DR.ME Workshop

The DR.ME workshop was particular interesting and engaging due to my original preconceptions that collage didn't fit within my work. However the task DR.ME set of creating a piece of moving image using 10 stills created using college has changed this. I found this task particular engaging due to the word we where given (plain) as we decided to create a contrast within the moving image by using incorporating bold colours into our college. We used a simple square to create consistency across the moving image with the colour/pattern within the square changing as well as the letter within each square which spelt out ‘plain & bold’ (see figure 1). This approach allowed us to avoid the stereotypical use of college featuring ‘ransom’ lettering and busy collections to create a quite simple and sophisticated compositions. Consequently keeping the collages simple works successfully in a gif format as the letterforms are more visible due to the limited use of multiple colours and patterns. Overall I found this workshop particularly helpful as it has shown me how I can incorporate college into my work to create a greater variety of exploration within my research and initial ideas.

Figure 1

Studio Brief 2 Research: Leonora Cohens Blue Plaque

In order to gain a better understanding of those involved in the riot I discovered Leonora Cohens former home in Leeds (see figures 1)which is marked with a blue plaque awarded by Leeds Civiv Trust (see figure 2) to commemorate her work as a Suffragette. She's most famous for smashing a showcase in the Jewel House of the Tower of London and for her hunger strike at Armley Gaol in 1913. The blue plaque honours her work in Leeds and for the Suffragettes which is something I wish to achieve within my print. Cohen was awarded an OBE for public service as she was one of the first women to be sawn in as a Justice of the Peace in the second round of appointments for women. She served as a magistrate for 25 years.  In relation to her work for the Suffragettes Cohen became branch secretary of the WSPU for Leeds. She was also a member of the Yorkshire Federation of Trade Councils and the General and Municipal Workers Union, showing her vast involvement within the community of Leeds.

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Figure 2

Studio Brief 2: Public Events in Leeds

1908 Suffragette Riot
On 10th October 1908 the suffragettes and suffragists saw Liberal Prime Minister Asquiths visit to address the unemployment crisis as an opportunity to challenge and embarrass the government in pursuit of women's rights, particularly the vote. The address and subsequent riot took place at the Coliseum on Cookridge street which is now the o2 Academy. In order to reduce the expected suffragette presence tickets where stamped with Men Only. However this didn't stop Ms Jennie Baines from addressing a large crowd of attendees of a meeting for the unemployed called by the Leeds Permanent Committee of the unemployed that had moved up from Victoria Square where she stated the unemployment 'was more a women'
s question than a mans  for it was the wife's that had to meet the landlords demands for rent'. Later she stated 'break down the barricades and compel a hearing' which was seen to instigate the riot as the crowd attempted to gain entry to the coliseum. Despite the media portraying this riot as particularly violent the only damage was a broken pain of glass my Leonora Cohen.

Key Suffragettes Involved:
Jennie Bains was later arrest and imprisoned for her involvement in the riot, becoming the first suffragette to be imprisoned after conviction. Baines was one of the first advocates of militant methods after joining the Women's Social and Political Union in 1905. She was later arrested fifteen times for her involvement in protest around the country and went on five hunger strikes in a bid to be released from prison.

Leonora Cohen:
Leeds born suffragette who become famous for throwing an iron bar into a showcase containing the insignia of the Order of Merit inside the Tower of London. Despite her involvement in the 1908 riot in Leeds she didn't join the Women's Social and Political Union until 1909. Cohen was also involved in a further distribution at an address in 1913 by Prime Minister Asquith.

This riot was significant in shaping Leeds as a city as it promoted equality as well as raised awareness for the unemployment crisis at the time. Consequently those involved also contributed to the suffragettes effort to achieve the vote in 1918 but also the earlier attempt in 1913. Today the O2 Academy stands in place of the coliseum and is a major venue in the Leeds music scene linking to the coliseums use as an all purpose hall for theatre, concerts and political meetings.

Gas Workers Riot 1890:
Protest across Leeds particularly by the Town Hall and on Meadow Lane in Holbeck. The riot was sparked by the gas workers protesting against the Gas Committees decision to withdraw Labour from the 1st July until winter and bring in blackleg workers from Manchester and London. This sparked outrange among the trade unions and workers which had been building up due to social discontent surrounding housing and sanitation. A significant number (30000) gather outside the Town Hall to protest as this was where many of the blackleg workers where being housed by the government due to attempts by protesters to knock down marques that had initially been set up to house the workers. Those involved in confrontations with the police that left many injured which lead to police being called in form Bradford, York and Huddersfield. Despite the violent nature of this protest the crowd did achieve there goal as they managed to persuade many blackleg workers to leave causing a shortage in gas which led to the Committee revoke the withdrawal of labour allowing worker to return to work. This riot was particularly significant as it managed to achieve its objective and saw a large amount of the population come together to support the workers with the protest being one of the largest in Leeds' history.

