Final 20 Images for Project 3.

These are the final 20 images which I have decided show the setting changes on the camera best.

The page that I have printed for my portfolio has printed the darker pictures really dark. This is due to the screen & printer calibrations. On screen the dark picture are reasonable, not particularly good photos but I wanted to show what extreme shutter speed and aperture settings do to a photo.

Project 3 - 20 Images with Setting Changes.

For project 3 we were asked to take 20 photos and change a setting on each photo.

I have been taking photos over the last 2 months or so. I have taken an unbelievable amount of photos over the 2 months. I've enjoyed it. When you actually have to pay attention to setting on the camera rather than shooting on 'auto' all the time you realise how hard photography actually is.

Adjustments to Project 1 - Article Layout.

I went back and looked at some of my previous projects for the Introduction to Digital Technologies and Print Production module. Project 1 being the very first project I was set I felt it needed some alterations.

For starters I decided to move some of the title text around. I also took the boxes off the quotes. I also changed the colour of the sub-heading text as I felt it didn't look right with the headline text.

Here is the altered version.

Trend board for Fashion Industry 1 Project.

For a project in our Fashion Industry 1 module we were asked to go out and take pictures in 2 Northern cities in England of things we think could emerge as trends for Spring/Summer next year.

From my photos I picked up on a trend of digital print & bold colours. I called my trend 'DIGITAL POP.'

This is my trend board for the project.

I feel it relevant to include such projects on my blog because they are very layout and typography co-ordinated.

For this board I took lots of time over presentation. I wanted to get the layout and look of the board perfect and parallel. I also wanted the typography to complement the trend.

Concept Board for Project 5.

This is my final concept board for project 5.

I have featured my concept in 3 different locations including, the end of a bus stop advert, an in store computer and a New Look store window.

The board also shows how the concept works.

1. The models face is cut out and replaced with a screen.

2. A camera is mounted nearby and linked to the screen.

3. When the camera senses motion it turns on and the screen activates.

4. The screen then displays the picture being transferred from the camera.

5. The person stood in front of the camera has their face on the models body.

This concept allows the consumer to see what an outfit would look like on. It allows them to see if the garment suits their face shape/hair colour etc.

The in store computer also tells the consumer whether to garment is in stock and in which sizes. It will also tell the consumer where to locate it in store.

Storyboard for Project 5.

This is my storyboard for project 5 - digital retail communications.

The storyboard shows my influences for my idea, locations for my concept and what technologies will be used to make the concept work.

Concept Generation for Project 5.

I've had an idea for project 5 (digital retail communication).

Instead of just having stand alone billboards which displayed information I decided that I wanted to make my digital signage interactive so potential customers could get involved.

My idea is based on the seaside 'face in the hole' boards. As I chose New Look as my client I wanted to create a billboard which lets customers put their own face on a models body wearing New Look clothes to see how they would look.

To demonstrate my idea I found a website in which you can put your face on to many different backgrounds. (http://www.faceinhole.com/gb/) Here is an example of how the website works. You choose a scenario in which you want to place your face (See below) Here I have chosen a cover shot of Elle magazine.

Once you have chosen a scenario you upload a photo of your face which is then loaded in to the white space of the scenario photo. (See below)

Applying this concept to billboards for New Look creates a new fun way of advertising and communicating with its potential customers.

Here is an example of this concept I came across whilst shopping in Huddersfield. The board was featured in Thorntons shop window. The idea behind the board is different to that of my New Look idea but it's still useful to demonstrate my concept.

For a chance to win prizes from Thorntons all you have to do is get behind the board and put your face in the hole and have your photo taken. Then you upload the photo of your face in the hole to the Thorntons website and are entered into the competition to win the prizes.

Digital Signage Research - Project 5.

I have just found this site which covers the topic of Prada's interactive dressing room.

http://digitalwellbeinglabs.com/dwb/?page_id=172

The video on the website goes through the steps a consumer goes through when using such a dressing room.

Such technology makes the dressing room experience much more exciting and easy for the consumer.

Like the Prada interactive dressing room, my retail communication concept of having interactive billboard adverts and in store computers is to make the customer experience with New Look more exciting and easy.

Digital Signage Research - Project 5.

