ROUX:
Diving into new waters
As part of a school module, Roux was my first introduction to Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. The objective was to create a suite of marketing material for a given scenario. We were required to create 3 Static Ads, 2 Moving ads & 1 Feature Piece (Video/Website/Etc.) that encapsulated the entire project.
Despite being the first instance of me using techniques such as photo manipulation, graphic design, video editing and more, I still don't consider these to be my first official digital art pieces for the sole reason that it was a school submission and not something I came up with. This isn't to undermine the tremendous work and effort that went into this project but to simply say that Roux would never have been an project I executed unless it was a submission for a module.
That being said, Roux is the most fun I have had editing for any project or piece and I definitely owe a lot to it for helping me hone my craft and create pieces I am still very proud of to this day.
The following writings have been taken directly from the documentation I did for the submission of this project since that would be the best entry possible. SUPER wordy but it gives incredible detailed insight into a very ambitious project.
ROUX
The task: to create a suite of branding materials for the artist Roux. A critically acclaimed non-binary Glasgow based singer and songwriter. Their third and latest album arrives in 2024 with the feature track Strange Party Tricks. Roux would like to shed some light on their non-binary side as well as represent the Glasgow style in the materials created. However, each of these representations are to be done without turning the materials into clichés. Roux has a signature style of vintage technicolor and would like their art to shine at the forefront of the branding materials.
BRAINSTORMING
Overview: The mind map I came up with contains both visual research I conducted as well as the formation of core ideas. These ideas had significant impacts on the subsequent creative materials I created. The mind map therefore provided the proper place to note down my thoughts and decide which ones I would keep and which ones I would let go off over the course of this project. Below are some of the important concepts I resonated with and kept, as well as examples of those I did not. I will not go into detail on everything listed in the mind map. Rather, I will provide more context into my thought process of some of the key areas, as the mind map could simply not do so on its own. Explaining my thought process on which ideas got picked will be integral in understanding the direction the overall project ended up taking.
Breakdown of the different 'Glasgow styles'
Glasgow style can be interpreted in two different ways. Firstly, it can refer to the actual art style which existed from 1890s to 1914. This style, while not created by one specific individual, is commonly attributed to the artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh. His signature style saw art be elongated, with long black lines creating a distinct outline for his work. The most common attribution this art style carries is that of the stained glass art style due to its more muted colors and thick outlines.
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However, Glasgow style can also refer to the overall culture and arts scene in Glasgow. While doing research into the arts scene in Glasgow, I found it was a rather large community with an extremely vibrant and diverse culture. Going onto Glasgow related forums, I saw many local users posting which gig to go see next. There were even weekly mega-posts with all the upcoming events and shows of the coming week listed in the thread for all to see. Such a rich culture in the performing arts is quite unique to Glasgow especially given its smaller size compared to some other countries.
Accepted Glasgow style idea
For my project, I chose to shed light on the latter interpretation of the 'Glasgow style'. Given Roux' unique style and award nominated status, focusing on the richness of the Glasgow arts culture and its effects on the artist would be a better suited choice rather than the muted and toned down art style with the same name.
Rejected non-binary representation
Colors: The colors that represent the non-binary gender type are black, purple, white, yellow. Yellow represents genders outside the standard binary. White represents individuals that identify with multiple or all genders. Purple represents people who consider themselves a mix of the male and female gender. Lastly, black represents individuals who do not identify as any gender.
Looking at the colors used, it can be seen that they are paired alongside their opposite counterparts. Purples opposite is yellow while the shade black’s opposite is white. If these colors were to be used for design purposed, this could prove to be both advantageous and disadvantageous. The contrast between the colors would mean their counterparts would stand out well with the other however, if used improperly, could result in a distracting design. Furthermore these colors are easily recognizable for those acquainted with the non-binary gender type. This could therefore cause the non-binary aspect of Roux to be put on display. An act the artist would like to avoid. These colors also clash with the technicolor vintage style Roux is known for. Therefore, I decided that in order to represent this aspect of the artist, another method needed to be used. One that was more subtle yet just as impactful.
