Russian Civil War
The war was between the newly elected Bolshevik party (the Bolshevik Red Army) and the anti-Bolshevik forces (the White Army) in 1917. Many foreign nations joined the White Army who were: the Czechoslovak Legion, the Empire of Japan, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Serbia, the United States, the Republic of China and the British Empire (which consisted of Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom).
The foreign allies to the White Army joined because of Russia’s withdrawal from the Triple Entente (an alliance between the UK, France and Russia to counter the Triple Alliance of Austria-Hungary and Germany), who feared a possible Russia and German alliance. Another reason was the prospect of the Bolsheviks taking no responsibility for Russia’s huge foreign loans.
In 1923 the Red Army completely resisted the attacks from the White Army and regained control of the Russian Empire, which, however, came at great costs. An estimated 15,000,000 people were killed during the Civil War, and the Russian Soviet republics suffered droughts and famine, with disease taking 3,000,000 lives in 1920, and widespread starvation also taking millions of lives. There were also several million people emigrating, who opposed to the Russian political climate.
The Russian economy was also ravaged by the war, industrial production value was reduced to 1/7th and agriculture 1/3rd compared to 1913. The exchange rate with the U.S dollar declined from two rubles (the Russian currency) in 1914 to 1,200 in 1920.
Tuesday 2 December 2008
the russian revolution 1917
As my project focuses on the work of Alexander Rodchenko, it is important that I research events that happened during and prior the artist movement.
Russian Revolution
In 1917 the Russian country was ready for a revolution, growing numbers of middle-class employees and evolving social groups led people to uncertainty and the need for a re-form. Many citizens felt that the Tsar, Nicholas II, was out of touch with the demands and potential of the Russian public. An economical crisis during World War 1 led to widespread inflation and food shortages, coupled with the loss of military and the loss of the war led to the Russian people being convinced that Nicholas II was unfit to rule, which started the Russian Revolution.
Conscription for World War 1 took the skilled workers from the Russian cities who were replaced by unskilled peasants, this led to famine in Russia with poor supplies and a suffered railway system forcing many people to leave the cities to look for food and supplies. The soldiers were also affected and began to turn on the Tsar due to a lack of supplies and equipment.
Strikes followed in Petrograd, the capital of Russia, where virtually every factory was closed. Public meetings were held in Russian parliament, the Duma, where the citizens demanded ‘a responsible cabinet of ministers’. The Duma then encouraged the Tsar to stand-down to prevent a revolution.
The Tsar refused and sent a telegram informing the military to stop the strikes. Most of the soldiers followed the order, but a few mutinies joined the protesters. The police also sided with the strikers, rendering civil authority useless.
Nicholas II abdicated on the 13th March 1917, after Russia’s defeat in World War 1, hoping to bring unity to Russia. This is known as the February revolution.
There was also an October revolution, led by Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolshevik part who had communist ideology. Lenin wanted to overthrow the Provisional Government, which he successfully did. The October revolution ended the revolution that was started in February.
Russian Revolution
In 1917 the Russian country was ready for a revolution, growing numbers of middle-class employees and evolving social groups led people to uncertainty and the need for a re-form. Many citizens felt that the Tsar, Nicholas II, was out of touch with the demands and potential of the Russian public. An economical crisis during World War 1 led to widespread inflation and food shortages, coupled with the loss of military and the loss of the war led to the Russian people being convinced that Nicholas II was unfit to rule, which started the Russian Revolution.
Conscription for World War 1 took the skilled workers from the Russian cities who were replaced by unskilled peasants, this led to famine in Russia with poor supplies and a suffered railway system forcing many people to leave the cities to look for food and supplies. The soldiers were also affected and began to turn on the Tsar due to a lack of supplies and equipment.
Strikes followed in Petrograd, the capital of Russia, where virtually every factory was closed. Public meetings were held in Russian parliament, the Duma, where the citizens demanded ‘a responsible cabinet of ministers’. The Duma then encouraged the Tsar to stand-down to prevent a revolution.
