COP Summative Statement

Upon the completion of my COP module, I have gained a greater understanding of digital application to the creative process, and the implications it has on society, productivity and most importantly artists and their work. I concluded that because of a range of existing theories; Walter Benjamin's definition of 'Aura' and how it is lost through the reproduction of the image; Roland Barthes' Authorship theory, how nothing man-made (especially digital) can be considered Original; And finally Karl Marx's 'Labour Theory of Value', which poses the idea that the value of a commodity is only worth as much the labour that has gone into it; digital design tools were indeed a threat to the value of Illustration, and the status of an image.  Furthermore, my argument was improved by the beliefs of a range of practitioners that believe the addition of digital is compromising them of their roles, and increasing competition as more people become technically capable with the tools. 

I was able to apply these theories to many elements within my argument. One example would be how the invention of digital design software was driven by the urge to simplify and speed up traditional creative processes, that once would have needed a vast array of skills and experience to operate - Digital tools can be criticised in this context, because they are encouraging the demise of skill and craft, therefore (in the context of Marx's labour theory) the value of the work suffers. I also concluded that through the use of digital mediums, Aura, Authorship and Authenticity are sacrificed; It was these three concepts that ultimately drove my practical project. 

I have also gained an understanding from my research, that for a genre to progress and move forward, the artists must be willing to adapt and make use of the tools available in order to create new and exciting work; I found that this idea was challenged by the devaluation of digital artwork, as digital tools are very modern and always developing. Attempting to solve the stated problem through the creation of a charitable marketing campaign, I designed a situation in which digital art is Authentic, hypothetically raising awareness of the issue through a well known brand. I attempted to subvert all mentioned theories, through the concept and mechanics behind the campaign, for example; The deletion of the original file, in an attempt to create a piece of original, authentic artwork that maintains an 'Aura'. 

Overall, I found the written element of the module really interesting, and found feel that I was able to find appropriate sources and examples to back up my arguments. With the practical element, I found that my outcome was too technical and sometimes overcomplicated, which I felt limited me when exploring visually. I was sure that I wanted to use COP as an opportunity to develop work relating to Advertising and marketing, and I feel this is why my project became quite complex. The way that I had to play two different roles in order to communicate my ideas also made things very complicated during the development of my project. I feel confident that I have created an effective theoretically informed outcome, that very much could exist in real life, whilst pursuing my interest in marketing/branding. 

With it's focus on 'Authenticity' and 'Aura' within art, this module has inspired me to push my practice towards a form of Illustration that is digitally created, yet remains true to the values of Authenticity. 

Final Design Boards

Final Design boards showing the realised outcomes of my project.

Practical: Shop Window Display

Promotional Video

A video I created to be displayed next to the original printed outcome. 

I created this video to not only give information about the campaign, but also to show the work and time that went into the print. I tried to challenge Marx's labour theory of value by doing this, showing that despite the aid of digital design tools, the print is still a valuable commodity. I feel that displaying the video next to the drawing also creates the sense of 'Aura' that Benjamin defines. 

I think that the video is effective in some ways because of it's upbeat and friendly tone which is conveyed through the choice of language. However, the aesthetic quality of the video I'm not as thrilled with, as I think it looks a bit boring. This was due to limited resources (and lack of skill) that I feel it doesn't look as professional and enticing

as i'd have liked(also iMovie is HORRIBLE to work with). It maintains its primary function of promoting the campaign and showing the creative process which i'm happy with.

Printed Outcome

With this piece of work I've placed great emphasis on remaining true to the values of authenticity. I have purposefully not uploaded the digital file to my blog because, through Benjamin's theory, this would devalue all authentic aspects and the 'aura' of the piece. (I don't know what he said about photographs, but here's one anyway of the final, authentic original print of which only 1 exists, that would be displayed within the shop window).

Once again the print quality is not entirely representative of the image, however I chose this kind of stock/printing effect to create more authenticity and link to the element of cheap/throwaway material. It creates an amazing contrast when it clearly looks cheap/digitally printed, yet it is the only print in existence (reflecting Banjamin's Aura theory) which creates value and aura.

Practical: Print Quality Experimentation

With my project, one of the key focuses is how the artwork is presented in order to achieve Authenticity. I wanted to experiment with the presentation process as much as the image creation because it is equally, if not more, important.

