COP 03 / Evaluation

Previously in levels 4 and 5 the Context of Practice module has been the most challenging and definitely interested me the least out of the other modules. I have never found that essay writing is one of my strengths, however through the skills picked up throughout the past two years, alongside learning from mistakes, has made me more determined to work hard on Cop 3. Since this was a 6-9,000 word essay in comparison to the standard 3,000 in levels 4 and 5, this was daunting at first and extremely challenging, requiring a higher level of critical comprehension and research than previously undertaken. Choosing a subject that interests me has benefited the project massively, proving to be far more engaging than research questions in the past. It was highly challenging but allowed me to explore a subject I am interested in, religion, combined with graphic design. I was able to incorporate fundamental knowledge I already had on the sociological aspect of religious theory, and build on it to form a wider understanding of brand theory, as a whole and in relation to religion. Formulating a time plan helped keep me on track but due to circumstances and changing of ideas, it was not always easy to stick to it. However, keeping a record of what I needed to do helped to motivate and push me.

The practical side of the module has been my most enjoyable if not frustrating on the course to date. Choosing to produce an actual product with a substantial amount of deliverables proved to challenge my capabilities digitally and physically. I had not yet chose a packaging brief which I produced the physical packaging for rather than relying on a mock up. I learned that manual folding/constructing is still not my forte however I learned skills for embossing and creating nets.

Being introduced to ceramics was extremely interesting and rewarding to the overall process, as I had to think constructively in terms of creating a fully functional bottle inside a jesmonite cast. There was many errors but through support and learning I finally achieved what I wanted to. Overall, learning more about ceramics has introduced a newfound passion which will be carried out towards extended practice.

The most beneficial area to this module is the skills I have picked up when producing practical work. Last year I had only touched on After Effects and knew very little. Learning this by trial and error was the method I chose, as what I wanted to produce was something quite simplistic. I was proud of the videos I produced and of the skills I can now take further.

As for the practical work overall, it is rewarding to see that you are producing work that not only interests you, but coincides with the written element and research. It is evident in comparison with level 5 Context of Practice that I enjoyed this module a lot more, and really immersed myself in it. Through it, I have gained a portfolio piece that I am ultimately proud of and that is extremely important to my practice.

COP 03 / Plan of Action - Timeplan / Aims and Achieved

COP 03 / Practical / The Stone

The final stone

After many hard working hours in the ceramics room, finally a working bottle rock was born. The form of this bottle was a little different at the top, because of the problems with the bottle being sealed in however in retrospect, this shape looks as though the bottle is emerging (like Jesus did), and looks quite dynamic. 

The rock was made out of Jesmonite and white pigment to connote purity, whilst the shape aimed to look as natural as possible whilst being created from a clay mould by hand. The icon is on the front as I felt if the name of the brand is on the packaging and other deliverables, this left a bit more ambiguity and mystery, looking like a rock that someone has etched onto without any explanation. 

Evaluation:

Although I am very pleased with how this turned out considering I had never used any of the materials before, if I was to improve this it would be by using a better quality nozzle. Because of the stress of trying to craft a working bottle within a jesmonite mould, I just used the first bottle I could find in the shop, as I didn't consider that perhaps a metal nozzle would be more fitting and less cheap looking. That being said, it functions and that is what I was aiming for. It is the brand as a whole that is the most important aspect. 

Production:

If the rock was to be produced commercially, it could be done in a very similar way with a more professional setting. Moulds of the same model would have to be created to ensure that all the rocks look the same, however, in the future, the product could introduce slightly different shaped rocks to introduce a sense of authenticity to match the natural 'plucked from a mountain' aesthetic that is captured in the product.

Vinamold and Jesmonite were fairly cheap to use, but jesmonite made the product quite heavy which would be difficult to package using just card. Ways to avoid this would be to create more hardy packaging, or to use something lighter such as concrete.


Distribution:

All the stones would be packaged up in a box with a leaflet insert containing instructions and various bible passages in relation to repentence.

COP 03 / Practical / Packaging and Final product

Packaging:

The net I chose for the product was a simple box, measured to fit the stone product. The above images show how the net will look after it is cut out.

On the front it is kept fairly minimal, conveying a sense of purity on white stock and negative space to breathe. On the front is the tagline 'cast the first stone', meaning this is what the audience will see first. On the bottom is the rock vector shape used within other collateral, to show where the real product will be standing. The back features barcode and three taglines "repentence, purity, redemption... reborn". 