Nelson Mandelas Vist 2001:
Nelson Mandela came to Leeds in 2001 to open Millennium Square and re-dedicate Mandela Gardens but also to thank Leeds for its support in abolishing apartheid in South Africa. The Leeds Anti-Apartheid group was one of many that campaigned against apartheid by hosting marches and protests as well as lobbying politicians and boycotting banks and business with trade links that supported apartheid. Upon re-dedicating Mandela Gardens he said the gardens remind him of his childhood which he said makes him at peace with himself and the people of Leeds. I've chosen to look into this particular event as it shows the impact that the people of Leeds had as a collective in  contribution to abolishing apartheid. Additionally this was a exciting and happy occassion where as the other events I've research have only had a positive impact afterwards due to the nature of riots/protest.

Overall based on the research I've conducted I plan to base this brief, to produce an A3 poster celebrating a public event that has shaped leeds by focusing on the Suffragette Riot in 1908 as this is an interesting topic for me and links to recent events involving women protesting for equal rights across the world.

Final Design Evaluation

Overall I feel the final cover for In Cold Blood (see figure 1 and 2)  works successfully as I've been able to reference the key events within the books whilst questioning the involvement of different characters through the inclusion of a suspect list. The design is successful due to the simple nature of design which allows the list to be questioned by the reader in order to spark their interest in the book. In addition the use of red highlights impact of the killers on family and draws attention to those involved. Despite the successes of the cover if I had more time I could experiment with different ways to demonstrate those involved instead of the use of a simple list. However I feel the simple use of a list allows the characters to be the main focus. Overall the cover works well to represents book as a whole whilst focusing on an interesting and less obvious section of the book due to the inclusion of Floyd Wells. In relation to the back the layout works well to break up lots of information to create a spacious design which is emulated on the front through the use of splitting the information between the top and bottom of the design. However I feel further experimentations with colour could of created a more intersting cover as the use of red is quite generic therefor if I had more time I would experiment in this area further. I comparison to existing covers the design avoids the use of obvious image and textures typography, referencing the refined style of the first edition cover through the focus on typography. 

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Figure 2

5 cover feedback

Upon receiving feedback many felt figure 1 was successful due to its simple nature with the quote in the middle and the required information in the top left corner.  Many though this was one of the strongest ideas due to the concept behind it as it links to the impartial nature in which Capote writes throughout the book whilst simultaneously referencing the violence and destruction caused by the crime.  However many felt the cover would create a more powerful impact if it was inverted (see figure 2) which I feel creates a more contemporary and professional design as well as having a greater impact on the audience.

In relation to figure 3 and 4 many thought the covers where designed well however lacked concept due to the obvious use of the shotgun to represent the murders with each gun representing a member of the Clutter family. In addition many favoured the black and white version of the cover this created a greater impact as the shotguns stood out more effectively. The use of black and white also aided in avoiding the obvious use of red within the designs which many felt created a generic cover especially when used with the shotguns. Overall I feel these designs are the least successful due to the lack of concept behind the idea which has led to a design that lack innovation.

In addition many believed figure 5 was the most successful design due to the inclusion of the suspect list featuring the perpetrators but also those involved in the investigation. The use of handwritten type create the overall aesthetic of a police investigation and the elimination of suspects which I feel I've captured well within this design. I plan to develop these design further in order to create my final design as the image is slightly pixilated when printed and the layout of the required information needs a little work as it appears to get cut off when printed.

Although the concept behind this idea was interesting as it plays on the fictional events of the family's last day before the murders some felt it could be slight difficult to interpret. I also prefer figure 5 as I feel although the icons represent the victims they only reference a small section of the book. However within peer-to-peer feedback many thought the design was successful but they preferred figure 5 as they thought it better reflected the book as a whole.

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Figure 2

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Figure 5

Figure 6

Book Cover Designs

Figure 1: 'four shotgun blasts that all told ended six lives'

The use of 'four shotgun blasts that all told ended six lives' on the cover demonstrates the destructive nature of the crime and its impact on both the family and the killers. This links to the impartial nature in which Capote wrote In Cold Blood as the quote gives equal weighting to the Clutters and Perry and Dick as in the end they all died as the result of the murders.  The placement of the quote in the centre takes advantage of the negative space allowing the eye to be drawn to the quote for a more powerful impact to be create. Other experimentations splitting the quote into three lines and placing it in the bottom corner created a more cramped look to the cover despite the large amount of negative space.