I started off printing my posters/images on regular printing stock, slightly higher quality than usual which gives the images a slightly glossy finish. 

 

I think that the images look the best when presented in this format, however, relating back to Anthony Burrill's comment about how 'were so used to everything being seductive and glossy', that I thought this may have the opposite effect of authenticity, and might look fake and insincere? (Mimesis)

So I experimented with slightly thinner stock which I found to look alot lower quality. In a different project, presenting images in this quality would be a complete no-no as it does look awful. However, I think that it places an interesting focus on the value of the image once again. And as these images are Original prints, only ones in existence, it makes the image valuable, despite being printed onto cheap throwaway material. 

(even has printing lines on it and everything)

I think it also has a nice effect on the poster aswell, subverting the idea of 'seductive and glossy'. As the poster is a tactile object, the effect of lower quality printing creates more authenticity (despite it looking patchy and shit). I think that the slightly faded tones/muted colours fit in really well with Lush's aesthetic.

Practical: Poster Design

Final poster design 

Remaining true to the Digital Aesthetic to create a sense of on-screen creation. Once again reiterating the values of Authenticity and not attempting to hide any electronic origins. I wanted to really play with this idea and make explicit references to digital art, like pixels and brush cursors. I found the colour yellow to be really appropriate for the posters, because not only does it look great with the black logo, I think it has connotations of light-heartedness, which although my campaign is serious, it is more lighthearted compared to the other issues that LUSH fight. I think it also has an energy of fun and creativity about it. 

Also I have referred to my project as an 'experiment' because, really, it's about creating an element in artwork that is quite subjective and metaphoric. 

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Practical: Logo Revisit

My original logo, making reference to Photoshop and digital art creation. 

As mentioned in my final crit feedback, I received some feedback saying that my final logo doesn't feel very authentic/arty. This inspired me to develop it further. 

I need to really convey digital creation, but still look authentic and creative.

2 different logos exploring more of a textural/expressive approach. I think that they definitely look alot more 'Arty', but again there is no reference to digital art whatsoever.

I quite like this effect, as it is representative of the 'digital aesthetic' and photoshop brushes. I feel that this is slightly more appropriate for the campaign, and it is quite similar to my banner designs so I don't need to change that much. I understand that it doesn't look 'Authentic' but really it's not about the look of it, it's the concept behind it. The fact that it isn't mimicking the aesthetic of analog media in itself becomes 'Authentic'. 

Practical: Some Questions Raised from Final Crit

From my feedback received in the final crit, it seems that I have not made very clear some of my decisions throughout the project.

"What does Photoshop have to do with Lush?"

Honestly, lush cosmetics has nothing to do with photoshop. I chose Lush Cosmetics as a platform for my campaign because of a range of factors, that just made them the perfect choice. 

• I knew that I wanted to make promotional/advertising work for a brand of some sort, and the fact that Lush are highly Authentic and have a focus on creating authentic products, is something that linked with my project. From researching into the company, I found that every Lush store around the world is filled with only products that have been made by Lush, for Lush, e.g the furniture which is made specifically in their Lush Store Furniture warehouse, linking directly with the theory Authorship. Therefore Lush are the epitome of authentic. Also I wanted to mirror this concept, by making Artwork for Lush, by Lush. 

• Lush are also very big on fundraising/raising awareness for ethical issues around the world, e.g Animal Cruelty, Sexual Equality. Hypothetically, I wanted to propose my topic of Digital Art being devalued, to be treated as an "Issue" that needs awareness (A little tongue in cheek, I know). 

• The target audience for Lush, fans of the handmade, are the audience that I am attempting to generate a reaction from using my campaign, as they are likely to be deterred from Digital Illustration. 

• I also just needed a platform, for example, a Shop window, to create a display in order to convey my message/ideas. 

"Is using technology the value of the company?"

Throughout the Lush website, there is a constant reminder that their products are hand made and fresh. My thoughts for the campaign were to promote these values of hand made authenticity, through something that isn't handmade, BUT VERY AUTHENTIC. My campaign is all about achieving authenticity through non authentic means, making the campaign more about how the phenomenon of Aura and Authenticity is achieved, and not about how the artwork is made. 