As technology has advanced and traditional signage now seems very dull digital signage is a lot more common. The advantages of using digital signage include being able to change the image or information featured as regularly as you like without having to scrap huge boards/large amounts of paper and also digital signage means once you have brought the machine used to display/project your image there isn't anything else which needs to be paid for e.g. printing of billboard, delivery of the billboard and mounting of the billboard making it much more cost effective for companies. As well as these reasons changes to any information or images displayed can be made instantly if errors are made or it isn't working well as an advert.

(Image scanned in from 'Advertising Outdoors by David Bernstein, 1997)

This is an example of how digital advertising can be used almost anywhere outdoors.

Ministry of Sound have projected the image of their logo onto the House of Parliament building. The placement of this advertising is quite controversial in that the Houses of Parliament is a political building in which lots of quiet important discussions take place which is juxtaposed with the loud party scene which is associated with Ministry of Sound.

This use of digital signage is very eye-catching and due to its location attracts lots of attention.

The only problem with such signage is that it can only really be seen at night.

(Photo taken by myself outside Bank in Leeds)

This is an example of a digital sign featured in a shop window. The display runs through a series of images from items which are available in-store. This not only promotes the products but is a much better way of displaying more than one or two products in a window at once.

(Photo taken by myself in Topshop, Leeds)

Digital in-store communications are also used in some stores. In Topshop in Leeds this computer system is used in-store. On this computer you can search through the current Topshop online catalogue. The computer then allows you to pick a certain item and see whether they have it in stock in their store in your size. This can help speed up service in-store because it forces less people to ask shop assistants whether they have certain items in store. It may also be more accurate than shop assistants as it knows exactly what is in store and in what sizes. The computer also allows customers to see what items can be styled with other items in the store, giving inspiration for looks.

Traditional Signage Research - Project 5.

Traditional signage includes billboards and print media. Traditional signage is used both indoors and outdoors by companies trying to sell a product, create an awareness of their company or cause.

(Image scanned from 'Advertising Outdoors' by David Bernstein, 1997)

As this billboard states outdoor advertising on such a large scale has 'more impact than any newspaper ad.' By putting advertising on such a large scale in an open space gives it much more of an audience. Any passers by would not be able to avoid looking at such a display. It therefore creates an awareness of a companies product. The more people that know about a product means more people might possibly buy the product meaning more profit for the company.

(Image taken by myself outside Topshop, Leeds)

This is an example of classic traditional advertising. Topshop have made use of nearby building works by using one of the boards concealing the build site to advertise their store. It not only advertises their store but it also hides the plain construction site board.

(Image scanned in from Creative advertising : ideas and techniques from the world's best campaigns by Mario Pricken, 2002)

Traditional signage became somewhat dull which forced companies to get creative with their adverts. This advert featured above by Wonderbra is a perfect example of a company creatively using a space to sell their product). The advert above is featured on the side of a bus stop and creates the illusion that the woman stood in her underwear is actually stood the other side of the board.

(Image found online at - http://uaddit.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=642)

This is another example of using a space creatively. Instead of selling a product this is an advert for a job search engine.

(Image scanned in from 'Advertising Outdoors by David Bernstein, 1997)

Not all traditional advertising takes place on billboards and in magazines. Transport methods are also used to advertise. As vehicles drive around the centre of towns & cities all day nearly everyday it's the perfect way to get valuable attention for a product or service.

(Image taken by myself in Topshop, Leeds)

Finally, not all traditional signage takes place outdoors, in store communications can also be on display in stores. Above is an example of in store signage which I found in Topshop, Leeds. On each face of the block is either a photo of a model wearing a Topshop item which has been styled with other items to suit or a picture of a pattern which can give inspiration to customers on what colours to buy or patterns to look out for.

Background Research into Advertising for Project 5.

I thought I would start the project with some background research into advertising and how and why traditional signage shifted to more digital signage.

(The pie chart was scanned in from 'Digital Advertising' by Andrew McStay, 2010)

This pie chart shows the breakdown of advertising media used in 2009.

Television was the most used form of media for advertising with 21.7%.

After press (display) with 19.3% comes the online sector with 18.7%. In 2003 the online sector only accounted for 3% of the advertising media used. The increase in online advertising is put down to the ever advancing internet. From dial up to broadband and new advances are making fibre optic broadband available. As the internet increased in speed and availability it meant that companies could not only access more people quickly but make much more advanced adverts/online banners.

Other forms of digital advertising such as radio and cinema only account for approximately 10% combined.

Digital Retail Communications - Project 5.

