Iconic Toys
I have been producing some Primary and Secondary research on Iconic toys, looking through Pinterest, all over the web and I have explored some of my own toys which I think have made it into the iconic history of toys. I have produced a mind map in which i have enlisted many ideas, artists, materials i would use...etc. I have also produced a few observational drawings, as much a possible in fact to help with my primary research and develop my understanding of the shaping and the look of toys as drawings. I have produced my 5 ideas into 3; and tried to show them in different medias working out which media would help to present the ''London Toy Festival 2016' in the best possible way, catching the eyes of little kids and adults. I wanted to base my target audience on 3-10 year olds as I feel as though this age is the age where children are being introduced to familiar toys that adults may have played with as a child. I have developed my research further by looking into responses of questions from different ages about iconic toys. To do this I decided that i wanted to produce a questionnaire; but for both children (ages 5+) and adults (ages 20+). Additional to this, I have produced 3 contemporary and 3 historical artists.
My aim is to produce a fairly colourful recognisable poster which will hopefully catch the eye of both adults and little children; which may not recognise what is seen as an 'iconic toy'. I want the words to be bold and to stand out on the page and for the image to be just as important as the wording and to be the first thing people look at when they view the poster. So far, I am continuing to develop my experimentations of my 3 final ideas; which are a Rubix cube, Etch a Sketch and a Nintendo DS. I want to produce different designs involving these there individual toys and to use multiple bits of media to help present them in the fullest way.
Project Proposal
I have been asked to produce a poster which will promote the "London Toy Festival 2016". We have been asked by a brief to create a graphics poster to use on Si Design's website and promotional material when they launch. Wanting ideas from young designers. I have decided that my client(s) will be 3 - 10 years olds; the reason for this is that; although it is a festival; toys speak out to children and will hopefully be more interested in it as it is about toys. I feel as though this is the perfect age range to aim for as they become a bit more aware of what types of toys they are interesting in and becoming generally interesting in toys; what they look like; what they do. But, developing from this, I hope it could also catch a few adults eyes which will get them interested as toys are relatable and fun things which everyone can enjoy. I will generate my ideas from Pinterest, internet and other multiple websites which relate to toys; which could help me with some research. I will establish my target audience based on who it will appeal to the most. An age range which will suit the idea of a toy poster perfectly. To appeal to my target audience I will aim to use lots of colour, originality and creativity; using my own skills to create it as my piece which I hope will reach out to mainly 3 - 10 year olds but also appeal and reach out to an older audience as well. I will research artists which i think appeal to what I will be doing. I will use Pinterest and a some websites to help me find my artists that I think appeal and fit in with the idea of a toy festival, they dont have to have done toy work but I they could help give me inspiration and help with my secondary research. For primary research I will need to sketch/draw some toys and take some images of toys as well, this will give me a couple bits of my primary research to develop on my research and understanding of the brief. To do this I will need to gather some toys which I have at home and take as much images and drawings as possible to back up my primary research fully. For my secondary research I will need to go onto pinterest and websites on the internet. On pinterest I will need to make a few individual boards which will relate to the subject of toys, possibly old and new toys; toys which are seem today as iconic, toys from my childhood. On the internet I will need to try to research 'Iconic Toys' and see the result and develop off from that to get multiple links to which will help me with my research. I will refine my ideas by starting off with 5 poster ideas and choosing the 3 strongest based on there use of colour, creativity and how much it appeals to my target audience that I have chosen. For equipement, I think that I will need a few different materials; preferably ones that I have used before so that they are familiar to me. Materials such as cardboard, magazine/newspaper collage, paper cut, acrylic/watercolour paints...etc. The skills which I will require, will be my creativity, imagination, computer skills and my designing skills. With the help of these skills I will be able to help me with coming up with ideas and developing them over time. With all these things, I may face a few challenges along the way in which I will have to face and find a way to andress them. These challenges could include the non - access of computers; if this does happen I may need to change from working on the computer to working on the paper or find any possible way to get onto the computer to upload my blog, produce some digital pieces if needed, internet research...etc. Another problem I may face could be finding toys to help me with my reasearch; I may have a lack of iconic toys to help me with my primary research; for this I will need to supply myself with any toys necessarily possible. I may also have a probem with the asseciability and lack of material which i will need to provide myself with. Overall, I think that it will take roughly 8 weeks; this is to design, research amd make my final pieces.