It seems so clear in my head, but I think communicating the links between my project and the brand has been a huge issue throughout the project, which is definitely something I will consider in future.

Practical: Final Crit

Regrettably I did not have a concluded project by this point;

1. Explaining the brief, and the various choices I made whilst branding the campaign.

 2. The branding in action on the website, with an article (written by me)

Also explaining the rules of and ideas behind the campaign.

3. Attempting to create an idea of what could be created for the campaign **Which has not been completed yet**

Feedback

I found this feedback really useful and genuinely constructive. It made me worry a little bit that my project didn't make sense, but was good in identifying areas that were more unclear than others. I'm glad that they acknowledged my the role of my personal development/goals within the product, as they have been the driving force behind the entire project. 

Recommendations/steps to take further

COP: Final Tutorial + Dissertation Thoughts

Feedback sheet 5/1/2017

Mainly just discussing the format of my dissertation which still needs a conclusion and addition of images.

Dissertation Thoughts?

Ok, I may have enjoyed it a little bit. 

I've obviously found it a challenge overall, but feedback on my writing style has been really positive, and I'm confident that I can write a decent essay(?). A strength I have noticed throughout the module is my ability to create links between sources and TRIANGULATE, which I hope reflects in my essay. I'd say I've enjoyed writing the essay more than the practical if i'm honest, mainly because I had alot more confidence in my subject and how to research into it, in comparison to exploring it visually which I have found/am finding really difficult. 

Practical: Website Feature

To make the campaign more developed and professional, I decided to write a small article to go on the website, to describe what the campaign involves:

The Made For You Campaign: 

Fighting the stigma against Digital Art

Here at Lush, aswell as being passionate about fresh handmade 

cosmetics, we are also all about fairness and equality; which is 

why we’ve released a groundbreaking campaign, in which we’re 

teaming up with local digital artists to bring their work to our UK stores. 

We know what you’re thinking, what’s unfair, right? 

Well, Theorist Walter Benjamin once said, that mechanically reproduced art loses ‘Aura’ and ‘Authenticity’, basically saying, Art that’s reproduced by a computer isn’t special anymore. In this century, the way that digital art is created and how it exists are aspects that closely relate to Benjamin’s theory... which is a big problem for Digital Artists around the world! 

Digital Design Tools are an amazing new invention that allow artists to express themselves in exciting new ways YET STILL beliefs remain that digital art is less valuable.

And it turns out alot of people think the same about Digital Art...

So, what’s our plan?

What am I going to deliver? + Revisited Brief

As my project has developed, I have become increasingly aware about the fact that my project isn't about what my images look like, but in fact how they are presented, in order to reach authenticity. Obviously as an illustration student I feel that it is my job to create visually effective imagery in order to display what the outcomes could look like, but I need to marry the 2 aspects of visual and conceptual. 

In order to do this I am going to have play 2 roles in my project, including the creator/designer of the campaign, and also an artist taking part, in order to fully demonstrate my idea. 

Deliverables:

1. 'Made For You' Campaign:
Manifesto - What is it, Why, Who, 
Branding 
Website Design
Leaflet

2. Artwork for Campaign:
Sketchbook
Digital Experiments
Final Response to campaign
Video/Documentary(To be displayed next to artwork)

*Revisited* 

Brief

Create a charitable marketing campaign for Lush Cosmetics, that attempts to change the way people view digitally created Artwork, and promotes the value of Authenticity and importance of a product being made specifically for the audience. 

COP Practical: How to make work look/be original and Authentic?

‘To obtain the same rarity phenomenon, found in traditional paintings, with digital tools, one would have to create a work of art, print only one copy and then proceed to destroy the original file to ensure no more copies of the work are ever printed. The remaining poster would become the last and only copy of the work”

This quote outlines the steps that my campaign needs to take, in order to present digital work that is authentic and original. 

“People don't want to go to Ikea and buy a digital print, they want to go and buy something that is hand made and is signed and is original artwork”

Also the importance of signing and dating something, as seen on Lush's products, has an authentic effect. In order to promote this technique, I modified the poster template in order for the artist to sign and date their work.

Here is a small section I created for the website, remaining in keeping with the aesthetic which really spells out how the campaign works and what it involves:

I have attempted to subvert all ways that digital artwork is devalued through these processes that would be completed by the partaking artists.