Andy Potts

The illustrator that has inspired me is Andy Potts. He is an 

illustrator based in London but originates from the west 

midlands. Since he graduated from Portsmouth with a BA 

Hons degree in illustration he has took up a career in the 

image making, graphic design, animation and art direction including a 7 year stint as lead designer at Abbey Road 

Studios. Over the last then years the illustration has taken up 

most of his life and he has worked a large number of projects 

with a number of clients in advertising, book covers and work 

for magazines and newspapers. 

Andy Potts uses hand made designs combined with digital 

designs which creates these interesting creative pieces. For 

my final outcomes I have I am going to be using hand made 

designs combined with digital designs which is linked to Andy 

Potts' work. The top image is base on London City which 

includes Landmarks and things you would see around 

London. I like the way he has overlapped the images and 

made it look crowded which reflects London as it is a crowded 

place. He has used Landmarks such as the London Eye and 

London Bridge which straight brings your mind to think of London.

Andy Potts has used the colours of the British Flag which are 

red, blue and white. This piece has inspired to use this 

technique for my own personal project.

The next image is based on the travelling around London as you can see people on bikes, the London Underground sign and also a Bike lane that forms into a heart. I admire the way Andy Potts has used silhouettes of people in different colours which also looks like they are coming out of the image. The piece looks very lively and exciting which makes it look like there is a lot going on in London and the artwork. The trees could represent London being an eco friendly environment and also bikes don't give off any bad fumes or pollution.

The colours are bright and eye catching in this image and they fade into each other which is a very interesting effect. This piece inspires me a lot and I will be basing my work around this technique and design.

Tim Marrs

This is the work by illustrator Tim Marrs. He is most recognised for his Nike Campaign and the work he he has produced for big companies such as Lucozade, Pepsi, Natwest and popular magazines. He bases his work around the technique of bringing together different images and overlaying them in a montage.

My first reaction when I saw the top piece of work was film and television. The man sitting in the chair in front of the tv appears to be brain dead from the way there is blood splattered beneath him and around him. The way all the images are surrounding the television could represent the media world coming to life and taking over the mans mind who is sitting down in the chair.

I like the creativity of this piece and the gritty look it has to it. I think he has used elements of stencilling and also over laying different images large and small. I admire the squares he has used overlapping each other which adds a technology kind of feel to it. Personally I like Tim Marrs work and the way he uses the techniques, I am considering experimenting with my own work using his techniques and styles.

The colours used are quite gritty but eye catching. Straight away the red caught my eye and the blood splattering which made me think about death and violence. The colours are quite dark and gritty which relates to the dark side of the television world.

The next image seems to be similar to the image above as they both are based on television and people. My first impression when I saw this piece was family and technology. The image could represent the way technology has developed over so many years as you can see from the iPad the boy is holding, the laptop, the xbox controller, the phone and the child holding the TV remote. The family are all dressed quite old fashionably which is a binary opposition of old and new. Usually many years ago families would all be together doing something but nowadays families have all of these new gadgets which makes them not really socialise together even though they are all sitting in the same room.

I like the techniques used in this piece I think the colours used are effective and grab your attention and the whole piece is sort of like a collage with writing and small images overlapping each other in the background. Tim Marrs is very good at using that technique and uses it very effectively.

Personal Project Brief

This is my personal project brief that I created based on my final idea.

Initial Ideas Mind Map

Mood Board

This is a Mood Board of current Music Artists that have created their own Clothing Labels.

http://www.acrossthefader.net/archives/12304

http://www.vibe.com/article/lil-wayne-hails-kanye-west-most-stylish-rapper

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=g+unit+clothing&um=1&hl=en&safe=active&client=safari&sa=N&tbo=d&rls=en&biw=1024&bih=619&tbm=isch&tbnid=qMV3JAUB_ZMmcM:&imgrefurl=http://www.myspace.com/gunitclothingco/photos/187284&docid=IllMxU5Ki6aqcM&imgurl=http://a2.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/19/40d18020d915b8ae0c438bdb93575314/l.jpg&w=576&h=733&ei=kR62UJmbDYmr0QWjsoHACQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=219&sig=117003640932039057299&page=1&tbnh=142&tbnw=119&start=0&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0,i:120&tx=73&ty=58

http://www.blastro.com/artists/artistpicture/pharrell_williams_artist_photo17.jpg.html

http://visionaryartistrymag.com/2011/05/rocawear-the-roc-life/

http://somedopeshit.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/totally-dope-tygas-new-clothing-line.html

Final Outcomes and Final Evaluation

These are my finished final Album cover, Album Booklet and CD. I am quite proud with my final outcome and what I have managed to achieve over the course of the assignment. I found it very fun and creative but professional and realistic. My aim was to create a fresh new album cover with a feel of wealth and stardom from the colours used and stars in the logo. My initial aim was to focus on the design more than the opening mechanism but in the end I chose to design something different and new, which is when I came up with pop up idea and made the CD pop up the middle. I pulled it off well and was very pleased with my progress.

I started off with just the logo in black and white as my first initial idea but wasn't satisfied so I came up with ways and techniques to adapt my original idea to make it more appealing and lively. I then added in some colour to the original idea which made it more bright but I still wanted that sleek professional look which is why I added in the background text over the front cover which is lyrics from one of the groups songs. I played around with this idea for while and then I finalised it which you can see in the top image. With the back cover I wanted to go with the same design but use an image instead of the logo. I used a photograph which I captured of a rapper and edited it on photoshop which I then used the same text effect with the lyrics and also played around with the gradient to get that interesting effect. I then finalised it as you can see from above.

I also created a booklet which consists of images of a rapper in different scenes with the same effect as the back cover. I thought this was a good idea as its eye catching and artistic. The front cover of the booklet is the song list. I didn't add the background text effect as it would of clashed with the song list. I then finalised the booklet and put it together as you can see from above.

With the inside of the case I didn't want to add any graphics or imagery because I wanted the main focus to be on the pop out mechanism. I added a gradient onto it to give it some colour and to match the rest of the album. To create the pop out mechanism I folded a sort of pyramid in the centre and cut two slots where the CD would slide into. It took me quite a few times and making quite a few prototypes to get the CD case to fit together perfectly but I completed it in the end and was very pleased with it. I also printed onto the CD so it could relate to the album artwork and also if the case gets lost you wouldn't have trouble knowing what CD it was.

I came across a number of problems during the making process of my final outcome. First the pop out mechanism kept on coming out of place and made the whole thing look tacky and messy. I adjusted the width of some of the sides and folded it in another way and it all came together perfectly which was a big relief. Another problem I came across was that the flap at the top covered some of the artwork. I altered it and cut part of it off so that it was like a small tab now which make it look neater and more revealing.

Overall this project was quite successful and I am pleased with my progress and my final outcomes. There is room for improvement on my range of skills I could maybe create something handmade rather than computerised next time. I am pleased with what I have achieved. I love the design I have used and wouldn't change any part of it and I now feel like I have gained more skills and knowledge to take me onto the next assignment.