Figure 1

Figure 2: Character Icons

This cover focuses on the fictional events of the Clutters final day as created by Capote. Each icon featured represents on of the victims,  Mr Clutter (wheat grain) , thimble (Mrs Clutter), pie (Nancy) and the radio (Kenyon). These use of these icons hints to the reader about the events within the book by subtle referencing the characters which will become clear as the audience reads the book. The placement of Mr and Mrs Clutter at the top of the grid references the expected family dynamic which readers will discover is not the case due to Mrs clutters depression however despite the unusual dynamic this placement highlights the venerability of the two teenagers despite Nancy grown up role to highlight the destructive nature of the crime. The most successful designs features smaller versions of the icons about the title and author which create a column on the cover as inspire by newspaper columns which feature the high profile story. However I feel this design isn't as successful as others I've developed as it fails to create a significant impact on the audience.

Figure 2

Figure 3: Suspect list
This cover explores the suspects ( Bobby Rye) within the book and those which contributed to the Clutters murders in the form of Floyd Wells, Perry Smith and Dick Hitckock. The introduction of the murderers within the cover doesn't distract from the story line as Capote introduces the murders at the beginning of the book as he only withhold the details of the murders themselves. Consequently the inclusion of Floyd wells references his initial involvement in the crime as he was the person who told Dick about the Clutters and failed to correct him when he assumed Mr Clutter would have a safe and a large amount of money despite knowing Mr Clutter never carried cash. Therefor creating the motive for the crimes with some arguing that Floyd was just as much to blame for the murders as Perry and Dick. Bobby Rye was the main suspect initially as he was the only person with real motive to kill the Clutters however was later cleared by a lie detecter test. The use of including all of these characters subtly references the investigation which leads the capture of Perry and Dick.

Figure 3

Figure 4:
The use of the shotgun visualises the quote featured which references the destruction the murders caused as it ended the lives  both the victims and the murders. This was chosen for the cover in order to reflect the impartial way Capote constructed the book as he depicts the events as fact rather than from the point of view of either the victim or the killers allowing the audience to come to their own conclusion/feelings towards Perry and Dick without eternal influence. In order to develop this further to better reflect the Clutter the shotgun has been repeated four times to represent each victim. The use of red within this design is taken from the first book cover. The use of repeating the shotgun better reflects the story and quote (four shotgun blasts) as the use of one shotgun lacked impact as it got lost among the negative space on the cover.  The use of six repeated shotgun o represent the impact of the murders on both the victims and killers create a more accurate link to the quote however created a design that was too busy and cramped leading the use of four.

Figure 4

30 Thumbnail Sketches

Initial Ideas: 

- Incorporate quote from the book, 'four shotgun blasts that all told ended six lives' 

- Included binoculars and radio which aided in the arrest of Dick and Perry.

- Shotgun repeated to represent each victim 

- cover featuring suspect list of those involved/suspected throughout the book

- highlight the fictional events Capote create of the Clutters actions the day of the murder. 

Figures 1 show initial sketches incorporating the initial ideas above with typographic treatments designed in study task 2 in order to develop 5 digital designs for the cover of In Cold Blood. Upon reflection those which are most successful are those which take advantage of the negative space within the cover and feature a simple and potentially typographic design. However the success of the ideas above will be more visible once digitally produced in order to see how they work within the specific size of the book cover. I feel the strongest idea is that of the suspect list and the use of the quote as these address the themes of the book in a less obvious manner. 

Figure 1

Study Task 3: Typographic Treatments

Figure 1

Upon conducting research into In Cold Blood these typographic treatments have been design with the list of adjectives from study task 1 in mind. Figure 1 featured treatments based on sophistication which relates to the style in which Capote wrote the book with interchanging narratives to depict the events of the crime and investigation. The use of Bodoni in these treatments reference this sophistication in a contemporary style whilst paying homage to the original cover which featured a similar typeface. Within these treatments the Marber grid has been used as a basis for the layout to gain an understanding of how the information best sits on the front cover. The most successful of these experimentations are those which adapt the grid and use its formation in an alternative way allowing the information to be broken up on the page to provide greater space from potential designs.

Figure 2 and 3 features treatments based on impartial nature Capote writes in to describe the facts of the murders themselves and the following investigation. Within these treatments Helvetica has been used due to its uniform and simple nature which effectively represent the impractical nature of the book as it has no impact on the audiences impression/opinion of the book create a more intriguing cover as little is given away within the use of typography. As seen in the typographic treatments in figure 1 those which are the most successful are those which break up the required information on the cover as grouping it together creates a focal point and would distract viewers from the design on the cover. Additionally the additional space created by splitting up the information creates a more contemporary and professional cover as the information isn't cramped into one section.

