final design

This is my final design in the time that I had I think it worked out well. i took out the white boxes behind the text. I think it still need work but out of time.

Evaluation

Yellow week - Layout

I enjoyed this project because it showed me how industry standard works and how to work to a deadline.
I chose OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) to wright about. I chose this because I know a lot of people with OCD and have learnt about it though them.
I acturly enjoyed wrightin the artical on my friends although I would of liked the equal time to do more design work for the final lay out.
My lay out, I think worked well not quite feed studio magazine standard yet but can continue to work on this. I disided to put pencils mixed up on the side of the page because people with OCD need order and would bug them teribly, as well as random boxes which the artical is about.
I also like that we got to learn gramma and structure before we had to wright are articals which helpt a lot.
If I cauld do this project again I would put more ideas into the lay out than the artical because I think I cauld of produced somethink a lot better than what I did.
I think that this yellow week was good and acturly fun.

research

looked at images to give me more of a idea of tryin to explane OCD.

design

This is my first design but because of the program converstion it looks a little different.


The wrightin is not pink it anythink on the page its black and white with touches of colour.
Im planing to mess with a photo of pencils and turn on round and make it slanted because people with ocd can't handle it being out of place.

Page lay out

I looked at different magazine lay outs to get ideas for my artical.

top 20 lay outs  << I also looked at a web site with some realy gd lay outs

Layout Draft

still not finished..

Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and Brian Jones. These are just a few of the musical phenomenons whose talents were ripped from the world when their lives ended at the age of just 27. The cause? Rock ‘n’ Roll.

In the 60’s, when Rock ‘n’ Roll really took off it was liberating. It stood for everything that wasn’t right, rebelled against society and gave people a voice. More than this, it gave people power. Rock stars were worshipped and everyone craved a piece of the Rock ‘n’ Roll lifestyle.  

The Forever 27 Club consists of more than three-dozen musicians, who were all trapped in the Rock ‘n’ Roll lifestyle and died at 27, hence the title.  People could say it was the fear of failure that led these musicians to take their own lives, Kurt Cobain in particular. He died tragically on April 5, 1994 by a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Strangely this occurred at the height of his career and the thought of losing his success could have possibly scared Cobain, making him believe the only way out was suicide. In the suicide note that Cobain left he quoted “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” Cobain also talked about how performing didn’t feel the same anymore. He says, “The fact is, I can’t fool you, any one of you. It simply isn’t fair to you or me. The worst crime I can think of would be to rip people off by faking it and pretending as if I'm having 100% fun.” Music was such a huge part of Cobain’s life, he was almost forced into this sad ending.

Astrologist Rob Tillett, who studied The 27 Club said, “Their energy is so heavily pushed into a particular channel, in this case music, and when that channel dries up, they don’t know how to move through the pathway.” Tillett researched the numerology theories and conspiracies behind The 27 Club, exploring the deeper patterns in the deaths of these musicians. For example, the Moon takes 27 days to orbit the Sun, Saturn spins at a 27 degree angle on its axis. A load of crap or a bizarre coincidence? According to statistics the average age at death of a rockstar is 36 years old, and the average age of death of an American is 78 years old.

Linda Blair, a clinical physiologist, theories that these musicians could fear just the age 27 in general. Turning thirty is a big deal. It’s the age where a people begin to settle down, start a family, People tend to set themselves goals, ambitions, things they’d like to achieve by the time they reach this age, and by not accomplishing this, they feel inadequate, a failure. Ironic, considering the success of these legends.