The Tsar refused and sent a telegram informing the military to stop the strikes. Most of the soldiers followed the order, but a few mutinies joined the protesters. The police also sided with the strikers, rendering civil authority useless.
Nicholas II abdicated on the 13th March 1917, after Russia’s defeat in World War 1, hoping to bring unity to Russia. This is known as the February revolution.
There was also an October revolution, led by Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolshevik part who had communist ideology. Lenin wanted to overthrow the Provisional Government, which he successfully did. The October revolution ended the revolution that was started in February.
Saturday 29 November 2008
rodchenko - a background
Aleksander Mikhailovich Rodchenko was born on 5th December 1891, in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was an artist, graphic designer, photographer and sculptor. He was one of the founders of Constructivism art and was also part of the Productivist art group.
His photography work was unique in itself, as he usually shot his works in very high or low angles, his reasoning fro this was that “one has to take several different shots of a subject, from different points of view and in different situations, as if one examined it in the round rather than looked through the same key-hole again and again.”
In 1921 Rodchenko produced the first monochrome pictures of red, blue and yellow. He claimed that this was the end of painting.
He became part of the Productivist group in 1921, where started producing graphics designs for movies, posters and books. He also started photomontaging, after being inspired by the German Dadaists, and released his first piece in 1923.
He worked closely with Mayakovsky, his first photomontage illustrated Mayakovsky’s poem “About This”, they also worked together to design the Constructivists journal LEF.
Rodchenko’s work has influenced a number of images to this day. Most notably the Dutch punk band ‘The Ex’ whose vinyl covers for their album ‘Hidegen Fujnak A Szelek/She Said’ imitating Rodchenko’s portrait of Lilya Brik. Similarly Franz Ferdinand’s album ‘You Could Have It So Much Better’ imitates the same image.
Another album cover from Franz Ferdinand resembles one of Rodchenko’s images. The cover for the single ‘Take Me Out’ is influenced by Rodchenko’s poster ‘One-Sixth Part of the World’.
His photography work was unique in itself, as he usually shot his works in very high or low angles, his reasoning fro this was that “one has to take several different shots of a subject, from different points of view and in different situations, as if one examined it in the round rather than looked through the same key-hole again and again.”
In 1921 Rodchenko produced the first monochrome pictures of red, blue and yellow. He claimed that this was the end of painting.
He became part of the Productivist group in 1921, where started producing graphics designs for movies, posters and books. He also started photomontaging, after being inspired by the German Dadaists, and released his first piece in 1923.
He worked closely with Mayakovsky, his first photomontage illustrated Mayakovsky’s poem “About This”, they also worked together to design the Constructivists journal LEF.
Rodchenko’s work has influenced a number of images to this day. Most notably the Dutch punk band ‘The Ex’ whose vinyl covers for their album ‘Hidegen Fujnak A Szelek/She Said’ imitating Rodchenko’s portrait of Lilya Brik. Similarly Franz Ferdinand’s album ‘You Could Have It So Much Better’ imitates the same image.
Another album cover from Franz Ferdinand resembles one of Rodchenko’s images. The cover for the single ‘Take Me Out’ is influenced by Rodchenko’s poster ‘One-Sixth Part of the World’.
Friday 21 November 2008
new project: design time capsule
I will be using this blog to document my research for this project. For this project we have to design a box that is relevant to a design movement. I will also be keeping a sketch book to further add to my research and product development.
Thursday 13 November 2008
need more ram
I have finished every side of my cereal box, however when I tried to create the 3D version on my fantastic laptop a message popped up saying I needed more ram, so therefore I will have to finish the design on the college macs.
