and colour pallet. When looking through the collection closely online although some of the designs do seem to vary if you look closer you can see the colours that are in other designs and where exactly the imagery has come from.

Within the Tooty Fruity design i love how every space is filled with something, whether this be line, colour or pattern. It truly does amaze me how someone can think of so many elements to go into one repeat. For the Tooty Frooty design i also selected it in another colour way to remind myself later how i can either strip back a design or build it up with the use of colour. Although the original is very striking the Turf colour way still holds that striking feel but in a more refined way.

When looking closer at the Tooty Fruity design you can start to pick out that it is a brick repeat. This also contributes to why the piece looks quite so overwhelming as if it was a block repeat you would be able to see the same imagery on the horizontal and vertical. I would like the challenge of creating a continuous repeat like this in a brick repeat as i have never done this before. This is something i would definitely like to experiment with later in the project.

I selected the Tizzy Peaks design as i thought this was a great example of a blender design that i could refer back to later. The colours and shapes have been totally stripped back; however, because it is not your classic linear zigzag it still fits in with the collection.

I feel really inspired by the Kirkby x Jon Burgerman collection and glad i got to encounter this work again as it was one of my favourites at London Design week. In response to my research i would like to do some drawings whether this be by hand or a digital medium.

Leading on with my theme of monsters I recalled an artist that i encountered in Secondary School. Dan Hiller uses a variety of imagery within his work which mainly focuses on human form. I have selected two pieces from his collection of work that i find inspiring not because of his style, however the imagery used.

I selected the above image because of its interesting combination of imagery. I enjoy how the trees blend with the head acting as antlers creating an almost seamless connection through similar use of texture. Another thing i liked about this imagery is the distorted face which comes across half human half animal. Hiller has subtly incorporated the two elements together to create a piece which is not quite human.

This piece i once again selected because of its clever combination of imagery. By using the same drawing medium and style the two elements blend together almost as if it is real. I feel this interesting and slightly dark imagery will relate to my target market by relating to their interests and humour.

Overall the main thing i will take from Hiller is his use of juxtaposing imagery. However, Hillers style is not what i’m looking for for my target market. Although i have started to gather a broad range of ideas i will still have to do further research.

In order to diversify my portfolio of work i have decided to take a slightly different direction with this project. I want my work to reflect a much looser style that will speak to a different audiance than my previous work has done.

My first point of exploritary research took me to social media to see what work was current and up to date. From this i gavered a range of images of which i either liked the style, imagery used or composition. At this point the images i have collected varys greatly; however, this will be refined as time goes on.

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One thing that does connect this imagery however is its use of creatures that are not quite human nor animal. I would like to experiment with shape and form that loosly relates to the idea of monsters or entitys that are not quite human.

In order to further my research i took to the internet to research artists that use the human figure in abstract ways. I decided to start my research with the well known artist Keith Haring hoping it would lead me to more inspirational sources.

One thing that was key for me to figure out was the movement, style and medium Haring used in order to find other similar artists. I soon found Haring was origionally a Street Artist who contributes to the Pop Art movement.

From here i then went and looked into a variety of street artists in more depth such as Alo, 3ttman and Jean- Michel Basquiat, all 3 of which i had never encountered previously. I selected these three to refrence because of their use of human form or the overall composition of their work. 3ttman particually stood out to me because of his use of colour and composition. I enjoy the vast amount of sometimes humerious imagery he includes within his work which is all united with an overarching style and colour scheme.

After sometime of looking at Street Art my search soon took a turn to Surrealism which linked with my previous searches because of their somewhat distorted imagery. Although the work of Dali and Andre Masson contained imagery which i may use to inspire me the overall style of the movement did not fit in with what i am looking for within this project.

A link that was common within the Surrealist work was that of Organic Abstraction, a movement which i have not encountered previously. Upon reading into the movement i found it was defined as ‘the use of rounded or wavy abstract forms based on what one finds in nature.’ This definition sounded almost perfect for the style I would like to create within this project. Unfortunatly the scope of artists within the Organic Abstraction movement was not as broard as that within Street Art nor Surrealism; however, I did come accross an intresting artist named Bruce Riley who creates abstract images which often resembled human figures.

Eventually my search braught me back to the start and back to Pop Art which then lead on to a search within different areas of cartoon art. To inspire my project I want something alot more modern than that of surrealism; however, not as generic as Pop art.

From here i will do a search of books i can find in the libary to see if i can find a happy medium between the two.

Upon researching one of my previous artists Hell’o Monster i was lead to a creative group called Case Studyo. Their page features a range of artists with diverse styles. From this website i have selected a few i feel inspired by.

KEVIN LYONS

I started by taking to his website to see the full range of his designs; however, there were limited designs here so i searched for his Instergram. On here was a broad range of his designs and i could also get an overall feel for his style.