brain storm n ideas

brain storming and ideas

artical

Strange? Weird? Crazy? …. No, OCD is a disorder in which someone is consistently hounded by recurrent thoughts and has urges to perform specific rituals. Compulsive behaviour patterns can take hours to perform, causing a great disturbance in everyday life. These rituals are performed in hope of getting rid of negative and distressing thoughts. Unfortunately, performing these tasks only provides temporary relief, while ignoring them brings great anxiety. OCD may become so severe and  time-consuming that rituals take over their lives, making it impossible for them to continue activities outside the home. Sufferers often attempt to hide their disorder rather than seek help. Often they are successful in concealing their symptoms from friends and co-workers. People with OCD usually do not receive professional help until years after the onset of their disease. By that time, they may have learned to work their symptoms around their lives and family members. I spoke to Christopher Brooks from Birmingham about how he copes with his OCD. Brooks tells me that his OCD is a frustration and battle with himself. He finds himself not able to control his urges and is nervous to meet knew people because of what they might think of him. Brook’s OCD is having to put things in order in which he says, “are in the right place.” Although, Brooks says, “ I can’t help it, I have to make sure everything is all the right way before I leave the house.”

He continues to say, “if I don’t think things are in the right place when I’m in a shop or in a friend’s home, I have to reorganize the items.” I asked him how he coped with people looking at him and friends asking what he’s doing while he’s reorganizing the room, he replies with, “Well because I have to have things in such a order when I’m doing it people do look and pass comment, some call me crazy, strange and weird; these things are very hurtful but its only because they don’t understand.”

As I spoke longer with Brooks he told me of times when his OCD has got him into trouble with store managers, security guards and the police. I watched Brooks round a shop for a hour in this time he rearranged boxes, put very can facing the right way and restacked boxes so they where all straight and “right”.

He expresses even though he tries to hide his OCD, he is receiving help for it with a local psychiatrist and learning not to fear others’ judgements.

Brooks then explained to me how he feels about himself and others having this disorder, “ Even though I’m only just getting the confidence to share my OCD. it doesn’t mean it makes me, or anyone else who lives with it, any less capable of success.” 

There are and have been many great people with OCD such as Sir Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin and even Donald Trump. Every 1 in 50 people has OCD in the world today, you probably know someone with OCD but don’t even know it.

Evaluation

After working on my own article for the week, it's given me the chance to really enjoy writing again and see it in a new life. Along with the writing element it's also been a learning curve within graphics and learning how to create a successful layout, a layout which is specific to FEED and the style they have already developed.
At first i was quite worried about the topic of obsession as its quite a broad subject area, but with my own FMP coming up in just a weeks time it was a chance to reflect upon it and gather research and listen to  others opinions on how to handle the FMP.
Having the grammar lessons was also a beneficial activity to do as it refreshed my memory on good english skills, which came in really useful when writing the article.
When writing my article i didn't want it to be boring and to straight forward, so instead i interviewed a friend on her FMP experience and also gathered some good statistical information on stress levels in students. Looking back at the article ,I like to think it was a success and engaged the reader more then they expected to be.
For the layout of the article it had to be simple and not too overcomplicated, it also had to have a sense of stress and confusion within it. To achieve this i used a circular object and surface relief printed it so as it went blotchy and splattered, once it was scanned into the computer i was able to manipulate the image to be darker and create a simple multiplied pattern.
When combining the writing and the image together i played around with just black and white and found that the image worked better when inverted as it made a good contrast within the colours.
The writing was also important as of to where it should be placed, after trying different compositions ,i places it slightly off centre to making it pleasant for the viewer and more interesting to read.
On a whole i'm pleased with the article and feel its gone well throughout the week, if i was to do this project again i think id spend more time thinking of relevant imagery to go with my writing ,as it works but could be better in ways of creating more of a stressed feeling, maybe photography would have been a better format to consider for future reference.

final outcomes

Here i've experimented with different ways to display my image and text alongside each other, i was quite sure that my text was to be just off centre form the beginning , and that the header should be contained in a black box, to keep it crisp and make it stand out.
These are the finished products of my final magazine spread.

final image design

after looking at my article again ,a lot of the words suggest that its about confusion and over whelming feelings, so i think a more abstract and circular image will represent the writing better .
this outcome has come from surface relief printing with a round object. The idea has come form the word whirlpool in my article.

imagery

I'd really like to use this image as a background or just for the opposite page of my double-page spread, but I think I'd need to trace it off, to avoid copyright and ask whether its suitable with the rudey drawings..

not finishedddddddddd

what i have so far...

Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and Brian Jones. These are just a few of the musical phenomena’s whose talents were ripped from the world when their lives ended at the age of just 27. The cause? Rock ‘n’ Roll.

In the 60’s, when Rock ‘n’ Roll really took off it was liberating. It stood for everything that wasn’t right, rebelled against society and gave people a voice. More than this, it gave people power. Rockstars were worshipped and everyone craved for a piece of the Rock ‘n’ Roll lifestyle.  

The 27 Club consists of more than three-dozen musicians, who were all trapped in the Rock ‘n’ Roll lifestyle and died at 27, hence the title.  People could say it was the fear of failure that led these musicians to take their own lives, Kurt Cobain in particular. He died tragically on April 5, 1994 by a gunshot to the head. Strangely this occured at the height of his career and the thought of loosing that could have possibly scared Cobain, making him believe the only way out was suicide. In the suicide note that Cobain left he quoted “it’s better to burn out than to fade away.” Cobain also talked about how performing didn’t feel the same anymore. He says, “The fact is, I can’t fool you, any one of you. It simply isn’t fair to you or me. The worst crime I can think of would be to rip people off by faking it and pretending as if I'm having 100% fun” Music was such a huge of Cobain’s life, he was almost forced into this sad ending.

According to statistics the average age at death of a rockstar is 36 years old, and the average age of death of an American is 78 years old.

first draft of a layout.

imagery suggestions

Here i've began looking at ballet dancers as they feature in my piece, throughout the interview chapter.
There an interesting image to use as a ballet dancers has a very stressful and demanding life.

Above is Degas , Blue Dancers.

imagery suggestions

Here i've began looking at straight forward imagery that can go with my related subject.

The spiral effect it to relate to the word of stress and whirlpool within my article.

OCD and Headers.

I'm looking at OCD for my obessestion. Im going to research into different types of OCD and see if I can get a interview with a friend of mine for a artical. I am also going to have to explain part of OCD so I will need to research into: What is OCD?

http://www.ocduk.org/1/ocd.htm
bupa

HeadLines.

 
When coming up with a headline, you need to think about:

• Alliteration
• Puns – clever word play not corny
• Descriptive – In a nutshell
• Oxymoron – words with opposite meanings
• Addressing the reader/Asking a question
  
  I looked at many different headings of OCD to give me a idea for mine.

• 
  
  
  

Stress to success. By Danielle Bowen.

Stress to success.

For three months your life is taken over and your whole thought process becomes creatively driven by the confusion of the Final Major Project. It’s a unit within the higher education sector, for which students have to create an in depth and strong outcome. It’s considered in all forms of creative subjects from fashion, graphics and art.

The FMP comes with a lot of responsibility, as the student is able to create their own brief, a brief that should challenge themselves to use all of their skills and techniques. The worry about this project is how stressful it can be for students, as they have to embody their FMP, think about it at all times. The question is whether the FMP becomes an obsession and something students constantly think about. Many students pre-plan what they’re going to base their project on months in advance, some even at the beginning of the year.

    A student studying at Birmingham Metropolitan College told us about her last FMP:

“I already knew exactly what my project was going to be based upon, I’d gathered research months before the brief was set so I was prepared. I ended up taking influences from ballet dancers to create a huge painting for my final outcome, with small textile pieces alongside it. The unit itself is stressful and time consuming, it really does take over your life for three months, as all your time has to go into it completely. I went through a stage of not going out and stopped socialising and just enjoyed locking myself away in my room to get on with things. Although I’m making it sound rather horrible, the project itself is so rewarding and once it’s complete the feeling you get is amazing, as the pressure is off and you’ve finally done it.”

     It’s clear to see that stress can create a whirlpool within students’ lives and the statistics in the 2005 National College Health Assessment indicated that from a survey of 17,000 college students, 25 percent of students reported that they had “felt so depressed it was difficult to function.” These figures are rather disturbing to view and the FMP must heighten the stress levels further. In some ways though it could be argued that this amount of stress is needed within a student’s life, as it prepares them for the adult world and tough situations they may face. For some students stress just becomes a way of life that they deal with when ever it comes along, it all depends on the person it affects.

