Lets Brand This B*tch.

Template for other designs, but also the logo I will use for my brand.

Due to researching so many brands, both fashion and non-fashion, I have been able to clarify how I want my logo and brand-name to appear. I decided to go the the brand name Distort. This singular word compliments the abstract photos which will be featured on my t-shirts, but also because the name is one word, this compliments my theme of simplicity and not over-complicating things.

After the logo research I decided that I wanted the logo to be black and white, graphic, and get my brands’ message across. This message is simplicity and abstraction. I sketched out several designs using the word Distort to help decide what aesthetics I liked the most. This angular and somewhat obscure final design I chose to go with, is relevant to all the aspects I wanted my logo to be.

Using my iPad I used the final design as a template to create variations of the design to ensure I was completely happy with the idea I had chosen. The use of colour and texture does make for an interesting image, but I do not feel they work that well as a logo. I want the logo to be simple, blunt and not easily forgotten. Any use of colour and different textures may distract attention from the brands’ name.

By creating these variations of the logo, I have been able to decide that it is my original simple design that I intend to use. I think it looks professional, interesting, memorable and suitable for the subject content of my images.

‘Off The Wall’

Legends: Stecyk Tee

OTW Gallery Jai Tanju Camera Tee

Wheelin’Tee

To gather further knowledge on plain t-shirts featuring black and white photographic prints, I looked into the infamous skate brand Vans. These t-shirts I have shown are from their latest collection online. I wanted to look into a well-known brand to both gather more ideas for my own photos but also ensure none of the major clothing brands famous for printed t-shirts, are doing anything similar to my own ideas.

Legends Stecyk Tee – This is one of my favourite t-shirts I have looked at featuring a person rather than just abstract photography which is what I will focus on. I like the contrast between the dark floor and the light sky, with the dark helmet, hair and jeans of the skateboarder. Lots of contrast with objects within the image is something I could look into for my photos.

OTW Gallery Jai Tanju Camera Tee – I really like the simplicity of this image due to the layout of the content, but also the square photo with the content central within the image. I also like the placement of the image on the t-shirt. I think this heavy focus on a simple photo with a simple and obvious image placement on the t-shirt is an idea I could consider for my project.

Wheelin’ Tee – This is my least favourite t-shirt out of the three as I feel I have seen similar designs on a few other brands/designers. I feel it is one of these images that is created to be liked by the masses and popular amongst a large audience. I want to create photos that are different and not necessarily liked by everyone who sees them. I want my photos to provoke different feelings and reactions, both of approval and disapproval.

After researching another brand which sells black and white photographic tees, I have been able to gather further knowledge on what I do and don’t want my images to appear like, but also I have been able to discover what reactions I want to achieve with the viewers.

Chosen Two

Chris Marker – Staring Back

‘A New York Graphic Society Book’

Bicycle, Snow, Yosemite National Park 1938

Glass Shards, Los Angeles 1939

I chose to look more in depth into two specific black and white photographers that caught my eye whilst researching suitable photographers that I could relate to my own project involving black and white photography.

The first photographer Chris Marker interested me due to the way he portrays a subject using an un-focused technique to create an interesting image but also polar opposite subjects within the same image to create a striking look, such as the elderly woman and the car crash. I really like this idea of using a technique to create an ‘imperfect’ image such as through the out of focus method.

The second photographer Ansel Adams is of course infamous in the photography world, however this particular book featuring black and white photography contains several interesting images of both people and objects. I chose to just feature the abstract images of every day objects such as glass and a bike, as the photos have been taken in a way to make the overall look of the image much more interesting. This has been done through close-ups of the objects to make the image more interesting and eye-catching rather than just standard photos of standard objects.

Both photographers can help me with my own photos as I can take certain methods they use within these particular images to create an interesting, black and white, abstract picture.

Stalk the photographer

Bats – Giuseppe Pagano

Casting Shadows – Eintoern

Seven – Stefan Hellkvist

Metal Plates – Keith Lanpher

As I want to print black and white abstract photos on my t-shirts, I have looked into a few photographers who are doing this already. I included these photographers as I like certain aspects of the images they took and want to consider these aspects for my own photos.

Bats –

I like this image because of the mixture of focus and out of focus to create an ethereal feel and more life like, as if the pegs are indeed actually bats. The extreme blackness of the pegs and washing line combined with the light and ‘fluffy’ cloud background.

Casting Shadows –

This is my favourite image i have included, due to its simplicity of just focus on the stairs and the shadows they create, concentrating on shadow and a simple image subject is something I will consider for my own images.

Seven –

Again in this image, there is heavy focus on shadow but has been used much more differently, there is so much shadow, the photographer has concentrated on the negative subject within the image. Concentrating on a lot of shadow to highlight interesting features of an object is something I will consider.

Metal Plates –

This photo was taken for an abstract photography competition, and was my favourite image within the collection. The extreme focus on something so ordinary, but using light, shadow and angles to create and interesting image is what I want to base my own images upon. Texture is also very important within the image and is another aspect I could focus on for my images.

These images will help inspire my own photos, but also help with what I do not want to create. Some of these images appear quite commercial and easily viewed by anyone, I want my images to look more ‘handmade’ and rough, not so perfect or edited as I do not want my brand to come across as ‘perfect’ or airbrushed. I want a more ‘raw’ aesthetic.

Tshirt beginnings.

 

 

So i have decided to start printing my own t-shirts. I wanted to start a new brand of t-shirts for a while but never could really decide what to base my brand on, who I wanted to wear the t-shirts and the overall aesthetics of the t-shirts.

I finally decided I want to produce plain t-shirts with black and white abstract photos featured on the chest of the top. The photos will be distorted, mangled and of course abstract images of ordinary objects, but so close up you might not necessarily recognise these objects straight away.

In order to create these images I wanted to use a high quality film camera, so I bought the model I have lusted after for ages!

Im pretty certain the tops will be menswear, as I will advertise them as menswear, but that does not mean women cannot wear them 🙂 Im thinking my kind of customer will be a young adult man, interested in things that are a bit different and does not wear all the obvious brands that are on trend at the moment, possibly interested in extreme sports such as skateboarding and rollerblading, and last but not least, has an eye for fashion.

I have just finished my first roll of black and white film so watch this space as I hope to load some of the decent shots if there are any! hah