Colour Research for 2015

Colour in Trend Research

So right now I am researching the colours that will be 'in season' in 2015, I am researching 2015 because I would rather be ahead of my time than current and I believe it could give my concept a longer life in the limelight by grabbing attention for longer. 

According to the Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, Leatrice Eiseman, 

The spring of 2015 will move towards the cooler and softer side of the colour spectrum. 

'An ethereal mix of understated brights, pale pastels and nature-like neutrals take centre stage as designers draw from daydreams of simpler times. Remembrances of retro delights, folkloric and floral art, and the magical worlds of tropical landscapes restore a sense of well-being as we head into warmer months.' -from the web page.. 

  

http://www.pantone.com/pages/fcr/?season=spring&year=2015&pid=11

The top 10 colours listed are;

*Aquamarine

cool, calming, ethereal, watery feeling, makes us feel rested, stress reducer

*Scuba Blue

cool, more playful, vibrancy, exotic paradise, escape

*Lucite Green

has not been around recently, but is creeping its way back in, retro feeling, minty glow, light in weight, transparent feel

*Classic Blue

anchor colour in spring, faithful, strong, dependable, reliable colour that is eternal and enduring, creates background for all other colours

*Toasted Almond

suntanned neutral, comforting, warm, timeless, versatile, organic, natural feeling, authenticity, toes in sand kind of shade

*Strawberry Ice

warming, healing, charming, also cooling, pinks throw a wonderful on skin in spring and summer

*Tangerine

oranges have been around in the last few seasons, spontaneous, softer, cooler, playful and tangy

*Custard

sweet, sunny, cheerful, pleasant, relaxing, good feeling, subtle, easy disposition

*Marsala

one of the foundation colours like classic blue, strength, confidence, stability, natural earthiness, excitement of wine.

*Glacier Gray

cooling, neutral colour, unobtrusive, contrasts and yet enhances all other colours, truly natures most perfect neutral colour. grey makes us think of rock, sediment and things that are dependable, strong, confident, relaxing and constant and peaceful.

And the rest are;

*Dusk Blue 

*Treetop

*Woodbine

*Sandstone

*Titanium

*Lavender Herb

I am going to take these colours and try not to stray from them for a while.. I think that if I stick to these colours, it will not only give me a decent colour pallet to try working with (something I haven't done yet), but also.. I'll be in fashion in spring 2015 lol. 

Video Research

What I've Been Watchin'..

So while I'm researching for my brief, any spare time I get I'll watch a documentary, short clip, interview etc.. to gain even more knowledge of the blues and Robert Johnson. I'm also doing this to gain a better understanding of how things were around the time that Johnson was alive, and to feed details and information into my brain so that I can better establish a more detailed and convincing concept for my work. 

Heres a song to enjoy if you fancy it... 

Mississippi Shakes - Sittin' On Top Of The World.

List of things I have been Watching;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYtyNHyzRCY&list=PLCJ2kGrkFDZutXue4k9ubbKRMjnTbHgJN

(Martin Scorsese - The Blues. Documentary film series produced by Martin Scorsese, dedicated to the history of the blues. In each of the seven episodes, a different director explores a stage in the development of the blues.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1gVtKIxRew

(Peter Mayor - Can't You Hear The Wind Howl, The Life and Music of Robert Johnson, A film starring Keb Mo as Johnson, documentary film about the life of Robert Johnson.)

(Chris Hunt - The Search for Robert Johnson, hosted by John Hammond, is a 1991 UK documentary providing an amazing insight into the life of Robert Johnson, showing interviews with people that new him.) I can't find a link online for this but I watched it at home and its excellent. 

(Son House, a renowned blues musician that had the pleasure of knowing Johnson, talks about some experiences he had with him.)

( Eric Clapton - The Robert Johnson Sessions, how could someone better express the influence Robert J has had on modern musicians... a full album dedicated to Johnson's music, played by the one and only Eric Clapton.)...love it, like I love it. 

Music Demographics Research

Music Demographic Research

I have been reading and researching the statistics etc of musical demographics.

What type of people like what type of music essentially, and what to take into account when tackling the challenge of my brief.

Demographics for music are normally placed into subsections;

Gender

Overall, gender plays a small role in explaining who listens to what type of music. According to statistics, men are more likely to prefer blues, r&b, rock/heavy metal and jazz etc. Whereas females are more likely to enjoy dance/electronica, hymns/gospel, easy listening, musicals etc..

  Although of course this does not always apply. 

Race

Statistically white people are more likely than all other races to enjoy every type of music except blues, r&b, ethnic, gospel, jazz, hip-hop and reggae.. funnily enough basically the only musical genres that I (white) listen to.

 Apparently whites are four times more likely to enjoy country/western music. All races are equally as likely to enjoy dance/electronica, latin, easy listening and opera etc.

Age

Age relates directly to musical preference, older generations are more likely to prefer big band, classical hymns/gospel, easy listening, musicals, opera etc whereas the younger generations are more likely to enjoy dance/electronica, hip hop, rock/heavy metal etc. 

