This blog post explores the creative process of my summer project, Identity in Mind.
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Beginning this project I needed to get participants who were willing to share their stories surrounding mental health. My initial aesthetic was to incorporate different pride flags with homemade sets. To experiment with this concept I created graphics incorporating pride flags, representing some of the facts I found during my initial research stages.
These images are Instagram post size in order to give quick visually appealing facts to my audience, to encourage conversation around LGBTIQ+ mental health. Unfortunately Instagram wouldn't let me promote this photo-set as it was deemed 'political'. The images use bold block colour and a vintage style grain filter to replicate the aesthetic of vintage queerness.
I therefore created a cover image representing the project, incorporating the inclusive pride flag and my style of using bold text and block colour.
This design also incorporated the Papyrus logo to ensure clarity that the project was charity led.
I then created a test shoot with my film lead Nia. We explored creating short videos with poses to make the shoot look fun. The shoot combined pride flags with bric brak. I used the record player, vintage telephone, and trolls to give the set a vintage aesthetic.
We created this video, advertising what the project entails, the concept behind the project, and what I wanted to achieve. We wanted to create something which made the shoots look fun, and incorporated an old school aesthetic which I try to achieve with my graphics.
After this test shoot and release of my initial designs I decided the flags looked a little tacky and overdone. My own associations with pride flags are the commercialisation of Pride, which is something I wish to object to as an artist. Furthermore I felt the colour scheme was garish and wouldn't emphasise my subjects. When creating graphics the garish colours didn't allow me much room for experimentation, and it was difficult to find complimenting colours when there were so many different colours within the flags.
My solution for this was to strip back to basics, focusing on background and imagery which I felt would represent each subject and emphasise the key themes of their story.
Photography
Photography was an important element of this project, I wanted my portraiture photography to represent each participant, this included discussion surrounding what area they would like to go to and what aesthetic they felt would represent them.
Bella
Photographing Bella, we decided to go to an area in North London she felt represented her punk aesthetic and inspirations. I wanted to showcase Bella's art in the magazine, bringing out her individuality, and exploring some of the themes surrounding protest art and punk aesthetic, which we discussed in her interview. Bella chose a personalised blazer as an art piece to showcase, so I looked for graffiti background shots which would match the style. Finally, noting the tones of red in Bella's look I looked for background shots which incorporated red or contrasting colours (greens and purples) which would emphasise her portrait.
I think Bella looks great in these photos, but there are a couple of issues with the portraiture. One key issue is the composition of the shot, Bella isn't in direct line of frame in the majority of photos we took, this meant I had to crop the images, compromising image quality. I was also using a poor quality lens which is evident when you look at the image resolution. Finally, the exposure is a little off making the images look dulled, even with correction on photoshop, due to the image quality, there wasn't much which could have been done to correct these images.
Ian
In my shoot for Ian I wanted something bold and colourful, which would reflect their make-up looks, and our discussion surrounding being unapologetically queer. I looked for coloured backgrounds which would emphasise Ian's skin tone with warm colours, and colours which emphasised their make-up look by either matching the yellows and pinks, or finding contrasting blues and greens.
The shots with Ian came out great, their shots are bold and colourful which really reflects our interview. Despite this, I do feel again I encountered the same image quality issues as I did with Bella, primarily down to the lens choice. I also think the contrast on these images is slightly too high.
One Zee State
Interviewing Zee I decided to go for a nature themes. This was because in our interview Zee discussed how they improve their mental wellbeing by taking long walks in nature, and meditation. Zee expressed with me they wanted places where we could find water, plants and trees (without being followed by the London skyline). Zee came to the shoot very colourful and flowy, which I felt fit well with the nature theme. We looked for greens to contrast with the orange colour, and dark natural backgrounds which would emphasise their outfit.
I loved the shots of Zee because I used a different lens, a portraiture lens which improved the quality of the shots, and enabled me to improve the background blur, which emphasised my subject. I also like how the colours contrast with the darker backgrounds. Zee was also very energetic and smiley, which I tried to capture with candid shots, and some silly poses.
Akeil from Queer Bruk
When interviewing Akeil I again wanted to go for a street art background, which I felt would refelcct Akeil's streetwear style. We originally tried to get some indoor shots, however Akeil preferred the sunlight shots.
I was really happy with how my shots of Akeil turned out, I think when compared to my shots of Bella there is a clear development of composition, colour and image quality. These photos have a professional quality which I love.
Elia
When shooting Elia, we wanted a place which would reflect their background growing up in South London, and their academic nature for which they are passionate about. Elia suggested their favourite place in their home town, a local library, which they felt represented them. Elia had a really natural smile, which I tried to campture by trying to make them laugh behind the camera.
Again these shots of Elia are some of my strongest of the project so far, the background represents Elia's story, while the composition frames them beautifully.
Conclusion
Comparing my first shots from the project with my later photoshoots, there is a clear progression of my portraiture photography skills. The background choice represents each individual based on their desires for how they wanted their story to be represented. Their is a clear improvement in terms of composition throughout the photography process, in my final shoots the subjects are more central, dependant on where they fit with the background. The image quality shows significant improvement, looking more clear, whilst the slight background blur which isn't present in the initial shoots, draws an increased focus to the subject. Finally, the colour consideration is a lot stronger toward the final shoots, showing a progression in background consideration.