My Time plan
Week 1 - Read through and understand the brief - 1 hour
- Start producing Primary and Secondary research into Artist and Toys - 3 hours - Computer/Toys
- Mind map of ideas - 1 hour - Sketchbook
- Project proposal - 2 hours
Week 2 - Start producing ideas - sketches poster design ideas - 2 hours - sketchbook
- Take pictures and produce drawings of toys - 2 hours - Toys
- Conduct a questionnaire - 1 hour - People to ask
Week 3 - Make the 5 ideas into 3 ideas - 15 minutes - sketchbook
- Development of my 3 final ideas - 1 hour - sketchbook
Week 4 - Further changes and thoughts into my 3 final ideas - media, idea changes...etc - 2 hours
Week 5 - Experiment with media - paper cut, paint, collage - newspaper/magazine, linocut...etc - 3 hours - paper, lino, collage material
- Analyse the experimentation ideas, what I think went well...etc. - 1 hour
Week 6 - Experimentation with typography - 1 hour - sketchbook
- Scan and upload everything in sketchbook to blog - 30 minutes - scanner and computer
Week 7 - Refinement of 3 final ideas - 1 hour - sketchbook
Week 8 - Any little changes and finishing touches to be made to ideas/sketchbook/blog - making them best quality as possible - 1 hour - sketchbook
Hand In - 29/2/16
My Time plan
Week 1 - Read through and understand the brief - 1 hour
- Start producing Primary and Secondary research into Artist and Toys - 3 hours - Computer/Toys
- Mind map of ideas - 1 hour - Sketchbook
- Project proposal - 2 hours
Week 2 - Start producing ideas - sketches poster design ideas - 2 hours - sketchbook
- Take pictures and produce drawings of toys - 2 hours - Toys
- Conduct a questionnaire - 1 hour - People to ask
Week 3 - Make the 5 ideas into 3 ideas - 15 minutes - sketchbook
- Development of my 3 final ideas - 1 hour - sketchbook
Week 4 - Further changes and thoughts into my 3 final ideas - media, idea changes...etc - 2 hours
Week 5 - Experiment with media - paper cut, paint, collage - newspaper/magazine, linocut...etc - 3 hours - paper, lino, collage material
- Analyse the experimentation ideas, what I think went well...etc. - 1 hour
Week 6 - Experimentation with typography - 1 hour - sketchbook
- Scan and upload everything in sketchbook to blog - 30 minutes - scanner and computer
Week 7 - Refinement of 3 final ideas - 1 hour - sketchbook
Week 8 - Any little changes and finishing touches to be made to ideas/sketchbook/blog - making them best quality as possible - 1 hour - sketchbook
Hand In - 29/2/16
^^ My Primary Research into toys ^^
Secondary research of << Iconic toys >>
https://uk.pinterest.com/jadams4562/ <---- My pinterest account link (Click to view my Pinterest account where you will find all of my Pinterest iconic toy primary research; including 'Vintage Toys', 'Contemporary Toys' and 'Posters' boards.
Above are screenshots showing the research I produced on Pinterest, i did my research by looking through and searching Iconic toys and things which are today seen as an iconic toy such as: Rubix Cube, Slinky, Mr potato Head, Speak and Spell, Nintendo and many more. I found a wide range amount of inspiration and ideas to use to help me with my 5 ideas i was produce. My aim for making my poster, was to make sure it was recognisable, colourful, eye-catching, interesting, simple but intriguing and fun, it suited my audience and my text was just as important as the illustrative idea.
Pitt Rivers Museum
I went on a trip to the Pitt Rivers Museum which was a great opportunity for me to look around and take pictures of anything that I saw which might help me to develop my research. I took these pictures at the Pitt Rivers Museum of some old toys which would have been played with may years ago. Although I didn't use these images to help me, it did help me with developing and adding more to my research, making it a bit more in-depth.