Accepted non-binary representation
After the visual research into the non-binary gender type, I came to find the non-binary logo is as depicted as the picture on the left. Simpler versions of the symbol simply have the top of the symbol replaced with a letter 'X' . After learning this, I realized, by turning the logo on its side, the logo formed the letters O and X which perfectly fit the order of letters found in Roux’ name. I therefore decided to use this component as a key design feature when crafting all versions of my design. I felt so strongly about this feature that it quickly became a main stay regardless what kind of logo I chose to design. I felt this feature represented the non-binary aspect of Roux without making it a glaringly obvious feature. It was a subtle feature, yet it held a powerful meaning behind it. And due to it being part of the artists logo, it would be featured heavily on anything bearing the artists brand. Therefore, it can constantly represent Roux as a non-binary artist in a tasteful way without taking away attention from other parts of the creative materials.
Original non-binary logo
Non-binary logo turned on its side creating the 'O' and 'X'
Interpretation of Roux' music style
Roux music style is described as bubble gum pop. Bubble gum pop is a more catchy version of traditional pop mainly aimed at children or adolescents. Artists whose primary style is bubble gum pop tend not to become mainstream and instead have only a few songs from their line up become hits. However this contradicts Roux stellar achievements thus far proving that while bubble gum pop was used to describe the artists work by one source, there is more depth present within their work which accommodates for the artists high success.
Therefore, I interpreted bubble gum pop as the view of one singular source and not of the artists portfolio. Music is subjective at the end of the day so an artists work can largely be open to interpretation. From my perspective, Roux must be appealing to a wider and older target audience as a whole due to their critically acclaimed status showing elements of mainstream pop may indeed be present in their work.
VITO-B: Roux' upcoming album is being compared to music industry titans such as Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen showing the considerable hype that would be present for the upcoming album. As such, the promotional material relating to the album should in turn capitalize on this hype and be presented as an upcoming spectacle in 2024.
Visual style representation
Roux' unique technicolor vintage performance style resonated strongly with me and eventually led to much of the stylistic visual choices used in the creative materials. As depicting music in a visual platform is quite a complex and subjective task, the optimal alternative way to personalize the creative materials for the artist would come in their technicolor vintage performance style. This style allowed me to stay true to the artists stylistic choices and avoid creating possibly biased content. As the creative materials are meant to appeal to widespread audiences to boost Roux' branding, the materials had to reflect their style in a way that the public could commonly resonate to. As a result, this decision worked hand in hand with the mood board creation in the following section.
MINDMAP VISUAL RESEARCH FINAL THOUGHTS
The mind map while broad in nature, has shaped the direction of the branding materials which were created as a result. The reasoning behind many of the stylistic choices I used were conceived from the mind map stage and developed to the end products I produced. Additionally, certain choices made were chosen due to my interpretation of Roux and their situation after listing my thoughts in the mind map.
MOODBOARD
The moodboard features the signature 3 strip technicolor look as the signature style of the creative materials produced. This 3 strip technicolor style of filming is an early vintage method used to create color in film. The splitting of the colors further show the flawed and outdated style while also providing a stylistic visual element. The dark black background add to the vintage feel of non-colored film.
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY LOGO
Logo sketches
Secondary sketch: Despite the changes in the logos style, the element of the joint O and X which represents the non-binary aspect of Roux remained a constant. At the start, the idea of using a Gaelic style font came to my mind as seen in the first half of the sketches above. While this would represent the Scottish heritage, the font was often interpreted as a rock music style font by my peers. The font therefore had to be altered to fit the artists style.
Primary sketch: As for the primary logo, the bottom half of the page illustrates the different ideas drafted for the full logo for Roux. The logos drawn have largely the same premise An object, person or place that has meaning to Roux would be used as the main subject with the item's shadow casting out the word Roux. This shadow effect would signify the connection between Roux and the object. The main exception to this type of logo is the one the middle with shows a silhouette of Roux with their name emerging from the stage below them.