The inside is where the details are. Included in here is an intricate image of the Malham rock, the poster rock for this campaign, in black and white with halftone treatment to keep the consistency with the posters/other deliverables. The contrast between the white exterior and busy interior is effective, as it gives the appearance of something exciting being inside.

When I constructed the box, things didn't go entirely to plan. The folds from my cutting/folding were not executed to the full potential, and also the lid was quite loose, which I again put down to some bad folds. 

I however had to take pictures of this product as I had booked the photography studio within my time plan. I tried to conceal the bad parts in the pictures and planned to create a new box for submission:

The second box I made was constructed much better and looked improved, however the lid was still loose. If this was professionally distributed, there would not be as much error, as the boxes would probably be folded by machinery rather than humans to mass produce for a lower cost than manual labour. 

 

As you can see, this first box was a shambles.

Embossing:

I lasercut my logo onto mountboard and then tested this out on the letterpress. Through the test, I noticed that the burnt colouring on the mountboard rubbed off onto the paper, which I then knew to avoid by placing tracing paper between the paper and the letters.

I also noticed it did not emboss as deep as needed, so for the first box I ran it through twice. The embossing worked however I would have preferred a more prominent emboss. Since the box didnt work out when folded, I embossed the second time three times and put the letters underneath the print. This worked very well, apart from having to use a different thickness of 'droplet', because the mountboard one was so tiny and got lost. This made the droplet too prominant and nearly rip.

The Leaflet:

Within every packaging there is a small leaflet stapled with a hoop. This means it can be attached to keyrings, zips and necklaces to be taken for cleansing on the go. Inside is info about the brand and also biblical passages to help prayer and repentence. 

COP 03 / Primary Research / St. Wilfrid's

After visiting York and talking to a wondeful lady who worked in a church called St Wilfrid's, I was told that the pastor was too busy to answer any questions I had that day, and to email them instead.

The questions I asked:

1. Do you think religion (christianity in particular) is becoming branded?

2. If so, do you think this is preserving or eradicating the meaning of faith?

3. If so, why do you think this is happening?

The response:

1. Do you think religion (christianity in particular) is becoming branded?

No, not really. Even within Catholicism there is far too much diversity for any one “brand” to give anyone an idea of what it is about.  Brands are something we choose but real religion is about using chosen by “someone”, in the case of Christianity, by Jesus Christ.

The rest of the questions were left blank. 

Analysis:

From this email conversation it is clear that religious individuals are most likely not to see the effects of branding on religion. This may be because they see religion as something bigger than an individual like myself would - I notice the effects of branding because it is not something sacred and 'big' to me. This is important to consider when talking to religious professionals about this topic. Still, although not quite indepth, this is still an interesting response. 

COP 03 / Primary Research / Limitations

Since the subject chosen for my dissertation for the module was religion, I was aware that this may cause some limitations and problems throughout the research process. Some individuals find religion to be a sensitive topic, it's not one you can bring up as easily as asking what someone had for lunch. I runs a bit deeper and is not always the most straight forward.

When trying to gather primary research for my written piece and practical, I found it very hard to articulate what I needed to, and found that some people may not have fully grasped what the question was about - after all, they are not the ones who are doing a dissertation on it. Asking religious people if they think religion is becoming branded could come across as offensive unless they are aware of it, which I wanted to avoid as much as possible. Someone's religion is usually very important to them, and I did not want to trivialise their faith by stating that it may be 'branded', or reduced to a commodity rather than something more indepth.

It was also extremely hard to find answers from religious professionals such as priests or ministers. What I did find out was that the only way to find the answers was to contact religious individuals who have a knowledge for the design/marketing industry, such as Tom Outing from York Minster's digital team. He had both the knowledge from working in a minster, to working on digital promotion FOR a minster.

This definitely hindered my primary research throughout the module and resulted in a lesser amount than I would have hoped, although what I did find was extremely useful.

COP 03 / Sinner Typeface

Sinner Typeface is a marriage of design and religious connotations:

 "brutal, neo-classic typeface referencing historic Germanic letterforms and Islamic calligraphy. There is an inherent ugliness to Sinner, much like some of the topics discussed in this issue of Krass Journal. However, there is equally a brazen and valorous tone explored in the content, which was essential to reflect in the typeface.”

Sinner Typeface

Sinner featured in Krass

It is interesting how a typeface which is inspired by germanic letterforms can become contemporary, which definitely inspires my practice for this module, but also sparks some questions for potential briefs in extended practice.