My Mind map
This is an image of the page I produced as my mind map of ideas, it helped me to start my planning for what I would do overall and when I would be doing what in the whole brief. I drew a few arrows from the Iconic Toys mind map, things like my research, poster ideas, final ideas, toy ideas, questionnaire, materials...etc. It shows a clear understanding that I knew what I was hoping to achieve when starting this brief.
Observational sketches
This is an image I took of the observational drawings I produced and put into my book, I did this as part of my research, it helped me to see a different view to toys instead of images from the internet. I think that this part of my research is very strong as I looked into toys personally instead of secondary research, which I also produced. I tried evening out the secondary and the primary research; not to make either seem looked at at unbalanced level, therefore I have got a good and even amount of research for both primary and secondary.
These are my 5 poster ideas which I came up with, they all represent one toy theme - Rubix cube, Yo-yo, Etch a sketch, Simon memory game and Nintendo Ds idea. I all gave these ideas there own thought process of colour, presentation and individuality. I tried a few little material ideas which I could use; and wrote a few words about the idea that I produced. I hen narrowed this down to 3 final ideas which I decided to narrow down further; to 2 final design ideas (as one of my final ideas was not very strong and it would work better if i didn't develop the idea further).My 3 final design ideas:
For my 3 final design ideas I decided to create a few experimentations, these were with Acrylic/watercolours, Paper cut and Newspaper and magazine. Overall, as i was producing 2 final ideas; I decided that I would use watercolours for my melting Rubix cube idea and my original digital representation of my Etch a sketch idea. Before producing these experimentations I produced digital ideas for all 3 of the ideas and other little sketched ideas presenting the toys differently and also adding the digital process I had to g through to produce it, I decided that I liked the digital representation of my Etch a Sketch idea; and my rubix cube melting idea i came up with. (2 final ideas at the bottom of the page)
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| Notes: Top - This is the paintedversion of my Nintendo DS idea. I tried changing my idea slightly, still makng the Nintendo important in the poster. I produced the Nintendo close up with pizel lettering saying 'London Music Festival 2016'. I think that for next time if I choose this idea, I will focus on colour, making it brighter and stand out more, as this uses minimal colours making it appeal unexciting and boring. Middle - This is my cut out version of my nintendo ds idea. I started off with cutting out the rough outline of the DS. Then I cut out all the lettering out and stuck it on the nintendo. I then added detail using a white colouring pencil. To imporve I think I could have added a background to make the DS stand out and look bold. I could of also added more on the poster to make it a bit more interesting to look at. Bottom - This is a magazine and newpapaer collage of my nintendo ds ideas, I started off with drawing my DS design idea I wanted to produce as a collage. Then I added the ripped pieces of magazine and newspaper to the parts that I wanted them to go; and added some writing. I think it was produced well but I could have neatened it up a little more. |
 (Note at the bottom of the page: 'I have decided to continue with my poster ideas, and version. This is because I feel as though my poster illustractive versions are stronger and I am more confident with them; than producing a typography idea.) |
| Notes: Top - This is my painted version of one of my etch a sketch ideas. I tried to change a few features to make it a bit more creative then the orginal idea, so I added more on the etch a sketch screen, a black background colour and 'Festival 2016' in bold yellow lettering. If i dvelop this idea I would think about neating it up a bit, adding a bit more organisation to the page and taking time on it. Possibly changing the presentation of the lettering. Middle - This is a cut out version of my etch a sketch idea. To produce I started with cutting out the letters from yellow card. Then cutting and sticking down the etch a sketch and adding pen detail to itTo improve I think I could possibly add a bright colour to the background to make my poster stand out more, be more eye ctaching and noticable. Bottom - This is my magazine version of my etch a sketc idea, to produce it I began by drawing out my etch a sketch design idea, then I added the magazine and newspaper collage where I wanted them. and then added the writing using a thick fineliner pen. I think this came out very well showing tonal colours of red. If I could change it I would probablychange the layout of the etch a sketch, possibly changing it to a landscape view instead. |
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| Notes: Top - This is my painted version of one of my rubix cube ideas, to produce it I used acrylic paints. I tried to achieve a melting effect of the rubix cube by bleding the colours, whcich was a little difficult. I think this has come out very well thoug and I may further develop it - changing the presentation and look of the wording, making it more bold and appealing. I may next time - if I decide to further develop this idea - use watercolours instead of help more with the melting effect. To improve for next time I cuould indeed use watercolours, neaterning it up a bit, and maybe also adding a background colour possibly. Middle - This is my cut out version of my rubix cube idea. To produce it I individually cut out 1cm by 1cm squares and placed them in a grid type form, as like a rubix cube. I think it came out very well, little unneat but can be refined if I choose this method. I hope that if I do use this idea that I will clear that I have used a rubix cube as my illustational theme for the poster. To improve I think I could of arranged it a bit more neatly on the page. I may also think more about what else I could include on the page and make it stand out over to other people posters. Bottom - This is my magazine collaged version of my rubix cube udeas, to produce it I started with drawing the rubix cube in one of the layout ideas I was planning to use. I then started to gather coloured bits of magazines; which I needed. I think that if I was to produce it again as one of my final pieces, then I would have to be more neat and accurate with my collage. Overall, I thought it was produced very well and adds some originality. |
I have produced two questionnaires, one based on children; another based on adults age; this gave me a bit of variety and history of different types of toys that are familiar to certain ages. I varied my answers between the two as not all the questions applied to that certain age so I mixed it up a little getting me a bit of different answers.