Instagram Posts
As part of this project advertising and promotion was integral, in order to generate a larger audience to result in a higher profit raised for my chosen charity. My audience encompasses the UK LGBTIQ+ community. The most integral element of this project was the stories in which I am sharing, as this links to the overall project aim - to specify the conversations we have around mental health to include LGBTIQ+ individuals. Therefore, including snippets of the individuals' story was something I wanted to include in my promo posts.
These initial posts had a very specific aesthetic, taking inspiration from one of my favourite graphic designers Barbara Kruger. I tried to replicate a similar 80s inspired print quality which combined bold text and rectangular shapes. I also used a grain filter on these posts, sticking to my previously used aesthetic of replicating vintage print quality.
Although this was my initial aesthetic, I feel these posts hold the same garish quality which I didn't like in my initial designs. I wanted to keep some elements of the vintage aesthetic, by using bold block text and colour, and grain filter, but I wanted a way to make my designs more minimalist. I feel this would allow my work to be more aesthetically pleasing. To explore how I could do this I had a look at some minimalist magazine layout designs on pinterest.
What I like about these design templates is how the layering of shape, text and image creates a three-dimensional, immersive effect. I also noted the use of white space being important, as it emphasises the text, colour and image used.
I then redesigned the Instagram layouts, incorporating use of white space to add emphasis to the portrait of the image, and the text included. Using the ideas of minimalism explored in my research, I used shapes clipped from the original portraits combined with shapes coloured based on colour matches from the portrait and their contrasting colours. I then layered shape, text and image to create the three-dimensional effect I noted particularly effective in my further research. Finally I reduced the contrast and intensity of the grain filter, in order to make the final images look less garish, something I noted I wanted to eliminate when evaluating my previous designs.
From left to right these images show significant improvement in terms of composition, the three dimensional effect is particularly effective in the far right image.
Creating the Print
When putting together my print, I wanted to combine the portraiture and interview text to create spreads which are eye catching and intriguing to the reader.
These are the initial designs of Clarisse's interview. There are a number of issues with this initial design.
- The introductory page aligns with the initial Instagram post design that I decided I didn't like, this is too clunky, the text doesn't work with the image, and the grain is too intense.
- The text page is incredibly boring to look at, the block text is not interesting or eye-catching.
- The text colour is a wrong choice, as it is difficult to read and blurs when you look at it from afar.
This is the second design for Clarisse's interview. This time I worked on improving the visual aspect of the text pages. To do so I incorporated shapes coloured with colours selected from the portrait and their contrasting colours. I layered the shapes to create a three dimensional affect. However I felt in these images there was too much contrast between the images, the shapes and the texts. In my portraiture there was a number of really interesting backgrounds, which is something I was failing to utilise in these image choices.
In these final designs of Clarisse's interview I included clippings of the original portraits. I like this as I feel it ties the whole image together, improves the three-dimensional quality, and utilises some of the more interesting backgrounds from the initial portraiture.
For some interviews I was unable to photograph the participants due to location issues. Due to the concept of the project as a whole being 'lifting silenced voices', it was integral I didn't say no to anyone who wanted to be involved. I therefore ended up interviewing participants from all over the UK, who in some instances were unable to travel for a shoot. To still incorporate imagery into their stories, I requested pictures from each participant who I wasn't able to photograph. This created a few issues, because these images weren't always as high quality as my original portraits.
For Ejel's interview his images weren't as high resolution which meant I had a couple of issues when sizing based on my introductory page template. I got around this by clipping and pasting segments of the image to fit within my template. I really like how Ejel's interview pages turned out in the end, the soft pink and dark blues compliment the sea background of his chosen images.
Another issue I encountered was creating magazine pages for those who wanted to remain anonymous. Due to the nature of the interview subjects it was important I ran through safeguarding with each interviewee. This meant creating consent forms surrounding social media sharing, sharing via this blog, sharing academically and using photographs of the interviewee. Each participants safety was the highest priority, and if exposing their identity would leave them vulnerable in any way, it was important to be having those discussions. One participant, A, chose to remain anonymous for their own safety. This meant when creating their magazine page I had to use alternative imagery.
An integral part of this interview was the discussion of inclusivity within the nightlife scene, I therefore decided to use neon light imagery. To keep the spread interesting, I layered shapes in a similar fashion to keep the three-dimensional effect.
As the magazines profits are all going to the incredible charity Papyrus, I thought it was important to include a small insert about what the readers donation would do. Using the Papyrus colours, and information from their website, I create a page which showed what Papyrus do.
I also thought it would look good to have a 'note from the editor' page at the beginning of the magazine, to inform the reader of what they were about to read, what the aim of the project is, and to express my thanks to all the participants.
This page fits the layout of the other pages of the magazine, incorporating a portrait, shapes from the original portrait background, and shapes based on colours from the original portrait.