Wednesday 12 November 2008
Saturday 1 November 2008
about my cereal
I have decided to create a children’s cereal, for 4-12 year olds, as I feel that designing for this demographic will be more fun and flexible. The images I will use will all be cartoons, and I will be applying a comical theme to it, which is not uncommon for children’s cereal. I will be trying to appeal to both genders, although the end product might be more appealing to boys as I will be using strong contrasting colours and a male mascot.
All the images used will be drawn in Adobe Illustrator, and I will be using bold colours to add to the cartoony effect.
The theme of the cereal will be outer space. The cereal will be corn clusters, representing comets. They will be cinnamon flavour, as that is a very popular choice amongst children. The images on the box will be of the mascot, an astronaut, who is standing outside of his space ship. There will be a maze on the reverse of the product where the user has to find their way out; the walls will be formed of small comets.
I am yet to think of a name for the cereal, but I’m edging towards one that will relate to the theme of the cereal.
Friday 31 October 2008
packaging design principles
Whilst surfing the Internet I found an interesting account on the principles of packaging design. The article talks about the roles of packaging, the purposes and mentions statistics about packaging design.
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/en/About-Design/Design-Disciplines/Packaging-design/
I have learnt from this article that product packaging serves as much more than just a 'sales canvas' and they can serve as a part of the product, in the form of puzzles on the back of cereal boxes for example.
It also tells me that perhaps advertising that your product has eco-friendly packaging material and is recycable might entice more people to buy your product, as they feel strongly about environmental issues.
There are also a few statistics in there:
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/en/About-Design/Design-Disciplines/Packaging-design/
I have learnt from this article that product packaging serves as much more than just a 'sales canvas' and they can serve as a part of the product, in the form of puzzles on the back of cereal boxes for example.
It also tells me that perhaps advertising that your product has eco-friendly packaging material and is recycable might entice more people to buy your product, as they feel strongly about environmental issues.
There are also a few statistics in there:
- over 70% of purchase decisions are made at point of purchase.
- A pack on a supermarket shelf has less than 3 seconds to grab attention.
Thursday 30 October 2008
evolution of cereal boxes - coco pops
Here I will be researching and evaluating versions of Coco Pops packaging.
This earlier box of Coco Pops is quite busy as it features a lot of information. There are really only two main colours used here, brown and yellow. Brown is used because it relates to the colour of coco, and yellow is a good contrasting colour of that and it is also a ‘friendly’ colour.
The Kellogg’s logo stands out well as it is red on yellow, it is also placed directly above the title of the product, which will make it be read.
The image of the cereal with milk pouring into it tells you it should be served with milk, and the notepad placed behind it acts as a checklist of nutritional information, which the monkey has assessed and checked off the properties on the list. This is important for potential consumers as they would want to know of the nutritional values in the food they buy, so this can reassure them that they are buying the right product.
The monkey is the mascot for the product, and has a very cartoony appearance, this would be engaging to the younger audience, as the monkey looks very friendly and fun.
This is the latest Coco Pops box, it has the same characteristics as the previous one, albeit with a few changes. The text is in the same font and size, although the colour has been changed to make it brighter, and more appealing.
They have changed the appearance of the monkey completely. It is now more realistic, but still cartoony, and looks friendlier.
They also have the compulsory GDA chart which tells the audience the nutritional percentages and stats.
One major thing that is different is the big red shape at the top with the price in it. This stands out a lot and lets the audience know the price, which is useful for if some cereal isn’t clearly priced in a shop.
This earlier box of Coco Pops is quite busy as it features a lot of information. There are really only two main colours used here, brown and yellow. Brown is used because it relates to the colour of coco, and yellow is a good contrasting colour of that and it is also a ‘friendly’ colour.
The Kellogg’s logo stands out well as it is red on yellow, it is also placed directly above the title of the product, which will make it be read.
The image of the cereal with milk pouring into it tells you it should be served with milk, and the notepad placed behind it acts as a checklist of nutritional information, which the monkey has assessed and checked off the properties on the list. This is important for potential consumers as they would want to know of the nutritional values in the food they buy, so this can reassure them that they are buying the right product.