5 Years +
Q1. How old are you? (5,6,7 years old..etc)
A: 7 years old
Q2. What kind of toys do you enjoy playing with? (soft toys, figurines, educational toys...etc.)
A: Building toys
Q3. Do you recognise any of these toys? (show images of them - tick if 'yes')
A: Rubix cube - Yes Slinky - Yes Etch a sketch - Yes Space Hopper - yes Simon memory game - Yes
Q4. Do you play with many educational toys? (toys which involve numbers, letters, colours...etc.)
A: No
Q5. What kind of toy do you play with the most?
A: Toy cars
Q6. If you were given a Rubix cube (show image) would you play with it?
A: Yes
Q7. How often do you play with your toys?
A: Mostly everyday
Q8. What do you like about the toys that you play with? (choose a toy)
A: Cars - Play lots of different car games.
Q9. What do you look for in a toy? (If it makes a noise or moves, how much you get with the toy, if it a soft toy/plastic)
A: Noise
Q10. Do you play with toys based on TV programmes? (Mutant Ninja turtles, toy story..etc.)
A: Lego - Lego movie
20 Years +
Q1. Do you think that toys have changed a lot from your childhood to now?
A: Yes
Q2. What toys did you enjoy playing with as a child?
A: I played Jenga, Kerplunk, Barbies and Dollies.
Q3. Do you think kids toys have changed for the better?
A: No, because all children seem to want today is new technology; like PlayStation's, iPad's, iPhone's. While I preferred more social skilled and role play games.
Q4. What interests you about a toy in order for you to purchase it for a child?
A: As long as it's educational and sociable then I'm fore the toys, but if it makes them go into a shell, I'm not keen.
Q5. What makes a good children's toy?
A: Easy to understand but more than 1 player, to adapt people skills.
Q6. What childhood memory do you have of playing with your toys?
A: Role play with barbies and dollies because I could make up different scenarios.
Q7. Why do you think the toys you played with might not be so popular any more?
A: Becuase every year toy makers are bringing in more exciting ways to get adults to buy the latest gadgets with a massive price tag.
Q8. If you were a child in today's generation would you play with any of today's toys?
A: Probably would because it's all about popularity with friends to who has the best toys.
Q9. Do you think toys from your childhood should be bought back? - If yes, what toys?
I do but most of them are still able to be bought i.e. Barbie, dollies and board games. But they need to be more commercialised to get kids to want them.
Q10. If you have a child/children what toys do you buy for them? - if no, do not answer.
A: I buy lego for my children and action figures, cars and dollies. My children do have a PS3 but the games are still using brain skills to work them out.
^^^ Above I constructed a questionnaire based on toys, I produced two to get 2 different age ranges to vary my answers I got a little.
