Jazz. Visual Culture.

Blue Note Covers:

The blue note covers show some interesting jazz related graphic design. It aims to capture that freedom with simple methods of breaking down rigid Swiss modern typography and crashing it together with illustrative elements. Certain examples could be seen as a mash of modernism and post-modernist aesthetics.

Bluenote Records History.

 Art Deco:

Art deco was the artistic movement around when looking at jazz in context.


Wiki - Art Deco.

In it's visual form it was a progression from the curves and organic forms found in 'art nouveau' to linear symmetry and straight edges. When first emerging in the 1920's it was seen as modern and innovative and reflected a return to money and glamour after the dust had settled from the first world war. It's influence can be seen in movements such as pop art and it's aztec influenced shapes are starting to re-emerge in contemporary fashion and design.

Return to Art Deco stlyes in Fashion.
  

The art deco aesthetic is reflected in the Jazz cover designs of the time. They used vibrant colours and geometric shapes but with a fluidity about them so they don't feel too rigid. It's like they are re-shaping, cutting and pulling apart the old to create something new.

Personal Thoughts:

The aesthetics of Jazz are pretty much what I had in mind. These kind of images were scattered around my house growing up and it feels very familiar to me. The style also transitions nicely into the type of publication I had outlined in my initial thoughts. 

Jazz. History and Philosophy.

History:

It's origins lie in the south of the united states within the African American communities. The music itself is a mix of African and European music styles and incorporates blue notes and improvisation.

Jazz itself is broken down into many sub-genres including New Orleans, big band swing, West Coast, Latin and Bebop.

The name itself came from west coast slang spoke in about 1912.

Jazz began to emerge properly in the 1920's when attitudes were starting to change and become more liberal. The older generations at the time found it threatening to their old values as it very much represented the changes being seen in the younger generations.

Philosophy:

Jazz has been notoriously hard to define, which in itself shows you it's unpredictable nature and it's sense of freedom.

The dictionary tells us that it is 'A style of music, native to America, characterized by a strong but flexible rhythmic understructure with solo and ensemble improvisations on basic tunes and chord patterns and, more recently, a highly sophisticated harmonic idiom.'

The words flexible, improvisation and unpredictable pop up quite alot actually. Part of it's charm seems to be it's experimental nature and it's expressionism. It encourages musical freedom. Jazz isn't something you can pin down and it aims to be constantly exploring new depths. You have to feel it to fully enjoy Jazz music, it needs to resonate within.

Initial Thoughts:

The philosophy is what I think I'm interested in capturing visually. I want the publication to feel unpredictable and expressionist and for it to not feel too graphically structured. Or if it is then I don't want that to be too obvious to the viewer. It should be free and experimental with links to the colours and feelings of the context. In my head I picture something which emulates Jazz music but for the eyes.

This could end up being very interesting I feel. Obviously I still want it to feel graphic in ways but I guess slightly post modernist in it's execution.


Next Step:

Now that I have a basic understanding of Jazz I think I need to look at it's visual culture.

Practical Module. Statement of Intent.

Brief:

We have been asked to create a publication based around something we have found interesting in the Context of Practice module. This could be something obvious or more obscure.

Modernism - Modernity - 1920's Paris Exhibition - The Jazz Age - Jazz.

Chosen link from module information.

Intent:

After Jo's idea generation session I believe I've stumbled across a route which I find interesting. One of my interests was the jazz age which I think we touched on in one of the modernism lectures. Jazz is something my father was apart of when I was growing up, I already have a sense of style and the visual aesthetics that are a part of it.

To give Jazz a design context and a strong link to the module and the information that has been given to us I will be looking at Jazz in relation to modernity and modernism.

Postage Stamps. Existing 'Innovative' Design.

I think some of these are stunning little things. The illustrative style and vivid colour is necessary I guess to make the image pop and is 100% my cup of tea. They've really managed to do something amazing with such a small space. I'm actually quite excited to get designing this now after looking at these. Anyway enough about of me gushing, guess I better talk about them with more purpose.