What attracted me to his work initially was the use of monster characters in a pleasing colour pallet. I enjoy how he uses the same oval shape for each monster however by varying the outline and faces creates a whole range of characters. His colour pallet is a lot more muted than what i was originally thinking of; however, is a good example of how the right colours can really draw the eye.

I believe the style is a bit to simple for my youth market and would more lend its self to younger child, however there are still some key ideas from his work i can bring into my own illustrations.

STEVEN HARRINGTON

What attracted me to Steven Harringtons work was his use of fluid shapes. Every line seems so fluid and effortless. This piece in particular caught my eye because of how much of a contrast the black and white creates. By only using a monotone pallet Harrington still has created the impression of a very dramatic piece.

Within my own designs i want to be inspired by the fluid lines and shapes Harrington portrays; however, not to use them to the extent he does as i believe this appeals to an elder audience. I would really like to incorporate the dramatic black and white effect that is enraptured within this illustration. I believe because of the very restricted colour pallet Harrington has been able to be a lot more playful with line created through texture and adding more hues would have overwhelmed the piece.

Overall this website has been a great way for myself to find artists i would not normally encounter. At first it is always hard to find artists that work in the style you are specifically looking for; however, through my research i believe i am getting a lot closer to this goal and have also found lots of inspiration on the way.

Upon searching in the library for Pop Art it was hard to find anything but the classics of Andy Warhole and Roy Lichtenstein. However, inspired by looking at their work i decided to take a slight re direction and start to look at some cartoon style illustrations.

SPLAT BOOM POW

TAKASHI MURAKAMI

I selected this piece of work as it reminded me of the concept i am already thinking of; however, centralised around different imagery. I have not thought as of yet past people and animals; however, there is something quite alluring about a vegetable as an animal i feel my target market will appreciate. It was the eyes used on an object which does not normally have eyes which drew me towards this piece.

As well as this i am also keen on the colour pallet and style used to portray the imagery. The colours are not so bright and in your face as they are in pop art, however are still bright and complimentary enough to catch your attention. This piece uses a lot finer line weight than the previous street art i have been looking at. Overall i feel the line weight i use will be decided when i know exactly the type of customer i am working for. The thinner lines have a more elegant high end feel where as the bolder resemble a lower end.

GEORGE CONDO

This piece caught my eye purely because of the out of proportion facial features. The style and overall look of the piece is not at all where i would like my project to go; however, these simple elements did catch my eye.

Within my work i want to experiment hugely with proportions in order to create a diverse and imaginative range of imagery. When it comes to drawing and i may hit a wall i hope to refer back to this image to remind myself how small difference in proportion can make a huge overall impact.

MAIL ME ART

Flicking through this book in the stacks i knew instantly that i could draw a wide variety of inspiration from it. It contains designs from artists all around the world, and all on an envelope which will prove good inspiration when it comes to designing mine later in the project.

CLAUDIO MADELLA

This work struck me because of how such an interesting image can be achieved through a mono tone stencil like piece. There has been no need for texture, nor shade, just interesting creative shapes and the use of positive and negative space. Although i think i would like to have a greater use of colour though out my collection i am inspired by the imagery and ghost like figures in the work.

CHRISTIAN LINDEMANN

Despite this illustrations ruff and ready feel it was the imagery used and variety of line weight that caught my eye in this piece. The use of creatures that are not quite people nor animals has been something i have been aspiring to so this piece will provide great inspiration for that.

The use of line weight clearly defines what is the outline of the creatures, or the details within. In quite a busy image this allows the eye to easily de construct the different elements so the eye can flow around seamlessly. I know experimenting with line weight is not one of my strongest areas; however, this piece has made it clear how much more interesting an image can be with this simple difference.

NURIA GIL & RAFAEL BERTONE

These two illustrations first struck me because of the use of lines and dots to create an overall texture. This simple idea fills the negative space with detail and pattern which adds to the style of the work. This piece unlike the one before all uses one consistent line weight except from very key areas. This brings the idea that i should experiment with line weight to define both the outline of my shapes and key areas that i want to draw the eye to.

As well as the use of line within this piece it was also the imagery that drew me to it. I love the use of a tongue which is mostly negative space as a placement for the name or address on the envelope. It’s not only a space to break up the design; however, also has a practical element to it so you can see the text clearly.

Within my own work i want to take inspiration from both the imagery and the use of line to create texture as i feel this could really lift my illustrations.

NINA CORONATO

This pieces style is very different to the others i have selected from the book. There is a lot bigger use of negative space which lends it’s self to the illustration. What struck me about this piece was the use of the body to create placement for more illustrations. Instead of all the figures floating in mid air the artist has cleverly used the limbs as a way of creating a structure to introduce more characters.

What also caught my eye within this design was the juxtaposing ridged limbs with the more flowing bodies. The two together create a firm structure and a low for an element of play within the entities.