The monkey is the mascot for the product, and has a very cartoony appearance, this would be engaging to the younger audience, as the monkey looks very friendly and fun.
This is the latest Coco Pops box, it has the same characteristics as the previous one, albeit with a few changes. The text is in the same font and size, although the colour has been changed to make it brighter, and more appealing.
They have changed the appearance of the monkey completely. It is now more realistic, but still cartoony, and looks friendlier.
They also have the compulsory GDA chart which tells the audience the nutritional percentages and stats.
One major thing that is different is the big red shape at the top with the price in it. This stands out a lot and lets the audience know the price, which is useful for if some cereal isn’t clearly priced in a shop.
evolution of cereal boxes - rice krispies
Here I will be researching and evaluating versions of Rice Krispies packaging.
This fairly old Rice Krispies packaging features a few large real life images and a few hand-drawn cartoon images. The Kellogg’s logo stands out quite a bit on this box, as the red text is placed upon a bright oval shape, giving it a strong contrast and therefore standing out clearly.
Opposite the logo is some text, stating that this product is fat free and features essential minerals. This is important information for parents of children, as it lets them know that this product is healthy, and people who take interest in nutritional statistics in their food.
The title on the box is placed in the direct centre, the text is in a large font and it has a white fill on a dark blue background, which makes it stand out but isn’t too much of a strong contrast in which it distracts from the rest of the box.
The real-life images used are a bowl of the cereal, and a cube of the cereal. This tells the audience that the product is a cereal, to be eaten with milk and perhaps fruit. It also tells them that the product can be used to cook with, as there are many ingredients found in which Rice Krispies can be used in home cooking, there were also separate snack bars launched using Rice Krispies as the main ingredient.
The three mascots; Snap, Crackle and Pop, would attract the interest of a younger audience, as they appear friendly, energetic and seem to be of a young age. There is also a free bag of marshmallows on offer, this would also be of interest to the younger audience because free gifts often influence their decisions on products.
This is a newer version of the packaging. It is a lot brighter than the previous box, and is much plainer. The Kellogg’s logo still stands out, as it is bright red on blue, a good contrast.
One major change from the previous box is the font, it is now much more bubbly and friendly, as the characters are unaligned and change in size. It would be much more appealing to children, as the last font was very serious.
They feature a picture of the cereal in the bowl of milk, again, with the three mascots behind it, jumping in joy.
There is still some nutritional information, as it tells you what vitamins are inside it and it also displays the GDA chart at the top right-hand corner.
This fairly old Rice Krispies packaging features a few large real life images and a few hand-drawn cartoon images. The Kellogg’s logo stands out quite a bit on this box, as the red text is placed upon a bright oval shape, giving it a strong contrast and therefore standing out clearly.
Opposite the logo is some text, stating that this product is fat free and features essential minerals. This is important information for parents of children, as it lets them know that this product is healthy, and people who take interest in nutritional statistics in their food.
The title on the box is placed in the direct centre, the text is in a large font and it has a white fill on a dark blue background, which makes it stand out but isn’t too much of a strong contrast in which it distracts from the rest of the box.
The real-life images used are a bowl of the cereal, and a cube of the cereal. This tells the audience that the product is a cereal, to be eaten with milk and perhaps fruit. It also tells them that the product can be used to cook with, as there are many ingredients found in which Rice Krispies can be used in home cooking, there were also separate snack bars launched using Rice Krispies as the main ingredient.
The three mascots; Snap, Crackle and Pop, would attract the interest of a younger audience, as they appear friendly, energetic and seem to be of a young age. There is also a free bag of marshmallows on offer, this would also be of interest to the younger audience because free gifts often influence their decisions on products.
This is a newer version of the packaging. It is a lot brighter than the previous box, and is much plainer. The Kellogg’s logo still stands out, as it is bright red on blue, a good contrast.
