Message vs Medium – How can a message be enhanced through the medium in which it is implemented?
Sam Winston looks at the relationship between form and function and how we read, understand and engineer communication. There is a sense of craft within digital technologies but craft is usually related to more physical outputs that use touch, texture and physical creation. A physical medium can create more of an emotional connection.
The materiality of an image or a product can create an enhanced emotional response dependant of the history/texture/feeling of the specific material. Something that you can touch and that tells a story can be deeply powerful.
Acid Rain
This video shows a billboard made out of litmus paper, and when acid rain falls, it starts to turn red. Like blood. In a way of symbolising the blood of the environment. An interesting method of creating a unique and impactful experience.
Austria Solar
This video shows the design of the Annual Report for Austria Solar. An interesting print method that appears blank at first until it is touched by sunlight. This reveals the content within.
Notes
Embrace the unknown. Change your relationship to problems. Trust in your skills.
Creating new patterns of working
Use time as a tool. Good time management is a key skill to have and can make work better. Create an environment where your original ideas can manifest.
Task:
Communicate an emotion you perceive your city or location is about.
Take the word and use an appropriate material, form or medium – 2D, digital, 3D or immersive.
You may choose to communicate the word directly or you may choose to create a juxtaposition, if there is a contradiction or tension.
Honiton
My location is still quite new to me. I moved to Honiton in December 2022. A market town, it is quite a comparison to living in the city of Exeter and in London. Uncharted and unidentified were words in the running. However, I have chosen the word 'undiscovered' to communicate that this is a place I am still discovering; somewhere that is new and unknown.
Undiscovered/Discovered
When thinking of the word undiscovered - you also get drawn to the word discovered. The polar opposite in meaning yet connected with two extra letters.
I have looked at creating something that can link these words together and using inspiration from my research that use a type of medium that 'reveals'.
Taking the idea of layering and revealing - I decided to look at different types of paper stocks to create a final piece that can connect these two words.
I wanted to create an effect that showed the 'un' in undiscovered as blurry and the discovered very clear. This would then really reflect the meaning of both words and how I perceive my area. I used types of tracing paper and then a type of parchment paper to create this effect. I then place it on a window to be able to get some light through the paper to reveal the 'un'.
I did some edits to the final photos on Lightroom and photoshop to make the everything slightly clearer and fix som of the colouring.
Final Outcome
I think this is a good reflection of my word and creates a type of juxtaposition. I like how the 'un' is faded and this was a physical effect created with paper. I think there could also be more ways to experiment with this. Different colours and textures and even different words like 'invisible.
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