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Figure 3

In Cold Blood Research: Study Task 1

In Cold Blood Summary:

In Cold Blood depicts the events that lead to the murder of the Clutter family in  Holcomb, Kansas, in 1959 and the subsequent investigation to find the killers. The killers Perry and Dick murdered the family including Mr and Mrs Clutter, their daughter Nancy and son Kenyon over a safe that Dick believed was in the house after talking to his former cell mate Floyd Wells whom inform him about the Clutters. Initially their seemed to be no motive for the crime with people in Holcomb labelling the Clutter the least likely to be murdered as they where well liked and heavily involved within the community. However robbery become the clear motive when it was discovered certain items, Mr Clutters binoculars and Kenyons zenith radio where missing. Capotes style of writing the 'nonfiction novel' lead to the successes of the book as he describes the events as fact and not from the view point of wither the victims or killers allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions about the murders. This is further aided by Capote carefully revealing the details of the murders at different points once the murders have been caught. Additionally the interchanging narratives within the book further add to the impartial nature as Capote gives equal importance to both the murders, victims and investigation.  The investigation into the murders took a significant tole on Capote as he became close to the murders and never finished writing another book with many saying In Cold Blood was his undoing.

Chapter 1:
Introduced the characters and sets up the scene for the murders, jumping from the families day-to-day to the killers. The families account is fictional and created by Capote. This chapter sets out the families hope and dreams which heightens the tragedy of the murders when they are committed. The juxtaposition of the the killers day next to the families normalises them allowing the reader to see them as people and not just killers. 

Chapter 2:
The bodies have been discovered and the investigation begins. Capote reveals more information about the killers, in particular Perry's childhood. Throughout the investigation the police discover Nancy's missing watch and Kenyon's missing radio, with more details about the murders being revealed such as the fact that Nancy was tucked into bed. Throughout this chapter Dick and Perry continue there journey, hitchhiking along the way. 

Chapter 3:
This chapter sees the introduction of Floyd Wells Dick's former cell mate who informs the police about the killers after telling Dick about the Clutters but failing to mention that Mr Clutter didn't keep cash within the house. The police became more confident that Perry and Dick are the killers but haven't realsied this information to the media. However the pair are arrested later on in the chapter with Perry giving a full confession. 

Chapter 4:
Perry and Dick are in prison awaiting trial. They are sentenced to death and arrive on death row where Capote breifly discuss the other prisoners. The killers are hung with the book ending on Detective Al moving on with his life.

Characters:

Herbert William Clutter:
Mr Clutter is the head of the family and ranch owner who is known for providing well for his family and employing several ranch hands. He's infamous for not carrying cash which makes the motive for the murders troubling as well as for not employing anyone who drinks alcohol. Its believed he was the first to be killed by Perry which started an unstoppable frenzy in which Perry killed the rest of the family.

Bonnie Clutter:
Mrs Clutter is a recluse suffering from post-natal depression after the birth of Kenyon, however puts her illness down to a pinched nerve in her back an believes she'll be back to her old self in no time. She notorious for always being cold even in the height of summer and for collecting miniature things.

Nancy Clutter:
 Nancy helps run the house due to her mothers illness and is well like and involved within the community. Her boyfriend Bobby was the polices first suspect as he seem to be the only person with real motive but was later cleared.

Kenyon Clutter:
Kenyon is highly intelligent with a talent for building electronic machinery and carpentry. He's takes after his mother in being a bit of a loner by having only one close friend who he no longer sees regularly.

Perry Smith:
Perry who is believed to have killed all the Clutters himself had a difficult childhood after he was abandoned and abused by nuns with two of his sibling dying at a young age. This difficult upbringing could be seen as the hidden motive for the murders as Perry displaces his anger by taking revenge on those who heart him through the Clutter family. Perry is small in height but has a muscular upper body which create a significant contrast against his short legs. He has an incredible interesting in knowledge, vocabulary and literature despite never finishing third grade.

Dick Hitchcock:
Dick is the mastermind behind the murders after hearing about a big score at the Clutters via cell mate Floyd Wells. Dick is motivated solely by money, greed and vanity and is also motivated by the fact there was a teenage girl in the house who he planned to rape however never did. His friendship with Perry is based on a story Perry told him in which he beat a man to death using a bicycle chain and he hoped to bring out this murderous side of Perry during the robberies.

Floyds Wells:
Dicks former cell-mate who later told the police about Perry and Dick which lead to their capture. However he is the originally instigator of the murders as he told Dick about the Mr Clutter, his former employer. Wells also failed to correct Dick when he believed that there would be a safe containing £10,000 in cash despite Mr Clutter being notorious for not carrying cash.

To create a better understanding of In Cold Blood I've created a list of adjective to help inform my designs:
- Destructive
- Clever
- Sophisticated
- Engaging
- Suspicious
- Impartial
- Random
- Uncontrollable
- Complex
- Needless