One major change from the previous box is the font, it is now much more bubbly and friendly, as the characters are unaligned and change in size. It would be much more appealing to children, as the last font was very serious.
They feature a picture of the cereal in the bowl of milk, again, with the three mascots behind it, jumping in joy.
There is still some nutritional information, as it tells you what vitamins are inside it and it also displays the GDA chart at the top right-hand corner.
Wednesday 29 October 2008
evolution of cereal boxes - cornflakes
Here I will be researching and evaluating versions of Cornflakes packaging.
This Cornflakes box features a lot of vector graphics that make up the image of a chicken. The overall complexion of the design is very simple, and would be very easy to re-create. The logo for the Kellogg’s company is one of the first things you see, as the red text on a white background makes it stand out, you also get drawn to the word ‘corn’ as it is in such a large font size, and we immediately read what is above that word, the Kellogg’s logo, to fully read what could be a sentence or part of the product name.
The only picture on the box is the image of the bowl of cornflakes, by looking at this image we can see, apart from the cornflakes, some strawberries and milk. This suggests that the cereal tastes best with these two added ingredients, which lets potential new users know about the product. Also with the strawberries in the picture it can also promote a healthier breakfast, which would be of interest to food conscious people and parents.
The cartoon chicken is the mascot of the Kellogg’s cornflake brand, and, although it’s less appealing in this version of the packaging, it would be appealing to a younger audience. Also the oval ‘sticker’ in the bottom right-hand corner of the box advertises a ‘basketball game’, this would also appeal to a younger audience, as the font used and the placing of the letters is uneven and ‘fun looking’.
There aren’t many colours used on this box, mainly red and white. These colours don’t stand out too well in a shelf full of cereal, but sheer size of the word ‘corn flakes’ makes it stand out a lot more.
This is the most recent Cornflakes packaging. It has changed a lot compared the one above, the image of the chicken is now more 3D and detailed. The Kellogg’s logo is still situated at the top left-hand side of the page, and it now acts as a mask on the image of the chicken. However, usually the logo is in red but here it is white on a red image, which has a white background so the logo still stands out and is still easily recognisable.
The name of the brand is now positioned vertically on the right hand-side, it is still in a large font size, and even though its place vertically, you can still read it perfectly as it is black text on a white background.
Because Kellogg’s Cornflakes is an intercontinental renowned brand, you can only see a limited amount of the cereal. This is because the cereal is so popular and common enough people know about it without needing to see a picture of the cereal.
The colours used on this packaging are much brighter than the one above, the image of the chicken is much more noticeably improved, as now it has light shades around the edges and more shades of the colours used.
This Cornflakes box features a lot of vector graphics that make up the image of a chicken. The overall complexion of the design is very simple, and would be very easy to re-create. The logo for the Kellogg’s company is one of the first things you see, as the red text on a white background makes it stand out, you also get drawn to the word ‘corn’ as it is in such a large font size, and we immediately read what is above that word, the Kellogg’s logo, to fully read what could be a sentence or part of the product name.
The only picture on the box is the image of the bowl of cornflakes, by looking at this image we can see, apart from the cornflakes, some strawberries and milk. This suggests that the cereal tastes best with these two added ingredients, which lets potential new users know about the product. Also with the strawberries in the picture it can also promote a healthier breakfast, which would be of interest to food conscious people and parents.
The cartoon chicken is the mascot of the Kellogg’s cornflake brand, and, although it’s less appealing in this version of the packaging, it would be appealing to a younger audience. Also the oval ‘sticker’ in the bottom right-hand corner of the box advertises a ‘basketball game’, this would also appeal to a younger audience, as the font used and the placing of the letters is uneven and ‘fun looking’.
There aren’t many colours used on this box, mainly red and white. These colours don’t stand out too well in a shelf full of cereal, but sheer size of the word ‘corn flakes’ makes it stand out a lot more.