After using these questions, I went back again and asked the two people I questioned; whether they preferred either my etch a sketch idea or my rubix cube idea. Both said they preferred my etch a sketch idea, as they felt as though it was more clean and clear and more contemporary than my rubix cube idea. From my questionnaire i concluded that toys which are seen today as iconic, such as: the rubix cube and etch a sketch; are familiar to different ages today. I also found that toys are bought depending on price and reliability to the child; and children will choose a toy based on noise, or other features such as movement, colour, material or size. From these two questionnaires I got both very different based answers which has helped me to develop my research and understanding in two separate views which were from many different questions relating to toys. If i was to produce another questionnaire, this time I would go for a higher age range to ask, which I hope would give me a more detailed and developed response.
3 Final digital ideas
Above are my digital representations of my original 3 ideas, i am going to develop these by using different media and a different design; and from there I will choose my strongest 3 outcomes from them. I got the inspiration for my Rubix cube idea from the artist Kate Moross. She inspired me with her use of bright and vibrant colours that filled the whole page; I wanted to produce something just as eye catching and interesting as one of Kate's pieces of work; I wanted to make my work slightly simplistic but also hard to keep your eye off it. I didn't want it to look too cluttered and too thought of, as it being a representation of my own individual ideas. I got the inspiration for my Nintendo idea from the artist Michael Craig Martin. He inspired me with his use of bold colours and simplistic form which made his work so interestingly original, making it his own style. I wanted to produce something similar, just as influential as his work which gave me the simplistic Nintendo idea. I added the lines around the DS to hopefully put emphasis not the Nintendo and to add brightness to the poster. I got the inspiration for my Etch a sketch idea from Lucian Bernhard; he inspired me to produce a simplistic and stylish piece of work based around an iconic toy, to draw in people of all ages; just as intriguing as Lucian's work. I didn't want to add to much colour; not to contrast with how that iconic toy would really look.
Screenshots of the digital representation processes:
These are my screenshot of my digital representations of my 3 final ideas - Rubix cube, Etch a sketch and Nintendo DS. These screenshots show the process in which I went through to produce my 3 final ideas.
Rubix Cube:
1) I started by placing an image of a Rubix cube from the web into Illustrator.
2) I then image traced it to 30 colours - showing all the tonal colours of the image.
3) I then re-applied the full shades of colour - by selecting parts of the squares and making them all shade of one colour.
4) After, I selected parts I didn't want - such as the tonal background by using the selection tool.
5) I then the used direct selection tool to smooth out any rough and uneven edges and untidy parts of the image.
2) I then image traced it to 30 colours - showing all the tonal colours of the image.
3) I then re-applied the full shades of colour - by selecting parts of the squares and making them all shade of one colour.
4) After, I selected parts I didn't want - such as the tonal background by using the selection tool.
5) I then the used direct selection tool to smooth out any rough and uneven edges and untidy parts of the image.
1) I began by placing the Nintendo DS image onto Illustrator.
2) I image traced it - using only 2 colours.
3) I added some text around part of the Nintendo saying 'Toy Festival'.
4) Then, I added lines around the edge of the DS.
5) After, painting I drew on 'London 2016' onto the screens of the DS.
Etch a Sketch
1) I started by producing a black background.
2) Then, creating 2 rectangles and 2 circles to create the Etch a Sketch representation.
3) I added lines using the pen tool to create 'London' and other one effects, to create the realistic idea of Etch a Sketch.
4) Finally, I added 'Toy' onto the Etch a Sketch and 'Festival 2016' text in bold.
While producing my experimentations and my ideas, I have had to make sure to consider Health and Safety.
- While working on the computer I have made sure to adjust my seat, to take time away from the computer and to rest from typing for a few minutes every now and then.
- While producing my paper cut experimentations, I have made sure to be careful while using scissors to cut out multiple bits of paper.
- While working with paint I have ensured that I worked in a clear space and that if any spillages were to occur I would clean them immediately.
My typography idea pages
These are images of the pages I produced of my typography ideas which I did some research on. I went to Pinterest and to the web and looked up different styles and typography ideas. This inspired my to produce my ideas and the slogan of the festival to making it into typography, developing more upon just producing illustrations and words on a page as my poster idea. I will decide between my illustrative poster ideas and my typography ideas whether I will choose either one; which ones are stronger and work best.