Personally the simpler designs for me have more impact due to it's level of clarity. The most successful have found a clear almost pictogram way of projecting their chosen message. For example the green stamp with a giraffe and a lion on it instantly tells me that Frankfurt has a zoo and I should perhaps visit if I ever find myself in town. This kind of clear vision is the key to my stamp design. One thing I've noticed however is the price in numbers as a graphic element doesn't seem to be exploited, they are often in style linked with the main imagery but rarely incorporated in the main image itself. Something I could possibly pick up on in my designs.

Thoughts:

This research has it more obvious to me to choose the low-impact route using an illustrative style and also possibly incorporating the price within the design. For example someone riding the price '60' like a bike. That's something I can explore on my design sheets. It might be useful getting together some transport images and pictograms like the cycling ones in my environmental post. 

Postage Stamp. Environmental Change.

I need to look into the environmental changes they've chosen to include in the brief. Chosen being the key word here, I don't believe they'd of made the effort to include them without reason.

Low-impact transport:

Wiki - Sustainable Transport.

Also known as green-transport, meaning transport which has a low impact on the environment. So were talking about walking, cycling, car shares, electrically or sustainably powered cars and public transport such as trams and buses.

Transport accounts for 20 - 25% of the worlds energy consumption and more importantly you might say, it's carbon dioxide emissions.

An article written by the Low Impact Living Initiative (LILI) says that low-impact transport can be achieved by a combination of a switch from private to public transport and an increase in sustainably powered vehicles, most importantly muscle power.

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Zero-carbon housing:

What is zero carbon housing? 

Well it's funny you should ask as I've just been looking into it. Zero carbon housing is a home which produces zero or even negative CO2 emissions by maximising the use of energy efficient and renewable energy sources.

Apparently from 2016 in the UK, all new houses must be zero carbon. The key is in insulation and they will look probably the same as traditional British houses.

If the house also uses solar or wind turbines or both, then it's possible it may make more energy than it uses. In this case the government actually pay the owners for the energy they put back into the grid.

  

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Water over-consumption:

It's obvious I think what this refers to but It's the one I'm having most trouble finding information on.

"We are living beyond our means when it comes to water. The short-term solution to water scarcity has been to extract ever greater amounts of water from our surface and groundwater assets. Overexploitation is not sustainable. It has a heavy impact on the quality and quantity of the remaining water as well as the ecosystems which depend on it. We have to cut demand, minimise the amount of water that we are extracting and increase the efficiency of its use".

Prof. Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the EEA.

Basically the jist is that people are using too much water compared to the resources we have available. Water consumption is as high as 170 litres per person per day average down south compared to the governments target of 130.

Some solutions to help ease this are suggested that houses have water meters installed. Studies show houses with the meters use 13% less water then those without.

It also threatens animal habitats near the water sources when they run low.

 

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Initial Thoughts:

Personally I think the low-impact transport appeals to me most. It can easily worked into a set and already has strong visual elements which can be experimented with and expanded upon, as well as being a pressing issue and one I think the UK is acting upon with projects such as the congestion charge.

The obvious colour thoughts for projects of this nature is greens, blues and yellows. Light and vibrant to reflect positive visions of climate change. 

What is a Line? Wiring.

I thought I better have a closer look at guitar wiring in relation to it's colour. Obviously red and the green earth wire and the primary considerations.

However as my the tone of my work is not designed to be an instructional images then the colour of my wiring doesn't matter as much. I guess two colours can be kept but if those two colours weren't red and green for the sake of aesthetics then I don't think this would be a crime.

Another thought is that as long is the wires are connected in the right places then the bit in between doesn't necessarily need to be exact. Guess it depends on whether I go with an x-ray style documentary image or something more illustrative.

Personally I'd prefer to do something more illustrative as I think it suits the target audience better. If this is something that's designed to be bought by guitar fanatics as decorations for their house then images which feel artistic and visually prominent would work better. 

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