Study Task 9: Project Statement

The print making practical project based on ‘Cats in Hats’ is inspired by the second essay ‘Why are handmade techniques still embraced within graphic print practices’. In particular, one of the main print making methods which is discussed throughout the essay: screen print. This inspired me to base my practical work purely on this technique.

I changed my original brief which was based on prints inspired by Cadburys Chocolate as Cadburys was one of the very first brands to use print making throughout their branding. However, I changed my brief to Cats in Hats as the Cadburys brief as I later realised that the idea didn’t interest me enough. Cats in hats is based on personal interest and love for cats, which meant that I enjoyed it a lot more, changing my brief was the right decision.

Before and during creating my screen prints, I researched into collage artists as the imagery for the cats in hats was created using collage, the artists that inspired me were Quentin Jones and Antoine+Manuel. Furthermore, print making  artists were also researched and referenced for the practical work as well as in the second essay: Anthony Burrill and Ben Rider. Anthony Burrill has made more impact on the way graphic design has developed through print making methods, whereas Ben Rider is an artist that I personally love the work of, his work has a more contemporary, wacky and individual look, this is what inspired the playful aesthetic of the screen prints I created.

The technique of screen print was used throughout the practical work in 2 ways; through A3 posters and through A5 postcards. I think I fully explored the technique of screen print because the posters and postcards were different sizes, which meant that scale and layout had been thoroughly experimenting with when creating my screens as well as the actual prints. The technique of screen print was a really interesting and enjoyable method to use once the screens are exposed and ready to print.

I was also extremely happy with the final outcome, particularly the postcards. Furthermore, my initial idea was to just create a set of screen printed posters. However, I felt that the posters weren’t experimental or as fun as I wanted them to look, which is why I decided to create a set of smaller postcards to go with them. The postcards have a much more fun and abstract aesthetic.

However, I think I could have linked my practical work to my brief more maybe if it was inspired by certain artists that I talked about that use screen print, e.g. Anthony Burrill. This could be done by adding typography into my screen prints, instead of just imagery. I also think I could’ve explored the print making topic more through my practical work if I used more than one technique, for example a combination of two techniques in one piece, or just creating separate pieces which both explore a different technique. Screen print combined with letter press would have been a nice contrast to experiment with.