Idiom Research

For a brief I'm looking at phrases we have in english, the equivalent in a foreign language and the re-translation. Here is a collection of some I could use:

English: To make a big fuss about nothing
German: Viel Aufhebens machen um etwas
Re-translation: To make a lot of lifting about nothing

English: To skip work
German: Blau machen
Re-translation: To make it blue

English: You can do it however you want!
German: Das kannst du halten wie ein Dachdecker!
Re-translation: You can keep it as a roofer!

English: Its all Greek to me
German: Das sind ja Böhmische Dörfer
Re-translation: Its all the villages of Bohemia to me

English: I've had enough
German: Das geht mir an die Nieren
Re-translation: It comes to my kidney

English: You're getting on my nerves
German: Du bringst mich auf die Palme, Du gehst mir auf den Senkel, Du gehst mir auf den Wecker, Du gehst mir auf den Keks
Re-translation: You make me go on top of the palm tree, You're getting on my shoelace, You're getting on my alarm clock, You're getting on my cookie

English: When pigs fly
French: Quand les poules auront des dents
Re-translation: When hens have teeth

English: I have other fish to fry
French: J'ai d'autres chats à fouetter
Re-translation: I have other cats to whip

English: Look before you leap
Spanish: Antes de que te cases, mira lo que haces
Re-translation: Before you get married, look at what you're doing

English: I'm very happy
French: J'ai la banane
Re-translation: I have the banana

English: It's nothing to write home about
French: Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard
Re-translation: That doesn't break three paws to a duck

English: To call a spade a spade
French: Appeler un chat un chat
Re-translation: To call a cat a cat

English: It's raining cats and dogs
French: Il pleut des cordes
Re-translation: It's raining ropes

English: Good luck
Italian: In bocca al lupo
Re-translation: Into the wolf's mouth

English: Curiosity killed the cat
Italian: Tanto va la gatta al lardo che ci lascia lo zampino
Re-translation: The cat loses his paw trying to get the bacon

English: To kill two birds with one stone
Italian: Prendere due piccioni con una fava
Re-translation: To take two pigeons with one bean

English: Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours
Spanish: Dando y dando, pajarito volando
Re-translation: Giving and giving, the bird is flying

Personal Brief/Occasions

For my personal brief I am going to use cross stitch to create a series of typographic works. I've decided to adapt the Occasions brief but use cross stitch as a process. It may be that I have to photograph or scan the pieces to adapt them into a viable format but I think cross stitch would work well. Its a very traditional process that fits in with the kind of traditional designs used on cards etc. but I plan to make it more modern by using more subversive messages to make something that a younger generation would find appealing.

The Brief
Produce a range of type Lead/typographic designs for a range of paper based product for a specific/targeted market.

Your designs should consider the development across gift cards, wrapping papers, gift bags and any other formats that you can identify within existing or proposed markets.

Considerations
Target Groups to consider are male, female, teenage, kids, new baby, wedding and general congratulations.

Wording to Consider - happy birthday, just for you, surprise, new baby boy/girl, on your wedding day, to the happy couple,with love, wedding, congratulations, though any suggestions to fit the aforementioned areas would be appreciated.

Colour considerations are essential and should reflect current and projected trends.

Target Audience/Tone of Voice
Who is buying & who is it for?
Appropriate to audience but consider humour, contemporary, classic, sophisticated, fun, sincere

Background
Concept is a design company that focuses on design for paper product including gift wrap, gift bags, accessories (ribbons bows, tapes) for xmas, spring events and special occaissons.

Their clients include John Lewis, Waitrose, Paperchase, Clintons, Birthdays and Tesco

Product ranges cover a range of budgets, price scales and audiences from low priced but quality to higher end creative.

Designs solutions focus on the commercially viable/successful but forward thinking.

Mandatory
Formats used should reflect existing commercially available formats.

There should be a minimum of 6 designs per range i.e 6 cards, 6 wraps, 6 bags etc. or a combined range of 3 designs

Deliverables should demonstrate the perceived range of product and projected further development where necessary.

Deliverables
Mock-ups for design solutions (to scale)
Presentation boards demonstrating concept, solutions and range.

Leeds City Council

The third brief I have chosen to do is a live brief from Leeds City Council to design a document for their Public Arts Strategy. I'm doing this collaboratively with Jane.