Logo font and draft
These samples show the different variations of the finalized font style. A total of 2 different fonts were used to make the word 'Roux' as seen above. The 'R' and 'U' used the font Buffalo Nickel, a vintage style font similar to that as seen from the inspiration from the previous sample. However the letters 'O' and 'X' used the font Cambria and were bolded and italicized. This was due to Buffalo Nickel being an unsuitable style to use for the joint bridge between the 'O' and 'X'. After finalizing the word, it was time to add the technicolor effect. As seen prominently from the samples above, a variety of different options were created in order to convey the technicolor feature. Different variations included the use of gradients, 3D lettering, different texture styles and other stylistic choices.
Finalized Primary and Secondary Logo
Primary Logo
Primary Logo Design: This design is nearly a direct translation from one of the initial sketches done for the logo. The design shows the word Roux coming out of the stage with the artist standing on top. The logos design is simple yet lets any audience know what it is about. It is an unmistakable design for an artist as it shows the figure performing on stage. The word 'Roux' does not follow the vintage style as per the initial sketches as it was not suitable for the kind of logo created. Instead, 3D lettering was used to create the boldness needed for the logo. The color red was also used with the boldness of the logo in mind.
Secondary Logo
Secondary Logo: After reviewing, I decided to go for a vintage font style for the word Roux. This was after seeking inspiration from figure ?. The word Roux itself has the RGB color split effect blending the signature vintage and technicolor in the same logo. A silhouette of Roux is shown a top. This is done to link back to the primary logo and establish a continuity between the two designs.
STATIC ADS
Overview: The 3 static ads tell a story of growth for Roux from being a struggling up and coming artist under immense pressure, to a rising star and the new titan in the music industry. The ads are meant to promote Roux' image in a positive way due to their unique style while also highlighting the complexity of the situation a person like Roux would be in. The story in full is meant to inspire and promote positive reception towards Roux and their brand.
Static Ad 1 Sketch
The sketch shows a person with a TV for a head reaching into a box with currently unknown content. This person is Roux and surrounding them are articles or items that will put a rising artist under much pressure in their career. The artist is in their apartment sitting in the dark except for the glow radiating from the box. The box's contents are glowing but are angled in a way where they cannot explicitly be seen. This creates a mystery element for the audience as to what is in the box. The full meaning of the piece will be elaborated under the finished static ad 1's explanation.
Static Ad 1
The static ad despite its stark differences from the initial sketch, keeps the most important aspects of the initial concept at its core. This piece depicts the struggles and pressure faced by Roux when pursuing their career in music.
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Firstly, Glasgow has a highly competitive arts scene due to how saturated the industry is there. With locals having a different list of gigs every week to go to, the performing arts scene is considerably hard to break into. Seen in the ad are the following magazines from Glasgow itself. These articles give a taste of the bustling nature of the arts scene in Glasgow. As a musician looking to make a career off their music, this level of competition would impose a high amount of stress in an individual, in this case, Roux.
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Next, competition exists outside of Glasgow. The articles such as the billboard charts and news writings show the competition in the music industry does not just end at the individuals country of residence, but extends outward in a global sense. Yet again adding pressure onto Roux during this period.
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Thirdly, as a non-binary person, Roux is faced with a unique but highly personal struggle of being accepted for who they are. The video shows that there is still a large part of the world that are not as progressive thinking as others. Videos such as this could hurt the self-confidence and esteem of an individual going through issues like Roux faces as it is a deeply personal journey of self-acceptance. Having to face criticism for their artistic talent would already be difficult enough but to add criticism of oneself would add immense pressure on an artist like Roux.
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The spiral hallway background with walls covered in newspapers represent Roux' spiraling thoughts due the media and its constant scrutiny in the lives of someone like an up and coming artist.