This is the most recent Cornflakes packaging. It has changed a lot compared the one above, the image of the chicken is now more 3D and detailed. The Kellogg’s logo is still situated at the top left-hand side of the page, and it now acts as a mask on the image of the chicken. However, usually the logo is in red but here it is white on a red image, which has a white background so the logo still stands out and is still easily recognisable.
The name of the brand is now positioned vertically on the right hand-side, it is still in a large font size, and even though its place vertically, you can still read it perfectly as it is black text on a white background.
Because Kellogg’s Cornflakes is an intercontinental renowned brand, you can only see a limited amount of the cereal. This is because the cereal is so popular and common enough people know about it without needing to see a picture of the cereal.
The colours used on this packaging are much brighter than the one above, the image of the chicken is much more noticeably improved, as now it has light shades around the edges and more shades of the colours used.
Tuesday 28 October 2008
evolution of cereal boxes - sugar puffs
Here I will be researching and evaluating versions of Sugar Puffs packaging.
This old Sugar Puffs box is still similar to the most modern box, it features the face of the HoneyMonster, with the same facial expression. The font used on the packaging is very bold and curvy. It fits the name of the brand Sugar Puffs as the text looks ‘puffy’.
On this box the HoneyMonster is holding a spoonful of Sugar Puffs, compared to the other two examples where he is pictured with a bowl full. Only having a spoonful of the product doesn’t allow the potential customer an extensive look at what the product actually looks like.
The colours used on the packaging are fairly plain, and no gradients are seen. The lack of contrasting colour can work against the product as the cereal wont stand out in a shelve full of other brands.
At the top of the box it says 'Honey Monster' and around the word there are several rips, where you would assume the HoneyMonster has ripped the paper covering its name. This indicates that they are introducing the HoneyMonster, who first appeared in the mid 1970's
This newer Sugar Puffs packaging is very similar to the one above in that the layout and general content are virtually identical. There are a few changes in the graphics, the logo shape for the Sugar Puffs is now filled with a honeycomb texture, and the picture of a bee next to it puts extra emphasis that this cereal contains honey.
The background on the box now features clouds, I can’t think of any reason to do this apart from making the packaging busier and perhaps having white in there might attract more attention to it. This box also has an image of the cereal inside a bowl, this lets the audience have a look at what this cereal looks like, and it also tells the audience that this cereal tastes best with milk, if they didn’t already know that. This box also includes a free gift, which will be appealing to a young audience as it offers as an extra incentive to buy this product so they can play with this toy.
One inclusion on this packaging, that isn’t on the previous one, is the description of the cereal. They use words such as ‘nutritious wheat puffs’ and ‘fortified with vitamins & irons’ to appeal to an older audience, as they would be more inclined in a product that is good for you. The words ‘coated in honey & brown sugar’ would be more appealing for kids as it makes them seem delicious, and kids wont be too bothered by the nutritional information.
The main difference between the two boxes is the colour. The first box is very dull and plain, whereas this box is a lot bolder with a lot of strong, eye-catching colours which will make it stand out more in a shelf of other cereals.
This box, the current packaging, still has some of the same content as the previous two boxes. The text has changed, the words ‘Sugar Puffs’ now have a thick white outline and white shade inside. This gives the words more of a 3D look which makes them ‘jump out’ at you, as well as appearing ‘puffy’. The shape behind the logo still has the honeycomb texture but is now brighter and has a sunburst coming out behind it, this makes the name of the brand really stand out.
There is an image of the Honey Monster pouring milk into the cereal, this tells any potential consumer that this cereal should be eaten with milk. The background colour on this box is plain, and a lot brighter than the previous boxes, this shade of blue further helps the box to stand out. They have more information about the product on this packaging, they have a sticker saying ‘no artificial anything’ and they also have the GDA charts at the top right-hand side of the box. This information is important for the parents of kids who eat the cereal.
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