Final 2 ideas
I have decided looking at my final outcomes from my experimentations, I will narrow my 3 ideas; down to only 2. The reason for this is that I feel that my Rubix cube and Etch a sketch idea are much stronger then the Nintendo idea which I produced. Therefore, I see no other reason but to finish that idea and only continue with my 2 strongest ones. From doing my experimentations I decided that I would go forward to develop my Rubix cube using my dripping effect idea and for my Etch a sketch to produce it into a digital outcome from the digital idea I have done previously; but making a few simple changes to improve it from my original digital etch a sketch idea. These are my final ideas:
I made a few changes from my original digital idea and created these tweaked ideas:
I have decided to go on to use this tweaked idea, as I think the font (Arial rounded MT bold) which I changed it to is a bit more fun and not so bold and original. I also think that the colour relates to the etch a sketch as it is the same colour, adding a theme to the poster and making it fit in and look a bit more exciting than just white writing in an original arial black font.
This is my final piece for my Rubix cube idea, before finally completed it into the developed piece; i decided to fiddle about and change a few things in 'image trace', i did this as a further development and also to see what the changes would like like. I changed around the colours, changing how many colours were used, which created different effects of the my scanned piece.
Final Rubix cube piece>>
Only using 6 colours
Only using 23 colours ^^^^^
<<<< Only using 4 colours
These two ideas are my complete final ideas which I have created and tweaked to make it to the highest standard possible. I produced them both in an A4 format, making the etch a sketch in digital form on Adobe Illustrator and scanning my watercolored rubix cube piece. I have redone my rubber cube piece and found that it is stronger than my original attempt at my final watercolour rub cube. I feel as though it is stronger as it has been given more time on the design and look and doesn't look as rushed.
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| My Final piece |
Process:
Rubix cube:
1) I started off with drawing out neatly the rubix cube i the format and layout i wanted it - in a sloped form which is how i presented it in one of my small sketches and my experimentation creation of it.
2) I then began to apply water on the rubber cube area and added the watercolour paints; aiming for the colours to spread to for it to create a dripping effect.
3) I scanned it into Photoshop, and went onto 'Image' --> 'Adjustments' --> 'Levels'; and tweaked and played around with the light and dark areas, making the scanned piece a bit clearer and clean.
4) I placed this edited scanned image into Illustrator and 'image traced' it; I decided to develop it a little and change the amount of colours used which added multiple effects.
5) I went back into photoshop leaning it up a little more; saved it and then went back into illustrator to add some text.
6) I added some text adjusting and adding tweaks here and there. I saved it and uploaded it to my blog.
Health and Safety:
When producing my rubix cube I made sure to consider the health and safety in which I was working to. The health and safety I considered was:
1) Working in a clean, safe and comfortable environment.
2) If any water is spilt, to clean it up immediately as to not come into contact with any electrical devices or work.
3) I took a break every now from typing, so i didn't cause any aches or injuries in my hands.
Etch a sketch:
1) I started by producing a black background, which I did by producing a rectangle using the rectangle tool and filling it with black colour (I did this method instead of just starting off with a black background or producing a black background; as I found it as an easy and simple option to use which would save time with fiddling about with any other method that I wasn't sure how to do).
2) Then by creating 2 rectangles and 2 circles, (using the rectangles and ellipse tool) I could create the Etch a sketch representation - the red etch a sketch model, the screen in grey an the two little control pieces.
3) After, I began to add lines - using the pen tool to create 'London' and other lines which added to the realistic effect of the Etch a sketch.
4) I added 'toy' lettering onto the Etch a sketch and 'Festival 2016' text in bold arial white letting on he page.
5) Finally, I made a few changes, changing the font, colour and layout of the lettering of 'Toy festival 2016'.
Health and safety:
1) When working at the computer I took a few breaks, so I didn't strain my eyes too much, from looking at the screen. I also adjusted the screens brightness, so as not to hurt my eyes.
2) I made sure to adjust my seat so that i could work comfortable and not cause any back injuries or pains.
3) I took few breaks between, so i could rest my hands; as not to cause aches or injuries.
Evaluation
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| A piece of Kate Moross's work |
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| Second final rubix cube attempt - The colours were changed a little and the dripping effect is presented a little differently than my first piece - this will be my complete final piece |
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