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Finally, Roux' head is a TV set showing their media filled brain. Their thoughts filled with all the negativity and intense pressure by the media which causes the TV to turn to static. This shows Roux' messy thoughts as their head is filled with media influences as represented by the TV. The media filled brain of Roux controls their thoughts and puts the artist through a very tough struggle. The artist is spiraling due to all the societal and media pressure around them. The ad from the wallpaper and background, to the highlighted articles, to Roux' posture of clenching their head all convey this message
Static Ad 2 Sketch
Meant to be an over-the-shoulder shot, the sketch shown would continue the story being told by the first static ad. Despite the dramatic change between the original sketch of Ad 1 and its final product, Ad 2 would largely be unaffected by the change. Roux, still with the media filled TV head, would reach out to an open box with a microphone in it. The microphone would be shining brightly illuminating everything around it almost in an angelic sense. The theme represented here would be Roux' talent being their beacon and shining through the pressure in a literal sense. The microphone, meant to represent the artists pure talent, would be their saving grace from their downfall, completely lighting up the darkness in their life and filling it with bright light. In doing so, the artist could start their upward rise by embracing nothing but their musical talent. Self-acceptance and self-belief are the key elements for Roux to look past the immense struggles of a rising artist and break free from pressure they are faced with.
Static Ad 2
While also differing in the end product, the second static ad remains largely true to the initial sketches by once again retaining the core message and visuals that were meant to be conveyed. Instead of being an over-the-shoulder shot, the audience is put into a first person view of Roux. The viewer is Roux, with their TV head and arm reaching out to the angelic light of the microphone in the box in front of them. This change in design adds a unique layer of immersion as the audience gets to see through the eyes of Roux.
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An added element not present in the initial sketch is the burning articles on the floor. These articles are taken from the first static ad to keep true to continuity. However, as opposed to the first ad, they are now burning from the light emitted from the microphone. As seen, the articles are only burning from the direction the light is being shone on them. This is to represent the shear power of Roux' talent and how it is their saving grace and beacon in their struggles as an artist. The light which is Roux' inner talent has shone through and overcome all the media pressure the artist was feeling and brought a bright light into the dark mental state they were in. The ad represents the start of Roux' journey up in the world by relying on only themselves and their talent which can overpower any external pressure the artist encounters.
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Static Ad 3 Sketch
Static ad 3 concludes the story of Roux's journey as an artist by showing their rise and become their fully realized self. The main theme that I wanted to represent in ad 3 was Roux emerging from their home Glasgow and becoming the grand artist they are. The add therefore closes the story by bringing things full circle by showing Roux's rise after we had seen their fall during their struggles. The ad went through a variation of initial designs. This was largely so that I could recreate the ads as faithfully as possible after learning from previous mistakes. Each ad came closer to becoming a better adaptation of the initial idea as I adjusted my expectation according each time.
Static Ad 3
As seen, static ad 3 shows a vintage style city poster of Glasgow being torn through the middle. The image beneath is Roux bursting out in a literal sense from Glasgow after rising and becoming the critically acclaimed artist they are. The story ends in a completely different point from where it started. Roux has been through their struggles, and has found the means to overcome them. Roux has accepted themselves for who they are and not what others such as the media may perceive them to be. Roux has not only gained self-acceptance, but it is through this acceptance where they lean into their artistic talent more than ever before and reach their full potential. The ad showing Roux tear through the world and create a name for themselves is inspirational for anyone going through a similar situation, to try and find their own strengths and talents and lean on them as well.
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The silhouette of Roux used in the black and white section is also the same silhouette used in the artists logo design. This is to tie everything back together and make the silhouette of Roux its own symbol in order to become synonymous with the artist. The audiences exposure to the repeated use of the silhouette will get them to draw the connection to the artist every time they see the familiar shape.
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There is also a simplicity to the poster which is a stark contrast to the first ad which had an intentional messy-ness to it to convey Roux' spiraling mentality at the time. However this time around, the increased simplicity from each poster shows Roux' head becoming clearer and them focusing on the important things in life rather than the superficial influences implanted in them by the media.
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The poster also has the words "Coming 2024" on it to create hype for the viewer to expect something new from them in the future. Given the motion ads and feature piece are what follows these, this poster serves the dual purpose of closing the story of the rise of Roux and start buzz for their upcoming releases.
Motion Ads
Motion Ad 1
Each ad has their own unique style to differentiate it from the rest of the material. The ads themselves still follow the mood board as well as the overall theme however convey the message in different ways. For motion ad 1, the ad was meant to be a cinematic trailer. This design feature can be seen in the thinner aspect ratio of the video as well as its sound design. The music is modern and its changes in melody match the different sequences in the video from the build up to the finale. However, the first half of the video still draws from the vintage technicolor look by having a black and white filter with the RGB split occurring in a flickers. It is only when the reveal of the word "Roux" is placed on screen where the video gains back its color and starts generating more hype. The video in full is embedded below for proper viewing.