Last week we got a new brief. The new brief focuses on digital retail communications.

There is a need for 'traditional' signage in-store and outdoors to be replaced with innovative digital/multi-media signage.

The brief requires us to design a digital advertising concept for a client (either New Look, B&Q or Comet) which can be placed in 3 locations in-store or outdoors.

I have chosen New Look as my client as it is more relevant to the course and mimics something which I may have to do in a career one day.

I will begin by researching both 'traditional' forms of signage (including billboards and other stationary advertising) and digital advertising (including video walls and digital billboards).

A3 Board of Final Shots for Project 4.

As some of the group members decided to put these photos on a background (stretched and pixelated and taken from the web) without consulting other members of the group I decided to lay them out in my own way. I would have kept the background white (plain & simple) so it didn't make the already complicated pictures more complicated. I also added in the company logo and titled the campaign 'The Writing on the Walls' (which was previously discussed with the group).

Final Storyboard for Project 4.

I forgot to put my storyboard up for project 4, so here it is.

The storyboard includes the locations, some of the possible poses (influences - Guy Bourdin/Mert&Marcus) and props.

Final Images for Project 4.

After working on these images for a total of over 15 hours on photoshop I think it's time for a long break from looking at them. These are the final images for the project.

We were originally going to add a letter of the word 'Diesel' into each photo (hence why there is 6 photos). I tried to do this but we were using letters taken from the internet. Some of these letters were low quality and therefore couldn't be enlarged as much as they needed to be without pixelating.

For the photos I used the quick selection tool to cut out the models from the studio background and place them on the backgrounds. I then used the eraser tool to cut off any extra pixels I caught from the studio background.

Once I had the model completely cut out and placed on the background I used the blur tool to smooth the edges. Finally for some of the images I put a 'drop shadow' on the model. This creates a shadow as though she is really outside under the light and leaving a shadow on the background. Some of the backgrounds for the photos had to be adjusted to level the brightness of the model.

Backdrops for Project 4.

After trying to photoshop some of the backgrounds and models together a couple of the backgrounds didn't work because of the curve in the background of the photo.

It was therefore decided that we had to find 2 different backgrounds to replace the ones that didn't work.

Nicky took some photos of some more grafitti she found and we decided to use these instead.

These are the 2 backgrounds which are going to substitute the others that didn't work. Now on to the photoshop work.

Photographs from Photo Shoot for Project 4.

These are the 6 photos our group have decided to use as our final shots.

Photo Shoot for Diesel campaign...

During the planning of outfits and set up on set I took photos of the photo shoot unfolding...

These photos are of the planning that went into the models outfits for the shoot.

These photos are of some ideas which were put together pre-shoot to possibly include in the photos.

This is a photo of the models pre-shoot.

This is a photo on the right is of Anna with the camera getting ready to shoot some photos.

This final image is of what could be seen through the camera lens.

(All the images were taken on my Blackberry, hence the bad quality.)

General Update on Project 4.

After a meeting yesterday our group has finally set some ideas in stone.

We've decided to scrap the whole letters idea. We're going on the 'sex sells' route for our campaign. This means lots of leggy shots. Instead of having letters featuring in every shot we are going to place the Diesel logo on the model/mannequin legs, maybe even on the accessories.

For the backdrop for the photos we wanted to go with an 'industrial' look which gives the sense that Diesel is returning to its textile roots. We have chosen 6 final locations for our shots.

(Scanned image).

We have got the studio booked for tomorrow morning. The plan is to either have the backgrounds projected onto the wall in the studio and put the models in front of it or to take photos of the models/mannequin legs in the studio then photoshop them on to the background later.

Tomorrow morning is going to be all about experimentation. We are going to see how it looks and then decide on what we think looks better. Who knows something might happen as an accident in the studio which may look better than everything we've planned so far.

Test Shots for Project 4.

(Images all taken myself, with the input of Lauren & Anna)

We have realised that these photos are now completely useless because they don't work as part of a campaign. This is because if you saw a photo with just one letter on it you wouldn't know it was advertising Diesel. It's not until all the letters are together you see they spell out Diesel. The adverts wouldn't be shown page after page in a magazine so this idea is irrelevant. Although these photos are pretty useless they have spurred on some ideas. We could possibly use some of the letters in industrial settings and photoshop them together with the more glamourous model photos to spell out the whole word 'Diesel.'