Visual Layout Research

After looking into Contextual research, I wanted to do some visual research to do with the book layout and the formats we could use. I was looking initially for some simple layouts where the main focus is on the photographs taken. Asking Asia, she did not want any writing on her booklet as it could detract from her idea and photographs that represent the idea. 

                    

Contextual Research

In order to start generating ideas for this project I decided we needed to looking at existing book formats and layouts to gather an idea of what we could produce that would create the best outcome possible. As I visited Cuba last Summer I had some ideas of some physical aspects that I could include to make the booklet personal and relative to Cuba with a subtle aspect to it. I initially gathered some context to Cuba to see if there was anything that would affect our initial ideas. 

Going to Cuba taught me that there are many authentic amazing things to be seen, but this can be ruined by the sudden rise of tourism. Since Obama expanded authorised travel to Cuba, US travel alone increased by over 77%/.  The fastening rise of economic development, with more and more things such as hotels for the rise in tourists could ruin Cuba for ever.

Having researched the country before going, I had a brief understanding of the country’s political structure; namely, how it remains one of the only communist countries left in the world. With the death of Cuba’s leader, Fidel Castro in 2012, communism has slowly become less entrenched in Cuban society. Accompanying this decline sprung a prolific trend amongst travellers to visit and get a glimpse behind this modern Iron Curtain. at one of the last communist states in the world. Years of isolation and trade embargoes have left
Cuba predominately self-sufficient. The state both rejects capitalism and claims a virtually classless society, administering utterly free healthcare and education for all. Cuba embraces all the principles of a communist society which can be defined as a social organisation in which all property is owned by the community and each person contributes and receives according to their ability and needs.

Going to Cuba also made me realise the shape of Cuba on the map (shown below). It is one long line, I thought this could be an aspect that could be represented in the final book to reinforce the story that is also a line. This is an aspect that can play on the audiences subconscious. 

Visual Research from Cuba **

my own images - reference the different sides of it - hustle and bustle e.g

John Urray research from Asias Essay

Building on the overt connection between photography and tourism, John Urray’s concept of ‘the circle of representation’ shows how photography and tourism are intrinsically linked. His discussion of this notion in ‘The Tourist Gaze’ states that in being a tourist, one participates in a particular way of looking at the world, which has been enacted by the tourism industry.

Urray saw this as a ‘closed circle of representation’ (urray, 2008 , p. 14) in which the touristic industry would create an image to attract tourists who then in turn would reproduce that image in their on-holiday photographs and then share it. 

As an increasing number of tourists documented these locations and shared their travel experiences, it attracted more tourism to that location.

Asia Extended essay

Cubano Brief

This brief is a collaboration with Asia who is a third-year photography student and my peer Katherine Edwards who is also a third year graphic design student. Asia came to us both and gave us the deadline of the 14th of December 2018 to produce a book / booklet for her final photographs for her COP module. 

Her brief to us was clear, she wanted us to come up with some ideas on how to best design and layout her photographs. Her initial project was on Cuba and the difference between the two sides that Cuba had, I understood this well as I went to Cuba for a month in Summer and saw exactly what she had been photographing. This was a project I knew I would enjoy as I loved Cuba and I wanted to represent her project well and show the audience the two variations of Cuba.

The key element of this brief was to tell a story through her photographs, which would be portrayed through the experimentation of size and layout and the book format. These were all aspects that Katherine and I would need to explore and try out many different options in order to report back to each other and then ask Asia to have a meeting in order to see if we were on the correct path and to see if she wanted us as the designers to change anything for her needs.