Motion Ad 2
Continuing the motive to have each ad stylistically unique while still keeping true to the overarching theme, the second motion ad follows the style of a vintage comic book. A checkerboard overlay is placed over the footage to simulate the dotted coloring technique of vintage comic books. White borders are also placed outside the pictures used to show the empty spaces between panels. Lastly, narration text boxes are placed over each page to tell a story of the return of the highly anticipated Roux. The text in the narration boxes have the RGB split in them showing the technicolor aspect of the vintage piece. The ad is kept simple with its sound design comprising of a main theme, as well as background noises for the different scenes of each page. The entirety of the video is below for viewing in full.
FEATURE PIECE
Overview: The feature piece follows close in concept to the original storyboards however with many additions added. These additions are mainly for narrative purposes in order to make the film flow together better. Executing purely from the storyboard left much to be desired and gaps in the overall storytelling of the video. As the feature piece, this video is the main item of the creative materials created and required a high amount of attention in order to perfect. The storyboard provided majority of the backbone needed for the final product to become what it did in the end.
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Mystery: The video starts with unintelligible dialogue being played seemingly in reverse. Subtitles are provided but do not reveal who the speaker is. This creates a mystery for the viewer that is kept at the back of their minds before the main movie starts. The mystery of who the character speaking is not overly distracting, however audiences are still able to recall the unintelligible dialogue when the speaker is revealed.
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The video plays as per the storyboard with changes mainly in the narration text. The text now reads "From the critically acclaimed Glasgow artist" but does not specify who. This change was made for narrative flow as it links to the final narration text when it is revealed as Roux. The glitch effects are also placed much earlier in the film to give audiences more time to get used to them and the eventual buildup. Other minor changes to the subsequent narration texts are also made. Certain footage that was planned in the storyboard was changed due to specific footage being difficult to find or unsuitable for the films use.
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Glitch Out: The final narration text read "Its Roux". The appearance of Roux' name is what causes the film to start massively glitching and eventually crash. The technicolor effects are on full display following the theme set in the mood board. The screen glitches out completely and the broadcast interrupted video and audio plays before the 'TV OFF' visual and audio effect is played.
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Rewind Time: After a short pause, the text "Hey wait! What was that?" is seen. The footage then begins to rewind all the way back to the start where the audience is met with the mystery voice again However, due to the track playing in reverse, the audio becomes legible and the audience find out it was Roux who was talking at the start. Changes to the dialogue are made to better suite the film. Roux ends her voiceover by saying "I'll be seeing you soon.".
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Ending footage: The film follows the storyboards mostly by showing a festival footage montage. The footage is now shown in a visually modern way with aspect ratio and color back on screen. Other vintage film effects have ceased as well. The montage builds to a climax where the screen cuts to the words "VITO-B". Roux' last voiceover plays saying "Real soon" which ties back to her previous dialogue. Then the words "Coming 2024" are displayed. Finally the scene transitions to the Roux primary logo before ending.
CLOSING REFLECTION
Throughout the course of the submission, the main challenges I faced came from executing the ideas I originally thought up. The biggest takeaway thus has been learning the difference between expectations and reality. Finding the balance between fantastical and practical is a crucial lesson to learn as a designer. More importantly, being able to overcome the challenge is the difference between a successful and unsuccessful campaign. As a whole, I feel I was able to maneuver around the challenges in creating the initial ideas without losing the core elements put together at the start. However, when attempting future projects, this mindset is something I should remember from the start in order not to waste valuable time. The project while having differences, has largely remained consistent with the themes and ideas conceived of from the beginning and I personally feel it has done so in a meaningful and impactful way. Roux' story told through the different platform is not only a means to boost brand image, but is also a means to inspire and educate viewers into the life of an artist in the modern age. However, despite tackling such issues, this notions did not take away from the creativity and effort put into the project.