 

Income

Once other demographic factors have been taken into consideration, income is rarely of statistical value. However, in the cases of country music, blues, gospel/hymns, hip-hop have often been associated with the lower and middle income classes. 

Soooo, taken from this research.. my Blues demographic statistically is more likely to be;

*Male

*Black

*Older

*Of low or middle income

However of course this is not always the case, especially now in this modern world the younger generations of both sex's, all incomes and races have incredibly varied musical tastes that span way out of there stereotypes. So Although my concept will be aimed mainly at an older, low income, male demographic.. I will keep elements in my theme that communicate to all types of people. 

Demographic Research, Relating to My Brief.

So now I'm researching my specific demographic, which is the blues music audience, and fans of Robert Johnson and the legend that surrounds him.
 I believe I can try to tackle more than one demographic with this challenge, blues fans, people that are interested in folklore and demonology etc, and maybe attack the people today that have not heard of Johnson, and give there ears a good rattling!
 I have just sent a message to The Blues Foundation, The international home of blues music, to see if they could share there extensive knowledge of the blues scene and shed some light on the cultural personalities of blues listeners.

Hopefully hear back off them soon enough.

Introduction to Branding Research

Introduction to Branding Research

I have been researching into branding techniques, I looked into it myself a few years ago when starting a t-shirt and apparel company with friends, (didn't work out because one of the friends was not quite a team player). 

My understanding of branding is so;

  The most important thing to consider when starting a brand is the consumer, I believe it is best to look at the consumer from a cultural point of view rather than a marketing point of view... Who the consumer is, not 'what' the consumer is. 

   All people make their decisions based on their cultural context, so when taking a cultural approach to branding things to consider would be,

  *Traditions

  *Beliefs

  *Experiences

  *Ideas. 

  Brands, instead of just selling us products, sell us ideas and lifestyles.

Take for example brands like Apple, Starbucks, Harley Davidson and Nike..

 none of the ideas that these companies are known for are inherent to the products they sell, but are the result of the social meaning that these brands have attained in our society. This social meaning can be attained in culture through;

  *Narratives

  *Social Activities

  *Rituals

  *Symbols

  

Apple, for example have created a potent symbol in its logo.

Harley Davidson's anniversary celebrations are powerful rituals that draw in millions of followers from all over the world.

I believe it is these cultural components that help a brand convey a sense of meaning that provides fulfilment and self affirmation and belonging to consumers that receive these ideas.

Who the consumer is, not 'what'.

-Demographic

-Behavior

-Preferences

-Purchasing

-Psychology

-Sociology

-Social outlets

This type of approach, gives brands the level of understanding that they need to help build productive and lasting relationships with the consumer. Take the market research and marketing data and develop a set of characteristics that will resonate with the brands followers. 

 Creating messages and marketing strategies that will strengthen brand culture, allowing a brand to be more influential in the lives of its consumers by giving them WHAT THEY'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR. Which is not just a product, but a sense of fulfilment and belonging that comes with being part of a great culture. 

 Ofcourse the goal of all this is to maximise return on your marketing investments, and while this approach is more theoretical than the more traditional approaches, I believe it would be more effective in this modern world than approaches of the past. 

Albums from the 60's - Jazz and Blues

Album Art 60's Blues & Jazz

To bring my research home and steer it into a more applicable direction for my brief, Im starting to look at blues and jazz album artwork from the 60's.

The reason I am specifically looking at the 60's pieces for now is because I want to give my own piece a very vintage style and 60's based heritage, although I will try to blend it with a modern and contemporary theme. 

Here are a few classics I've picked out from the 1960's.

Love the font on this one!

Excellent composition, more my style, although seems to have drifted from the standard blues cover art.. more contemporary. 

Really nice font, very 60's, contrasting with a very old style photo of Muddy, Bo and Howlin'.

I like the sense of age the black and white (sepia) style photo has, maybe representing the earlier days the musicians became established in...

Very basic but also self explanatory. I think the font is beautiful,  it stands out like a sore thumb in a yellowy okre and blood orange stating the album name quite proudly.. yet humbly. 

Love it, although I probably won't take much from this piece as it is a very basic photograph and I want my piece to have a fair bit more going on to communicate my concept.

All of these covers, barring 'American Folk Blues Festival' , depict the artist/musicians. 

All have a very plane washy backdrop of pale colour, with a loud standout text that sharply expresses what the album is. Also, I've noticed, other rock albums etc of the same era, like to express a lot in there cover artworks.. sometimes a strong sense of personality.. wealth.. status etc.

Whereas blues albums seem to stay humble, nothing to prove.. blues music is not about fame, popularity or success, it is the music for the thinking mind, the awkward ponderer, the lonely romantic and the heartbroken.. it remains patiently calm, and wishes to state nothing about itself other than what it is...

The blues. 