I then created inside front and back covers, to create these I wanted to be as minimalist as possible. This is because the interviews throughout the magazine are bursting with bold colour and shape, so I wanted the inside covers to contrast that.
Creating a front cover was the final part of the magazine. Initially I wanted to use imagery of shape and my favourite background clippings to create a layered graphic which represented the project as a whole.
I really struggled during this process to come up with something I was happy with. I decided to think about what my favourite part of the project was, and decided this was the development of my portrait photography. I feel this was actually my strongest discipline in the creation of the final print. I therefore decided to consider having a cover star. I asked my participants who would like to be the cover star, and thankfully Ian agreed.
These are the initial cover test designs, experimenting with collaging different shape and image. I also explored text placement, feeling a wrap around effect could improve the overall composition of the cover. I also experimented with a coloured hue, emphasising the primary colour of the chosen portrait.
This is the final cover design. I think the composition emphasises both Ian's portrait and the cover's text. I also feel the use of white space is integral to drawing attention to the central image. Finally I decided to include "Issue #1" to leave the door open for a second issue.
Print and Distribution
To print my magazine I used Blurb's programme, BookWright. Although this was practical as it allowed me to print using the same service, I do need to begin structuring my publications via InDesign to allow for more print experimentation.
Prior to my release I wanted to educate my audience more about the charity the magazine was supporting, PAPYRUS UK, so decided to create an infographic for socials which would help educate my readers on what their donation would help achieve. To aid this I liased with Papyrus, who sent me resources and requirements when discussing their work. Also available on their site here.
These graphics use simple shapes and colour fitting with Papyrus' logo colours. I chose a simple design as I feel that is most effective when creating infographics, as it helps attract the readers attention while keeping the message clear and concise. This also fits with the style of graphics I used to construct the magazine pages to keep design consistent.
When distributing the magazine I decided to create a 'pre-release' which allowed customers to pre-order their copy before the official release date, for this I only sold 10 copies. I decided to do this so I could generate publicity, and sell out, which would help increase demand for the official release.
This post advertising the presale included a short paragraph about the content of the magazine and a short sentence about the work Papyrus do. I kept it short as social sharing needs concise captions to keep user interest.
I chose to use the marketplace Big Cartel to sell my product, as this was the option which gave me the highest amount of profit minus selling fees. This can be found here.
Throughout the project I also used Instagram Stories, to generate audience interest and post about the magazine without having to post finished pieces. The full process for this can be found here.
I then released my official print release via both Instagram and twitter.
Audience Feedback
Using social media I collected audience feedback by encouraging buyers to post and share their copy of Identity in Mind on Twitter or Instagram. My audience actually ended up being a lot more mixed than I initially thought. Whilst I had assumed my main audience would be LGBTIQ+ youth, I actually had a lot of older adults who worked in care, social services, mental health, and NHS services, buying copies. This was great because I feel it gave the magazine an opportunity to directly impact care services which deal with LGBTIQ+ mental health.
This feedback shows the magazine making a difference in mental health services, with key workers actively showing how they are listening to lived experiences of LGBTIQ+ mental health. This is really positive for me because I feel by uplifting the stories of my participants I was able to make some change, and raise awareness, in terms of LGBTIQ+ treatment in mental health services.
Personal Analysis
Research and Knowledge:
Throughout this project my research has been strong in terms of context. I have completed fieldwork and interview which has directly informed my process. My photography has allowed me to collect visual research while improving my technical skills.
Strong contextual research was completed when researching LGBTIQ+ mental health and the charity I was fundraising for.
Audience research was completed via social media, which allowed me to analyse the wants and needs of my audience, and directly improve my distribution methods.
I would like to develop a stronger knowledge of technical skills in terms of using indesign, this would have allowed me to be more experimental with my print.
Research into print publishing and independent publishing could have been useful to improve my distribution.
Process and Skills:
I feel the research stages of this project are incredibly strong, I used field work to directly inform my context with interview and photography.
There is a clear progression of my portraiture skills evidence within this project, and the level of skill in terms of composition and use of digital media has significantly improved throughout this process.
Furthermore there is a similarly clear progression when creating my graphic pieces, from the initial designs which were crowded and objectively boring, there is a stark contrast when looking at later designs which are cleaner and more concise, drawing a stronger audience attention to the subject and message of the pieces.
When comparing the outcome of this project with my previous magazine release, Consumption, there is an enormous improvement in composition and content.
However there are some aspects of the final design I was unhappy with:
I feel the final piece was very heavily reliant on text, with text on every page. In some cases, as pictured above, the text overshadows the visual media used. I think this is something I would like to focus on when working toward my next release in order to make my visual media stronger.
In some pages, as pictured above, the margins are to closer to the edges of the page than others. This is something which a test print may have helped, or using InDesign so I can create clear margins. This would improve the overall professionalism of the final print.
Advertisement and Distribution:
Advertisement was strong, however more research could have been done around existing magazines which could have explored methods of advertisement which may have been more useful. This could have included distributing stickers and fliers, creating video and film footage, etc.
Distribution was limited as I was reliant on the programme supported by Blurb, increased knowledge of adobe programmes may improve distribution in the future.