However, does the obsessive nature of the project create the stress, or can a student help themselves by just keeping on top of the situation and not letting the work get the better of them.

     Clearly the FMP can lead to many good things and stands for the majority of a student’s overall grade. It’s a scary possibility to think about but the personal rewards afterwards are something to treasure, and always keep. So yes, the FMP can become obsessive, take over for a short time, and cause possible stress, but its worth it in the end, isn’t it?

Writing Headlines

When coming up with a headline, I need to think about:

• Alliteration
• Puns – clever word play not corny
• Descriptive – In a nutshell
• Oxymoron – words with opposite meanings
• Addressing the reader/Asking a question

I looked at different newspapers' approach to headlining the same story.

The Guardian.

-basically tells you the gist of the story in one sentence.

The Sun.

-slang language used, informal, gives a short, brief description of article.

The Independent.

-a different approach to informing, using questions & answers, formal.

headliners

Here i've looked at how different styles of newspapers interpret headliners for their main articles.

Below are all the different headliners from the BBC,  The Guardian, The Sun and The Independent ,all of them writing about the resent tobacco display ban hitting large and small shops.

The graph above shows how stress in the early stages can rev up the state of mind and body , such as how students say that they work best under pressure. The graph however shows how too much stress can lead to a blow out and cause the reverse effects , almost as though the body cant handle the high levels, no matter how hard a student may try eventually their body will need to de stress and if this doesn't happen it can lead to self sabotage in some cases.

Here i've found relevant research looking at stress levels affecting college students.

taken from stress.lovetoknow.com

The consequences of stress on college students.

• In 2005, the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) surveyed 17,000 college students. Twenty-five percent of the students reported they have "felt so depressed it was difficult to function" three to eight times in the past 12 months. Twenty one percent of the students reported that they "seriously considered suicide."
• In 2003, a survey conducted at Penn State University (PSU) found that 42 percent of their students felt depressed at least once in the past year. Ten percent of PSU college students seriously considered suicide.
• According to the 2005 National Survey of Counseling Center Directors, 154 students committed suicide.
• The second leading cause of death among college students is suicide.

Its an interesting bit of information to look at , as stress levels are already high within education so, fmp must make these levels even higher in creative sector of students.

Interview with birmingham metropolitan college student, discussing her FMP.


Me- Hi Sam , so to begin with i want to ask you a few questions about your fmp, and how you coped with it .

Samantha Pugh - yep thats fine , fire away.

Me- So when did you first decide on your idea ,and when did you start to gather research towards it ?

Sam- I already knew exactly what my project was going to be based upon, id gathered research months before the brief was set so as i was prepared. I ended up taking influences from ballet dancers to create a huge painting as my final outcome, with small textiles pieces along side it. You know what i'm like, far too organised at times.

Me- God ye ,way too organised. It works for you though i suppose. So more questions sam , your not getting away that easy. Whats your opinion on the unit of FMP ?

Sam - Well the unit itself is stressful and time consuming, it really does take over your life for three months, as all the time you have has to go into it completely.

Me- So that must make your 'you' time a bit low then , no relaxing time involved at all then ?

Sam - NOPE, literally eat breath and sleep FMP , could drive a person insane, might happen to you yet.

Me- yep it will in a weeks time. So how did you cope with the project and just getting on with it ?

Sam- I went through a stage of not going out and stopped socialising and just enjoyed locking myself away in my room to get on with things. Although i'm making it sounds rather horrible, the project it's self is so rewarding and once it's complete the feeling you get is amazing, as the pressure is off and you've finally done it.

Me - Sounds like you had a good time making it come to life then ,even if you did get totally stressed in the process. Anyway thanks for letting me interview you, i really appreciate it.

Sam- no worries , was kinda fun.