Compositional decisions and structure of imagery
The design began by drawing simple lines that alluded to varying perspectives, and drawing free hand the words of the poem into this created structure. As the design started to build up it began to take form and resembled rays of sunshine. This idea complimented the words of poem and from watching the Doors film, where much of Morrisons deep connections happen on the beach of California, I thought an idealistic setting of waves and sun rays was a perfect representation of the key concepts on both the poem, and why I selected it was the focus of this response. That is due to its nature of glorifying death and rejecting the corporate world, this juxtaposes any negative imagery and instead focuses on the transcendental.
It became clear after completing the sun rays that the entire poem would not fit comfortably, and may be too much in this style if the individual lettering designs was to be fulling appreciated. As such the design proceeds to pick out the relevant sections that communicate the rationales message.
The varying size of certain words was also important for the way it will be read. Words like 'death' 'unannounced' 'unplanned' are larger as to place emphasis and strain on them. They are shouted when read internally, and this contrast with smaller words right next to them imitates the motion of a wave crashing and flowing. The scene becomes more immersive and the words of poem puncture the reader with more zest and thus meaning. In this way the design successfully communicates its message, and brings Morrisons poem to life through its own interpretation.
Variations of process, experimenting with the best ways to fit in the keys lines from the poem without hindering the flow of the design, keeping consistency:
The final design work didn't want to feel overcrowded or overwhelming. It was important that the viewer wanted to actually read the words, rather than feeling overwhelmed by it. Keeping it short and aesthetically balanced would invite more people to read the words and thus see Morrison in this different way (which is the point of the brief).
Final Composition
The final composition is well balanced and obvious to gage. The type completely composes the imagery, playing on the themes of nostalgic 60s & 70s gig posters. The varying sizes of wording allows the poem to be read in a rhythm, which also compliments the characteristics of the imagery itself. The warped, wavy and bubbly type emits a tranquil and almost holy feeling as if one is being taken upwards into a 'heaven' or the sky.
Adding colour and a border:
How can colour add to the scene and enhance the piece's communication?
The 60s rock posters were vibrant and playful in their colour choices to mirror the aesthetic of the time. The shades were often a bit darker in tone as the posters were done by hand and photocopied rather than digitally printed for them most part. This is what gave them the retro look we now know and reference. As such, the design trials opposing colours to juxtapose the scene, giving it psychedelic qualities - such as a pink and green sky with a purple sea.
The border experiment was the see how the shape left for the sun itself could possibly frame the image. However, this gave it too much of a formality that is too structures and not reflective of the 'flowiness' that is communicated from the image. It blocks it off, making it feel trapped and too rigid.
Focusing on realistic colours, prefer the composition without the border:
The design then looked into more normal translations of the scene, but using a palette that reflected the films Morrison made, album covers, posters and The Doors of Perception book cover.
The red and yellow was too harsh, making the scene seem more dangerous and harsh than tranquil. The orange and darker yellow have a nice balance and with the green they are analogue colours - the three next to each other in the colour wheel, making them harmonious in practice and effect.
Having the see in green runs with the idea of colours that are off, in line with psychedelic connotations (which Morrison openly identified with), as well as complimenting the colours from the rays. It was important for the colours to not be literal translations as to maintain its 'off' nature, with a poem that rationalises death.
Making some portrait variations for phone backgrounds
Changing the colour gives the design completely new dimensions and feelings. Outside of this submission and the original concept, it can be used malleably for an array of outcomes. Someone who saw the original design asked if I could make it into the format for their phone background and wanted greens and blues so that was personalised for them, and similar with a valentines day variation. It's interesting to see how a design can evolve outside of its purpose for people who simply enjoy the way it makes them feel.
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