COP Presentation - Feedback

In general, the feedback for my cop proposal was positive. My essay question makes sense and does not need to be altered and the research and reading I have done for my essay is on the right tracks. It was noted that the specific areas in which graphic design aids the consumption of music that I identified were good and that I need to push them individually and back them up with theories. In regards to research methods, it was suggested that an interview would be a lot more effective than a quiz/survey - a survey of 20 people or so really isn’t very effective data. 

Most of the constructive feedback I received was in regards to my practical design project. While it was said that the work I had done for my Caramel album rebrand was good, and the physical typography experimentation was interesting, the basis and rationale of my project needs to change. While I do love designing record sleeves, the fact if the matter is that although vinyl has had a small resurgence, we simply do not consume vinyl records as a primary source of music these days. In fact when considering the idea of consumption as the purchasing of music, the vast majority of us don’t even consume music these days and instead download or stream it. How can I create a project which is engaged with this and is more relevant to streaming and digital platforms? Even album covers are less important than they used to be, on a screen they only appear as a small image. It was also suggested that I push the boat out a bit more in regards to what I produce. 

Album Cover Examples - How Can Design Distinguish an Album?

Intriguing Concept

The album cover for XTC’s GO 2 is almost like anti-design, its self aware about the consumer process of buying a record and how bold and eye catching cover designs influence that and it literally tells the reader, however by doing so, creates a captivating cover that you want to keep reading. 

Controversy

This is the cover for Lovedrive by Scorpions, when it was released, people called the cover art crude and unnecessary, however by doing so, this controversy sparked conversation, and ultimately increased sales, purely because more people heard about it then they would have otherwise.

Hidden Messages - Production Value

The packaging for the vinyl release of David Bowies Blackstar contained various hidden messages and secrets. Shining a uv light, heating or putting some areas in water revealed these hidden messages. People become so excited about finding these messages that it boosted the sales of the vinyl record. 

Branding Techniques

A charismatic brand is brand that has become so popular and so engrained in our culture that it becomes irreplaceable to consumers. Examples of brands like these include Disney, nike and coca cola. Their logos and visual identity are instantly recognisable and iconic. It’s the same for some iconic musical acts, their music has no substitute and their logomarks are iconic. Similarly, some musical acts have employed branding esque tactics to aid the consumption of their music, for example iron maiden’s cover artworks always utilise the same logotype and their mascot character illustrated in a similar style, visually assuring consumers of their music.

Music Billboards - Research

One example of how graphic design can aid the consumption of music is in advertisement when it gives the music exposure, therefore increasing the amount of people who know about the album and subsequently the amount of people who listen to it. I read an article about how in 1967, Jac Holtzman, head of Elektra Records, was driving down the Sunset Strip and had the idea to advertise bands on the massive billboards; there was such a high volume of traffic that it would undoubtedly reach a vast amount of people. Soon this location become a hub for massive billboards adverting musicians, and the record companies and designers started creating more experimental and eye catching designs, stretching out of the standard dimensions of a billboard. Bruce Springsteen actually spray-painted on his his own billboard which led to a lot of publicity about it. 

Caramel Typography

As a practical experiment to create a logotype for Connan Mockasin, I bought some golden syrup and drew out letterforms with it. I think the thickness and viscosity of the syrup really materialised the idea of caramel. At first the letterforms didn’t come out that well, I literally tried drawing out his name however by the time I got to taking a photo, thew syrup had spread out and the letterforms were less refined. So I refined the process by quickly doing larger letterforms of the same letter 2 or 3 times. I then decided that by squeezing more on the ends of the stems and doing thinner connecting stems, the letterforms assumed quite a nice gloopy psychedelic shape. I edited the images of the letterforms on illustrator, refining the shapes by decreasing the amount of anchor points, creating more fluid refined shapes. I like the end result, I think it does convey the idea of caramel whilst also looking quite free and psychedelic. If I were to refine this logotype more, I would experiment with making the letterforms more rigid and rational in some parts, creating a more bespoke typeface. I also think it would be interesting to use variants of letters that appear more than once, emphasising this idea that it has been drawn out in caramel. 

Connan Mockasin - Logotype Research

Starting with the logotype for Connan Mockasin seemed like a logical first step. It needs to successfully communicate Mockasin’s sound, as well as be bold and eye catching enough to make it draw attention.