Doing My Nut In...

The second brief I have chosen is called 'Doing My Nut In...'. It is a past brief from ISTD 2008.

‘… whenever people begin to talk about their own language, they all have something to offer – favourite words or sayings, dialect anecdotes and observations, usage likes and dislikes.’ David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of The English Language, Second Edition, 2003

This project is a further celebration – of language in its local forms. It is a theme that we regularly return to as a fundamental typographic focus – how we use words to communicate. You may consider the vernacular, the slang, the argot of a specific location, area or group and typographically express the meanings and, if possible, the derivation of the phrases. Similarly it may interest you to consider how phrases are interpreted in different languages. Is there, for instance, a Spanish or Dutch equivalent to ‘it’s doing my nut in’? Maybe we are using translations of phrases that originated in other languages, without knowing their provenance. We use a saying that translates into English from its original Arabic as ‘The straw that broke the camel’s back. With interesting variations it translates into:

Spanish: la gota que colma el vaso
the drop that spills over the glass.
Dutch: de druppel die de emmer overloop maakt
the drop that makes the bucket overflow
German: der Tropfen, der das Fass zum Überlaufen bringt
the drop that makes the barrel overflow

Extend this research and you could examine the variations in punctuation between languages and the impact on typographic usage. Whatever approach you adopt must visually stimulate and inform the reader.

*Local could be where you live – Barcelona, Bournemouth, Belfast, Brisbane, Bloemfontein, Beirut...

The Brief
Design a publication or screen-based piece that uses at least six examples of your chosen area of language usage and typographically interprets – and celebrates – their richness. Incorporate informative text with each example or combine these as a summary that covers all examples. This must express a typographic hierarchy and continuity through layout. The format is your choice – book, broadsheet(s), website, DVD… but must reflect a consideration of production opportunities.

Target Audience
Designers, design students and lovers of language

Yin Yang

The first brief I have decided to do is Yin Yang from ISTD 2004.

Brief: A museum, gallery or public space in your area is planning to produce an exhibition/installation featuring graphic design. Instead of the typical homage to a single designer or group, the aim is to stimulate awareness of the diversity and influence of typo/graphic design as a communication medium. You are required to develop concepts for an exhibition featuring the work of two graphic designers whose work is complementary. They may be contemporary designers working in different fields or designers from different eras whose work reflects the changes in style and attitude of the two periods. They should be designers whose work has had political, social or environmental influence. While your proposals should incorporate the essence of the designers’ work, this is not merely a showcase for their work. You must establish a format and visual style for the exhibition that expresses complementarity. This factor is central to this project as most of us, during our design education, have been required to design something in the style of a particular designer or design group. We do not want to see proposals in the style of your favourite designer. Your challenge is to make a statement about the influence of typo/graphic design.

Target Audience: The host location must satisfy its regular visitors but is developing this project in conjunction with local education institutions at all levels to stimulate awareness of Graphic Design.

Requirements:
• Title and visual identity for the exhibition. This should be applied to material where appropriate. Full and single colour versions are required.
• Catalogue – cover design and four double-page spreads, including introductory spread—or equivalent. A minimum of 1000 words must be incorporated. This text matter should be presented separately as marked-up copy. Content, style and production specifications should reflect your treatment of the exhibition. A same-size dummy catalogue and details of grids should be provided.
• Exhibition panels – three exhibition panels, including an introductory panel. These should be presented as a 25% of full-size visuals with same-size examples of type usage.
• Press Advertisement – In addition to the design, identify and specify an appropriate publication and size for the ad.
• Exhibition Poster or Ambient media.
• Admission ticket
• An innovative piece of merchandise

Exhibition design is something that interests me, especially after learning about how to design for exhibitions in one of the grid books I read over the summer. I think if I choose two designers whose work heavily featured grids then that would work quite well as it relates to my dissertation and personal interests. There are a lot of requirements such as posters, tickets and catalogues but I think it would be fun to design all the different elements.

Lucid Dreams

The results of my little experiment with paper cut outs. I used alternate blue and white paper to try and create a slightly psychedelic feeling. It also makes it hard to read what the word is. You have to look at it a bit longer. So I also did the 2nd set of the pieces I had cut out. The way these layered gave it a 3D look which I think looks pretty cool. While I was doing these I had some great ideas for a paper doily cut out.