THE ALBION//

The Albion is a rider owned and run BMX magazine. It is a Bi-monthly publication which can be picked up for free at a local BMX shop. I used this magazine as research for several reasons. It is a well put together magazine compared to other BMX magazines, which can appear cheap and quickly thrown together. Whereas the Journalism and Art direction of The Albion is much more professional and influential.

The Albion is similar to that of 'Sidewalk' Skate magazine, where there is a clear passion for the photography and journalism which goes into it. Daniel Benson, is the editor, he also contributes articles as well along with his photography. By looking into my back catologue, I was able to take ideas for composition of photography, Layouts of adverts, style of typography, and also look into quotes from professional riders which some up the reason why they ride bikes everyday.

BRANDING//

BMX branding is key within the industry. Every brand has a logo, which is made up of either a memorable symbol or word. These are key for the brands, as these will be placed on every advert and product, and will also be made into stickers, which will make there way everywhere as kids will stick them on bikes, ramps and helmets. 

I realised that it is extremely important for a clear brand identity. I wanted to create a logo/design for each style of riding which could be repeated again and again. I would need something clear and obvious to a BMX rider.

I looked into existing branding of BMX companies and realised most had several things in common;

- simple shape

- usually one word or less

- mostly black and white

Here are some examples.

I also looked into each kind of riding, and the differences between how people set their bikes up for a different discipline.

For Trails;

-Wide tires for traction

-High front end for stablilty

- 1 or 2 Brakes

-Large gear ration for speed.

For Street;

-2/3/4 pegs for grinding

-small sproket so it doesnt get caught on anything whilst grinding

-Smaller bars for tricks

-usually brakless.

For Park;

- Thinner Tyres

-Cable detangler

-No Pegs

-Good rear brake

-Light parts

I will take all these elements into consideration when designing my brand identitiy/logos as these are the key features which seperate each discipline form the other.

I also looked into a more graphic approach to branding, Here are som images I found on designspiration.com. I like how the resemble a traditional logo or brand stamp. These are the kind of typography/graphics which i would like to use on top of my photography.

MOVING IMAGE//

Related to BMX photography, is the vast amount of video content which is posted online every day. With new videos constantly being used as methods of advertising. Each company tries to constantly provide the consumers with short web edits to capture their attention. This made me think that, as I am trying to capture the attention of people who have never been exposed to BMX before, this might be a really good way of engaging with the audience.

 

I looked into several video styles, which I think would be most successful. 

Above are some screen shots from an advert used to promote a new signature frame. Throughout the video the rider is seen cruising through the streets of LA. This kind of video is full of interesting angles and is composed in a really professional manner. Videos like this are really successful at portraying the simple nature of our sport, and I think this would be the best way to represent it to a new audience. Here is the full video.

THE BANK LA - C.R.E.A.M. — Andrew Jackson — Cruisin' Video from THE BANK on Vimeo.

BMX has many connections with other sports like Skateboarding and surfing. So I looked into Skate and surf videos to see if they had the same feel/atmosphere to their videos. The main Skate video which I liked was 'Etnies:Aimless' This was a Mike Manzoori Production, which I knew would be well filmed, edited and directed. This moving image was screened at La Gaite Lyrique in Paris at a Skateboard Exhibition. The piece celebrated 25 years of Etnies Footwear. Manzoori wanted to capture the essence of skateboarding, and the reason why many people do skate. He wanted to represent how fun and free skateboarding is and how that it is still the reason people skate now, and will be in another 

25 years time.

etnies Presents: Aimless from etnies on Vimeo.

He used a super panoramic approach so the video could be projected right around the gallery. I used high definition cameras and several creative techniques to create the multi shot panoramic. Here you can see he attached 4 DSLR's to a custom rig, so as he skated the cameras rotated around, so the skater moved from shot to shot. He then stitched them along side each other to create the super panoramic. From Aimless I took inspiration of different angles and filming techniques, like the use of selective focus, still and tracking shots, which I could then incorporate into my own piece.

Related to both Skating and BMX is the surfing culture. I was advised to watch "Dogtown and the Z boys". This provided me with information about how our culture started, as the skating/surfing/BMX culture has a lot in common. The documentary interviewed the "Z boys" who were the first to make skate boards. They made them for something to do during the day once the waves had died down. The cut wood down into small surf board shapes, took the clay wheels of roller skates, and started carving down the local hills and 'surfing' banks in local playgrounds. The craze soon took off all across America, and the documentary shows how skating changed the lives of these boys. The documentary brought my attention to the clothing and attitude which started it all off, and this is what I want to portray through my work. 

STOPMOTION//

I also looked into the Idea of Stopmotion and GIF files. I first saw a Nate Williams magazine cover brought to life by an animator, and thought about how I could do this to my own work. I like how it can add another dynamic to illustration. Following this, I was then introduced to the work of Svanmajer and BLU BLU. This made me want to either create one using illustration or photography as these are the two techniques which they adopt.

