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observational walk
Today we conducted an observational walk around Portsmouth in order to take inspiration for this project. We explored and recorded various typography, architecture, themes, colours etc that we noticed about the local area.
Below is my contact sheet from my observational walk. I used my phone while on this walk to capture imagery from different angles and perspectives. The most common angle I used was head height, as to capture the view of what I saw with my eyes. Most of the sights we saw were housing estates, different living areas (ie flats, high rises, terraced housing etc), so I made sure to capture evidence of this. The main elements I noticed while walking and on reflection was the heigh levels of buildings, and the juxtaposition this created within the skyline and surrounding area. We viewed these buildings from different angles which altered the perspective - I made sure to document this.
Also, the other most prominent element i picked up on was the colours of the area. While the area itself seemed drag and grey, there was a constant blue colour scheme, I am estimating that this has links to the 'waterfront city' aspect of Portsmouth. I will research this further.
After going through the contact sheet, I had to choose '1 Best Thing' that 1 observed on my walk. For me, this was either the constant blue theme that runs through Portsmouth - most likely related to the 'waterfront city' aspect of Portsmouth, or the design and artwork around the city - whether this was murals, design of shops, advertisements and posters etc - I will research this further.
I really liked this one picture in particular of the back wall of Starbucks. It is a mural saying 'heart of the city' On further research, I found the artist behind this is 'Gary Stranger'. After further research, I found that he is a street based artist in Brighton, with alot of work visible around portsmouth. He mostly focuses on typography, and in particular this artwork 'typifies the artist’s work who has become well known for mixing this street medium with the more refined world of typography'.
I found this really interesting because I am particularly interested in typography design, so I feel like this is something I could really incorporate into my project.
baldwin extract
Reading the extract, it talks about how theories are applied to how we percieve the world - these can be cultural, existing knowledge, or just changing your view on the world
'waterfront city' research
For this project, I know I want to go down the beach/water route. Continuing with the blue/water theme, I decided to look at the history behind the 'waterfront city' slogan and what makes Portsmouth 'blue'.
solo observational walk
I conducted a second observational walk. I chose the same start point as my previous walk, however this time I focused on different aspects and ideas to look at. This also included a museum visit which I will review in detail after. On this walk I had intentions to focus on new aspects of Portsmouth which I might not have covered in the previous one.
Here are my contact sheets from the walk. Including the museum visit, I gathered lots of evidence of typography, past and present. I also wanted to focus on the beach area, the businesses/design related to it. I also captured alot of the general style of buildings in new areas I haven't seen before, and their interesting features, textures and materials.
museum visit
In the museum, there was alot of different subjects and themes to look at. In honesty I was quite uninterested in the historical side, i.e the old life and war history, so I could rule this out of my idea generation straight away. I took the most interest in the sea life section, which I will go into more detail in. I did find the older posters and typography examples very interesting howerver, and I know that I am interested in typography and design so I documented this, as this could potentially inform my idea. I also took some leaflets and magazines on Portsmouth life.
Looking at the leaflets and magazine, I firstly noticed the artwork on the front of both. I really like this painted style paired with the digital typography, and I think it really represents Portsmouth nicely.
There was lots of interesting information about portsmouth itself, including island history, travel and tourism information, and food recommendations, which I found particularly interesting to look at as this could be a potential interest for my project.
I looked at existing restaurants and businesses on the island and tried to look for gaps in the market.
I also
sticker research
As for the next task, we had to create stickers based on something we were interested in. Sticking with the portsmouth theme from my observational walks, I decided to create water themed stickers. I gathered all of my sticker research from my second observational walk.
I noticed alot of them are unique in the shape they use, which can signify the meaning/message. I find alot of the stickers meanings were unclear at first, which i'll take into consideration when planning the design of my sticker. Another aspect I liked were the different examples of typography within the stickers, this was a main focal point in a majority of the stickers I saw.
Lastly, another thing I noticed about the stickers is the illustrations. Whether a small illustration was featured in the sticker, or it was the entire body of the sticker.
my dog sighs: artist research
I decided to base my stickers off of the blue, water aspect of the city. I researched some water related iconography, looked back at my water research and further inspiration. Portsmouth is known as ‘The Great Waterfront City’, so I decided to use this slogan as the content for my stickers. I looked back at the brand guidelines of Portsmouth.
https://www.sketchbubble.com/en/presentation-water-icons.html
https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/water-icons-vector-10254227
step by step sticker development
After creating our stickers, we were given an A3 sheet. We then swapped stickers and made notes about each sticker.
Each sticker varied in content. Some focused on things they were passionate about, for example games and sports, also country/area themed stickers
mindmapping/brainstorm
We had a group and induvidual brainstorming/mindmapping lecture, where we were told to map our ideas with the intention of creating a 'journey' with our research. I also just generated alot of general project ideas.
initial ideas
After my visit to the museum, I looked back at the sea life section. There was alot of useful and interesting information about the pollution and environmental state of the beach, which I learned is a big problem in Portsmouth. Restaurants, businesses and the pier shops are great contributors to this statistic. I also scanned the QR code on the seascape project information poster, which aims to restore at least 30% of the Solent's seascape over the next 5 years.
This also focuses on regeneration of oyster habitats. 'Blue Marine is creating a model for restoration of this key habitat by relaying millions of oysters into the Solent, the strait that separates the Isle of Wight from mainland England.'.(https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/projects/solent/).
This creates a new mass influx of oysters into the local sea.
I feel like this could be a really interesting starting point for my project. After the works are completed, there will be alot of space on the seafront, which is a great opportunity for new developements and tourism.
Looking at my research for my initial idea, I decided to have a look at creating a sustainable bar/restaurant business incorporating the new regeneration of oysters as the focus. I explored an article (https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/arming-oysters-sustainable-good-for-environment-shucking-carlingford-seafood-a7972286.html) on the benefits of farming oysters.
“Not only does farming not have a negative impact, it also has a positive impact which is very unusual in any form of food production,” she says. Oysters purify the water they’re growing in and both native and farmed oysters sequester nitrogen and CO2 from the atmosphere. “They’re kind of little carbon capture tools,”
“One of the nicest things about being an oyster farmer is that people that eat your oysters are passionate. They’re as passionate about eating your oysters as we’re passionate about growing them,” Louet-Feisser says.
Overall, I think utilizing new local resources and creating a new niche market business in a local seaside town, while also educating and campaigning awareness for the sustainability of our ocean would be beneficial.
Lastly, I researched the sustainable farming methods in place to ensure I can inform and claim the correct processes are used. The oysters in Portsmouth are not an endangered species which means they are encouraged to be farmed.
primary poll research
I created a poll to gauge the views and knowledge of sustainable sea fishing. The results suggested that the effects are widely unknown, and people I surveyed are mostly frequent restaurant goers. This was really helpful for me to proceed with.
existing business research
Along the southsea coast, there is a seafood restaurant called The Briny. Unfortunately, they had no information available about the source of their oysters or seafood or ethics. The vibe of the restaurant is upper class, on the expensive side.
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