Good is... Mario Gerth

I found these portraits really interesting and beautiful, especially since researching into African tribal traditions I can see and understand a lot of their markings. It just goes to show even though they all use similar traditions, the people within these tribes are still so diverse and individual. The portraits are taken by a Dutch photographer called Mario Gerth. Here are a few of my favourites...

http://www.africandigitalart.com/2011/08/african-portraits-by-mario-gerth/

Good is... African Digital Art

I am finding it really difficult to narrow down my research and pinpoint exactly what I want to make. So to help things along I am looking at African typography to make it more relevant to graphic design, and hopefully inspire me. I have found this website that looks at African digital art.
http://www.africandigitalart.com/category/featured-projects/typography-featured-projects/

African beach calligraphy

I have found a great example of African inspired graphic design. Andrew van der Merwe is a typographer who writes his calligraphy into sand.


South African calligrapher, Andrew van der Merwe, has taken writing in the sand to the ultimate next level. A professional calligrapher and typographer, Andrew has developed his own technique of carving letters in the sand. Most of the forms he designs are inspired from African writing systems. Utilizing digital photography, Andrew shoots his masterful typefaces on beaches throughout Africa.

'Sun, water, sand and wind are strong themes in my work. I particularly enjoy playing with African and other ancient writing systems in an asemic way.'

These are beautiful examples of typography, and I love the idea of using African writing systems to influence today's typography and calligraphy. A touch of traditional African culture used in modern art and design.


Afrobeat font


A modern font African font inspired by the tribal rhythms of Afrobeat music. Although to me, aesthetically it doesn't immediately show traditional African styles, I can see how it has been influenced by the upbeat music, the typeface itself looks lively as if dancing to music.

The pounding tribal rhythms of Afrobeat music is expressed through this psychedelic brand new font, Afrobeat. Every letter becomes art as every letter is elegantly placed side by side, like music notes, creating music for the eyes.

Afrobeat is a musical style performed by many African artists such as Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti, Antibalas and many more, which is a fusion of jazz,funk, and psychedelic rock, originating from the 60s and was based on the political movements of Nigeria.

This font is perfect for when you want to use eye-catching big texts for anything from posters and flyers for concerts, events, parties, to CD covers, advertisements, and art, but it´s especially striking for printed projects.

African alphabet

Saki Mafundikwa is a graphic artist who opened the first school of graphic design and new media in his native Zimbabwe. He is the author of Afrikan Writing Systems, which explores typography and graphic writing systems in traditional Africa.

Mafundikwa published the book Afrikan Alphabets, a history of African scripts and typography. This book is an illuminating and rare look at indigenous African graphic art tracing all the way back to ancient Egypt. This ‘Story of Writing in Afrika’ is one that every African designer should have on their bookshelf. It is a culmination of 20 years of research in to the collective writing and graphical representation of African history.

Afrikans have their own palettes that have no kinship with the principles of color devised by such schools of thought as the Bauhaus. Why do we ignore those? The rest of the world would love to understand this Afrikan sense of color! Tapestries woven by “unschooled” craftspeople grace some of the world’s major museums and private collections – stunning testimonials to the Afrikan creative genius. Rhythm comes naturally to the Afrikan artist because of her proximity to nature in everyday life. I saw stunning rhythmic patterns on baskets in Uganda and realized then that when we talk of rhythm in design today, we evoke the work of people like Piet Mondrian, who was inspired by the jazz music of the Afrikan Amerikans who in turn brought that stuff with them on their forced journey to the new world. Can you imagine the potency of design work that looks at home for rhythmic inspiration!

 Afrika is the source of it all. Let us go back to the source. The western world is looking to Afrika again for inspiration. This time they won’t simply walk in and take it – rather, they will learn from us; there will be mutual respect for each other’s intellectual and creative property.

http://www.africandigitalart.com/2009/09/saki-mafundikwa/

Introduction to print

Commercial print processes are practical, technical and economical.

• Rotary printing
• Digital printing
• Screen printing
• Pad printing

Rotary printing 


A printing process where the printing plates are wrapped around a cylinder.

Offset lithography

Etched aluminium plates are wrapped around a cylinder and transfer ink to an offset rubber blanket roller and then onto the print surface.

Retrogravure

Copper plates print straight onto the print surface, plates are more durable so better for long print runs.

Flexography

Uses a positive mirror image flexible relief plate. Can be used for printing almost any type of substrate including plastic, metallic films, cellophane and paper. Transfers 'sticky' ink, normally low quality so used for disposable print such as food packaging.

Digital printing

Suited for short run print jobs, able to print on a range of medias from paper to metal. Has a higher cost than traditional offset printing methods, but usually cheaper in the long run by the saving of the making of the printing plates.