Eckmannpsych - Eckmann was a typeface created by Otto Eckmann in 1900. In terms of its form, it looks like a blackletter font with more curved and unusual letterforms that give it an Art-Noveau inspired look, similar to Böecklin but a lot more subtle. In 2018, Eckmannpsych was created by Future Fonts - a contemporary and psychedelic update to the original typeface. Connan Mockasin’s music is often described as psychedelic so it would be effective to use a psychedelic font like this to communicate him. I like how all the letterforms are curved and have rounded ends instead of points, it reminds me of the smooth ‘caramel’ sound that Mockasin has. 

Pierre Vanni - Pierre Vanni is a Paris based art director and graphic designer. Vanni designs with sensuality in mind as opposed to intellectuality, focusing more on feel than function. His work is playful, bright and has a dreamlike quality, often with psychedelic gradients for backgrounds. The feel of his work definitely matches Mockasin’s psychedelic dreamy surrealness. The logotype for his publication project ‘Audimat’ is simple rational sans serif type that has been warped and it made me think of this logotype more as a contained graphic image as opposed to just some typography.

Metronomy - Metronomy are a British electronic band. Their logotype is curved and gloopy, resembling a viscous substance, it has this feel of movement to it, you can imagine seeing it drip down. A logotype like this would work perfectly for Connan Mockasin because you can imagine it being caramel, therefore embodying his sound, and the album very well. I would like to try some practical methods of making type like this, possibly getting a thick substance like caramel or honey and trying to make type out of it. 

Tyler Spangler - Tyler Spangler is a California based designer and artist. He creates very bright psychedelic compositions with warped and playful type, when speaking to its nice that he described his work as “a rainbow flavoured popsicle dipped in the ocean and placed on a rock to melt”. He often just uses a rational sans serif font, meaning the focus is then on the deconstruction of that type which gives it a certain physical quality, as if you’re imagining what has been done to the type, whether it looks as if its been stretched, melted, crumpled etc. This definitely matches Connan Mockasin’s vibe, especially the more curved melted type. Much like the Metronomy logo, it makes me want to experiment with creating type physically out of jelly or rubber or something. 

Caramel - Connan Mockasin - Idea Generation

As a way of generating ideas I decided to listen to Caramel and make a list of all the words you could use to describe it, the words are a mix of genres, general adjectives and words associated with the idea of the album sounding like caramel.

Caramel

Dreamy

Slow

Viscous

70’s Soft Rock

Smooth

Psychedelic

Avant Garde

Gloopy

Rich

Thick

Soul

Sexy

Synth

Chorus

Clouds

Soft

Gold

Mellow

Seductive

Surreal

Romantic

Narrative

Gradual 

As another method for generating ideas, I visually mapped 3 of the songs on the album; I took into account the feel of the songs, the dynamics, the tones, the beats and the instruments and formed shapes representing the song. I also took into account the colour and how it represented thew songs, the colour palette for the 3 of them is fairly refined because the songs all have a similar feel, so this colour palette could definitely be effective to use, I especially like the use of gold representing the songs; it visualises the the smooth, reverberating, chorus effect in the tones of the guitar as well as representing the colour of caramel very well. 

Connan Mockasin - Research and Facts

• Mockasin commonly plays with a Fender Stratocaster which he has modified by cutting off the top sides to create a uniquely shaped guitar.

• At the time of the release of his second album Caramel, Mockasin stated that he had rarely listened to any music at all for the past ten years, giving him space to focus on his own sound. 
• Connan Mockasin’s real name is Connan Hosford, originally when he arrived in the UK it was with his band ‘Connan and the Mockasin’s’ a name he chose because of his skills at making Mockasin shoes out of dirt bike tyres and sheep skin. Eventually as he become a solo artist, he adapted Mockasin as the surname for his stage name.
• As well as music, Mockasin dabbles in painting, the cover for his first album ‘Dolphin Love Forever’ is a self portrait he painted of himself. His paintings are surreal, colourful, imaginative and childlike. He also often paints his face and body for playing live or promotional imagery for an album, sometimes this is is to channel a certain character within the record, in a slightly David Bowie sequel manner. 

• In the album Caramel, Mockasin added some low pitched talking/vocals. He dubbed the character ‘The Boss” who is supposedly the central character of the album who is in love with a dolphin, a character coming from his very first album “Dolphin Love Forever”.
• When recording Caramel in a Tokyo Hotel room, Mockasin would often invite groups of Japanese girls to hang out in the hotel room when he was recording, they can be heard a few times on the record, most notably when chanting ‘Connan!’ At the end of one of the tracks. 

Reading about Connan Mockasin certainly gives some insight into his very unusual character, however I think in terms of utilising this research, I will mainly want to focus on the album Caramel and the ideas behind it so that the visuals and design are relevant. Perhaps when designing the logotype, which technically would stretch itself beyond just the album, I can use more facts about him in general.