Here is an example of BLUE's work.

BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

And here is one of Svanmajer's pieces.

As you can see, both are quite different, but they have both adopted the same method. I intend to create mine in photoshop using a number of Jpegs.

NUNO + BENSON//

I also looked into photographers, as photography is a huge part of the BMX industry. There are alot of successfull BMX photographers, but I focused on a few personal favorites of mine, Nuno Olivera and Daniel Benson. 

I love the Vernacular feel to some of their images, and the way the photos are from their perspective and not all heavily planned. I feel like this captures the feeling of BMX as it is through the eys of one of the riders. I hope to try and capture the same relaxed feel with some of my images. I also like the idea of portraights. Where the emphasis is not just on the person, but the environment and clothing aswell. I think this would be a very good way of representing the BMX culture and how diverse it is.

DEFGRIP//

Another resource which I used for research was Nuno's website, Defgrip. This has an Art and Design section where he posts links to designers/artists he likes. This was how I first came across Chris Piascik's work. Defgrip is a leading BMX website, and is known throughout the industry for the site that makes "everything look good" and if companys want a well made video, they would go to defgrip. I like keeping up to date with the posts on Defgrip, as it is not all BMX related, but when it is, it is always the best graphics and design work which is currently in the BMX industry.

 

My favourite section on Defgrip is the 'Disposed' section. This is where they provide teams with several disposable cameras, and tell them to snap away throughout their trip. The outcome is a selection of random, vernacular photos, with a lovely grain from the film. I like these because I think they capture the everyday feel of the trip, without being cleverly thoughout and planned. It also provides the audience with a real insight to what it would be like to go on these trips as a professional. This would be a great way to connect with a new audience and help them take it BMX.

They have a similar feel to some of Nuno's work. He carrys round a Lomo camera in his backpocket, and takes pictures of things he comes into contact with on a daily basis. He uploads them all to his blog http://www.olivejuuuuice.com/ . This vernacular feel is what I would like to capture within my photography, as I think it is the best way of representing the way riders see things. 

ALMOND//

I also stumbled across the almond footwear adverts on Defgrip. Almonds advertising is also done by Daniel Benson. I like the graphic approach to these adverts. I like the composition of the photography and the simple, crisp typography. I would like to create a piece of design which combines photography and typography in a sophisticated way like these.

 Here are some more examples of this style of graphics which I found on Designspiration.
 

ILLUSTRATORS//

I researched in detail, the sport in general, as well as illustrators, photographers etc who inspire me. I started off my looking into a few illustrators whose work really inspires me. 

Chris Piascik

Nate Williams

Adam Haynes

These are the work of Chris Piascik, Nate Williams, and Adam Haynes. Although they all have very different styles, each one uses certain methods or process which I can relate to and hope to use within my work. I have always been a fan of Chris Piasciks Hand drawn type, and love the different textures and colour pallettes he uses throughout his work. I want to incorporate hand rendered type into this project as I think it has a unique quality to it which can't be created digitially.

I would also like to use the releif printing technique of Nate Williams as I like the loose, child like outcome. I would like to create some printed illustrations and make them into short stop motions.

TYPOGRAPHY//

Following on from those illustrators, is a book which I have used for inspiration before. " Hand Job: A catologue of Type" is a collection of hand rendered type from a variety of typographers/illustrators. I have used this book as a reference in previous projects and think it has the best variety of illustrative type I can find.

I love this style of type, as I think each one is completly unique, and can't be re produced. I love the childish approach aswell that comes with it. The use of relief printing and bold colours give it a friendly feel and the colours can really help represent what the illustrator is trying to represent.

I've always been interested in hand rendered type and would love to introduce it into this project at some point.

Here are a few example pages from inside the book.

MY CHOSEN IDEA//

After receiving the brief, I knew I wanted to do my project around BMX. I wanted to capture the whole culture, and present it in a creative way to others who have never been exposed to it before. I wanted to focus on everything from the riding, the tricks, the parts, the locations, right down to the clothes and other hobbies that other riders have. As I am part of the culture myself, I believe this will help me to keep progressing and staying motivated throughout the duration of the project. I wanted to keep my brief fairly open as this will allow my project to flow naturally and not be forced in any one direction.

Throughout the project, I will continue to research into different artists and designers who influence and inspire my methods.

INITIAL IDEAS//

When given the brief for our Final Major Project, We were recommended to research into two initial ideas, then present them at a group tutorial and see what feedback we received. After this we would then realise which idea had the most longevity and potential.

For me, I only really had one idea, but had so many different ways in which I wanted to take it. This allowed me to generate a very broad research sketch book as I looked into everything from print, illustrations, design, photography, right through to moving image. I had ideas for all and wanted to know which ones would be more successful.


With in the Blog I will reflect on all my research and work and all the problems and success I have along the way.