Screen printing

A woven mesh to support an ink blocking stencil. It is more versatile than more traditional printing methods, the surface does not have to be printed under pressure unlike lithography. Different inks can be used to work with a variety of different materials such as textiles, ceramics , wood, paper, glass and metal.

Pad printing

A printing process that allows you to transfer a 2-D image onto a 3-D object.

Design for print usually falls under four categories:

Branding and identity


Brand - The perceived emotional corporate image as a whole.
Identity - The visual aspects that form part of the overall brand.
Logo - A logo identifies a business in its simplest form via the use of a mark or icon.


Packaging and promotion


Packaging is the science, art, and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use.
Packaging contains, protects, preserves, transports, informs, and sells.
Packaging also refers to the process of design, evaluation, and production of packages.
Promotion is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision.
(Boxes on shelves, things we wear, things we hold while using something, point of sale units, banners, floor graphics,& more….)


Publishing and editorial


Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public.
Traditionally, the term refers to the distribution of printed works such as books and newspapers but design
publishing includes the stages of the development, acquisition, copyediting, graphic design, production (printing) of
Magazines, Novels, Coffee table books, Manuals, Reference books etc.


Info graphics and wayfinding


Information graphics (infographics) are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These infographics present complex or unfamiliar information quickly and clearly. (Harry Beck-Underground Tube map is a good example)

Traffic signs and other public signs rely heavily on information graphics, such as stylised human figures, icons and emblems to represent concepts such as yield, caution, and the direction of traffic. Public places such as transit terminals usually have some sort of integrated "signage system" with standardised icons and stylised maps.

Technical manuals and instructions make extensive use of diagrams and infographics. Newspapers often use infographics to describe something that is either complex or unfamiliar. A visual example might be how many London busses high is Mount Everest.

Good is... Tribu

I have just ordered some jewellery from Tribu, a shop that specialises in ear stretchers and tribal inspired pieces. I have bought an ear expander and hook both made from horn (water buffalo) and some shiva eye earrings.

Good is... tribal jewellery

The oldest jewellery known to date was discovered in the Blombos cave on the coast of south Africa. The piece was dated at 75000 years, and was made out of the shells of a sea snail to form a necklace.

Oldest Jewelry? "Beads" Discovered in African Cave Humans may have been wearing jewelry as far back as 75,000 years ago, about 30,000 years earlier than previously thought, if 41 shells found at Blombos Cave in South Africa prove to have been used as beads. The shells are from a tiny mollusk, Nassarius kraussianus, that lived in a nearby estuary. They have perforations and wear marks consistent with being used as beads, according to scientists excavating the middle Stone Age site. The presence of beads, whether used as trade items, to convey group status, or to identify group members or relationships within a group suggests some form of language existed, says Henshilwood, who is affiliated with the University of Bergen, Norway, and the State University of New York.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/04/0415_040415_oldestjewelry_2.html

Good is... tribal jewellery

I am continuing my research from the 'What is good brief'. I am going to expand on my knowledge of the jewellery worn in tribes, the materials used and the history and meaning behind them. Hopefully I will come across something interesting and will be able to narrow down my search and pin point a particular topic to work towards.

   

Various types of materials were used by different tribes in different regions of Africa.

In West Africabrass was widely used. Among the Akan people, gold was their metal of choice. Copper was also widely used in other regions.

The Senufo tribe of the Ivory Coast made ankle bracelets shaped like boats. These were worn by men, women and even infants.

The Dan and We people of West Africa wore bracelets with little bellsattached to them. These bells were usually decorated and were used for dancing.

Other forms of African tribal jewelry are the gold earrings worn by married Fulani women from Mali. These earrings were and still are considered works of art in their own right. The goldsmiths who made them would beat a single stick of gold into the shape of large curved, crescent-shaped wings.


The king of the Ashanti people and rulers of other kingdoms wear extravagantly designed jewelry all the time. Various feasts, especially the feast of the yam in particular, become showcases of wealth by the amount of jewelry that is worn. When a king dies, young women perform ritual dances at the funeral wearing lots and lots of gold tribal jewellery.


Among the Nuer and Shilluk tribes of Sudan, Ivory was used to make remarkable pieces of jewellery. However no one appreciated Ivory more than the Dinka tribe of Kenya. The larger the size of the bracelets worn by a man, the wealthier he was and also more feared in battle. Even when an Ivory bracelet breaks, the pieces were re-carved into other forms of jewellery like rings or earrings.



All throughout the continent of Africa, tribal jewelry was not only used as a social indicator for the powerful and wealthy, it also showcased the diversity of the people and the skills of the various craftsmen, goldsmiths, carvers and jewelry makers of Africa.

http://www.all-about-african-art.com/african-tribal-jewelry.html

Good is...

A continuation of my 'What is good?' research. A lot of my research and knowledge of African tribal jewellery has come from doing the summer brief.

http://whatisgoodinnit.blogspot.com/