The main points I have taken from looking at 60's blues album art is thus:

*Pale washy background

*Strong stand out text

*Depiction of the musician

*Dont show off, stay humble, be respectful of the genre and do it quiet justice. 

Album Artwork 60's Research

Jefferson Airplane - Takes Off

1966

I'm really struggling to find any information about the making of this album cover, as far as I can tell it was designed by the band themselves. 

What I like about this is the composition, the very 60's font and the use of colour.. it is not as contemporary as other album covers of its era but it communicates what it has to and personally, I think it is a very successful piece. 

 The Velvet Underground & Nico 

1967

The banana itself is the of course the handy work of Andy Warhol, Warhol managed the iconic band and acted as an umbrella for the band during the days when they weren't big enough to tackle some of the tough situations they found themselves in, Warhol's status of course big enough in the 60's to tackle most complications. 

The original album cover was designed to allow the fans the peel back the banana as a sticker, revealing the nude-coloured fruit beneath. This sexually metaphorically charged marketing ploy caused complications however, the manufacturing being more complicated than normal meant that the album was released after the release date. The sticker covers later became a rare collectors item, and the banana became a symbol for the protopunk genre. 

I personally absolutely love album cover, so much that I referenced it in my narrative illustration brief, the banana image being the logo on the t-shirt of my main character...

Anyway I think altogether the piece is very contemporary, a bright yellow phallic banana symbol on a plane white background with the album name at the top... job done. 

 The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed

1969

This album cover is 'mint'. It displays an over the top and gaudy cake, made from random layers including a tire, a clock face, film canister and a pizza. there are small figurines of the band members placed on the top of the cake, and its all placed on top of a record player.

Keith Richards hired close friend Robert Brownjohn to design the cover.. Interestingly, Brownjohn hired a younger and less famous Delia Smith, to bake the cake..lol. 

Originally the album was to be called Automatic Changer, although the name changed, the band kept Brownjohns piece because the liked it so much.

I like this piece a lot, its randomness, playfulness and colour expresses the feel of the album perfectly.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced

1967 

Jimi Hendrix was not at all pleased with the packaging and art work on the UK release of this album, claiming, "It makes me look like a fairy."

He took this complaint to his manager Chas Chandler, who then called artist Karl Ferris. Ferris worked with them to come up with the new psychedelic inspired art work for the up and coming US release. 

I love it, I love psychedelic artwork from this era it really nourishes my inner need for colour and madness. Ferris said that when he started creating this image, he was listening to the music Jimi had sent him away with and thought that it sounded 'far out' and as if it was from outer space.

So he decided he would like to create an image where the band was blasting through space on a 

journey to bring there outer space music to the earth... hence the space circle thing ^^

. 

I have managed to find a link with a first person account of the processes working with Jimi for the cover from Karl Ferris ...

http://rockpopgallery.typepad.com/rockpop_gallery_news/2008/02/cover-story---j.html

Album Cover Research

Album Covers Research

I am now looking at and researching albumin covers of the sixties, mainly because the album I am working with was first released in 1966. (even though it was recorded in the 1930's).

Im going to try to find similarities in the album covers, and take note of how they change as time moves forward. 

To start with, I will look at one of the later 60's, but most iconic album covers of all time..

Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

Peter Blake, the artist and designer behind the iconic art piece said, " In my mind i was making a piece of art rather than an album cover. It was almost a piece of theatre design." 

That I agree with, it does look like a piece of theatre design..

He went on to say, " I offered the idea that if they had just played a concert in the park, the cover would be a photograph of them with the group who watched the concert.. If we did this using cardboard cutouts, it could be whomever they wanted."

Each Beatle was told to come up with a list of people they most admired. Ringo, being the least pretentious said, " Whoever the others choose is okay with me." 

John Lennons creative mind instantly came up with Adolf Hitler and Gandhi, both were axed, Hitler for obvious reasons and Gandhi because they thought it would lessen their sales in the far east.

George Harrison chose four Indian gurus, and Bob Dylan was an obvious choice as all of the band members worshiped him.

Fred Astaire was Paul's choice, and was chosen to help sell records with his legendary dancing status.

Among many big names, some of the most notable are:

*Sonny Liston (boxer twice defeated by Ali)

*Lewis Carroll (Johns writing hero, based 'I am the Walrus' on Carrol's poem 'The Walrus and the Carpenter')

*Marilyn Monroe

*Oliver and Hardy

*Marlon Brando

*Oscar Wilder

and Albert Einstein 

The most touching tribute however was for former bandmate Stuart Sutcliffe to appear in the shot.

Sutcliffe who John considered his 'best friend' barring Paul, died in 1962 aged just 21 from a head injury and never got to see the success of the band.

The cover was shot by Michael Cooper on March the 30th 1967. In the cover the band members are shown wearing custom made military style outfits made satin. Four wax dummies of the Beatles are shown standing alongside the living members of the band, symbolising the 'old Beatles' sporting mop tops and plane suits. 

The Album cover won the 1967 Grammy award for best album cover, Graphic design.