Art history- Audience essay

My specialist subject area within art and design would probably be fine art but personally I think I'm more of an illustrator influenced by fine art rather than a fine artist. My key strengths are mainly to do with the materials and techniques I use and the ability to experiment with so much media. I love creating collages out of detailed prints with different textured and coloured materials and have established my own artistic and personal style.
As my aspirations are to be an illustrator I would love to see my work in magazines or internet websites, ideally these would be fashion/beauty magazines or websites that incorporate art and are aesthetically pleasing in layout and style. My art has the capability of carrying these themes with their feminine qualities and believe that is where my work would be seen/ ideally placed. A brilliant example of a website that my work could be published on (and is also one of my favorite websites for inspiration) is DASHonline which is a London based magazine. This magazine firm is distributed all over the world and is very popular amongst young women in northern america and is full of beautiful illustrations of fashion themed subjects. It is visually stunning and new pieces are published all the time to sell work and start global discussions with the public about the art, the style, the context and how inspirational the artwork is and what it could contribute to society/the art or fashion industry. It is very feminine and opinionated and a perfect place to display my work either for sale or for people to discuss it which would make money and gain public interest if it becomes popular.
Here are some screenshots from the website (www.dashmagazine.net):

I also stumbled upon a website similar to Dash called trendland.com and  is full of up and coming artists to fit all categories including illustrators, mixed media artists, painters, sculptors,and installation artists. The website gives you a small bio of the artist and their artwork telling you what materials they use, their style and even some context behind their work as well as a page full of wonderful examples of their work that show you what their style and art is like and all about.
(www.trendland.com)

I don't really think about who would want to see my work when I'm making it as I don't make it for a specific audience, I have a very selfish perspective when it comes to this and only create art that appeals to me. This has brought me to a conclusion: my work has an audience that is similar to me. This means that it appeals to women who are very feminine in taste and style , very interested in fashion and artistic illustrations that reflect this theme and the visible texture and layering of materials. These young women I imagine would have a colorful background meaning they are very creative and interested in mixed media art products that are currently trending in terms of colors, style and materials. Ideally this is the type of audience I would want to attract to and discuss my work and also the type of audience I believe is well suited to it.
I feel my audience would be motivated to see my work to keep up with social activity (because ideally my work would be seen in magazines or websites) but then would look to my work for inspiration because to them it's aesthetically pleasing, feminine and involves a mixture of materials of objects influencing how they look at illustrations in magazines and maybe even into creating their own illustrations or designs based on my influence. Also, if my work is published online or in shops it would mean that my work is more accessible to the public and I believe that more people are more likely to view my work in their own homes than visit some form of gallery or exhibition that they would have to travel miles away to go and see because it's easier and much more popular amongst the younger population and up and coming technological generation to view things online and magazines. This would widen my audience to almost any young person who has access to the internet, who's interested in art/illustration/fashion.
Generally the magazines I fantasize about my work being published in are expensive. This could be a huge problem considering the UK's financial crisis at the moment and people aren't willing to spend a lot of money for luxuries such as fashionable magazines and are more likely to view online where the majority of the information is free. This could also be a major barrier inhibiting people from viewing my work in my ideal place because not only is there money to consider but I feel as though older people who could be interested in my work might be limited because they aren't internet savvy. Another option in which to display my work would be to display it in cafe's for sale, decoration or advertisement so that more of the general public including older people, different genders and different social backgrounds can view it also. Ideal places would be independent businesses that has a very aesthetic appeal with lots of unique and quirky objects inside to attract people that are interested in art. Possibly with an art deco style or theme ideally a please like the Emporium in Clitheroe but on a smaller scale. The Emporium, has a lot of artistic objects, plants and also has things for sale inside and accept a percentage off independent artists. This would be an ideal spot...

I also have to consider whether these places are economical in terms of how much it costs people to get there so it's more accessible to more people.

Charity research for my gift card design - Oxfam

Seeming as I've decided to create a charity gift card I thought I'd research into this idea to see if it already exists, what options are available and gain some general knowledge about the subject. I researched many charities such as Wateraid, UNICEF, Redcross, local charities in Blackburn and many more but the charity I thought does the most especially in Africa which is my ideal target was Oxfam, so I've decided to base my research around this charity. I chose Oxfam for many reasons:

Their charity logo is hugely recognisable as they have regular tv adverts and posters around town centres and in shops, I think this will widen the popularity of the card, would sell more in industry and ultimately make more money for the charity. Also, because of the simplicity of the logo itself it would be easier to include the logo in my work because of the amount of changes I could make to the structure, colours I could add or change, additions around and on it etc.


When I researched into gift cards on their website I found an enormous amount of different causes the public can donate to, there were literally pages upon pages of ways you can help communities overseas in Africa and gifts to donate giving me lots of inspiration, ideas and material. Here are some examples of gift donation options I found:

GIFT DONATION OF A GOAT COUPLE

This gift donation of a couple of breeding goats that are fully vaccinated are an amazing gift to give to a struggling African comminity in Niger because not only do they produce milk but are able to breed for either food, milk, selling at the market to provide fees for education and goats also produce a brilliant fertiliser for crops that help the community produce enough food. This gift is £50 but will last the community for years and even generations.

I also found examples of the card packages (the sort of product I aim to design):

This is one example out of many that I found, although it's not what I aim to make its a good basic starting point and a small piece of inspiration. As you can see it's simple but includes humour, the writing is clear, there's an image of the donation and the logo is creatively involved which I think is a really good idea and something I would most likely do.
The company do more than just print a picture on the front cover though, on the inside they have printed information and pictures about where it is being sent, who it is being sent to and how this will help the cause which is a brilliant idea and informs either you or the person you are giving it to. It is then sent to where it is needed most.

GIFT DONATION: LONG LIFE LEARNING

Many schools in places such as Mozambique and Zambezia are suffering greatly with no help of the government after many schools in rural areas where destroyed during a civil war and the costs of education are high in highly devastated areas. This gift of £10 goes towards school equipment, the building repairs and teaching fees, even helping communities to get support off the government.

This is the inside of one of the gift cards I found, I really like this example, especially how it is in three parts creating space for personal hand written notes, information about the schools and also a thankyou from the charity and images of where your money goes to. It's informative, colourful and aesthetically pleasing whilst not going too over the top and I really like the shape of the card having it in the shape of a present which is creative and simple.

GIFT DONATION OF CHICKENS AND CHICKEN CARE

This gift is a really good idea because not only is it giving the family a little egg factory but also, the money goes towards teaching the families how to care and look after them, ensuring this gift is well taken care of and gives to the best standard. This gift of a chicken not only provides eggs, but provides more chickens to sell at market or to eat which both provides for the families. This gift is £10 and provides so much, I believe this is the sort of gift people will be happy to buy because it's not too much money and helps a lot of people in many ways.

Again, this is a card folded in 3 ways for a wide range of information which is brilliant but I really like thr front page and how simple it is. The colours are complimentary, warm and suitable for both sexes which is perfect for a wide range of audience. Also, the humour is a lovely touch and suitable for all ages.











Overall, the information I have collected has been so helpful when it has come to thinking of ideas for my designs and also my subject matter. I know what options are available and the amount of information I can include inside the card about the gift, where it goes to, how it helps and even some background information. This idea compliments my theme of waste materials and helping the planet because these donations do just that. I now definitely plan to include lots of information, a wide range of colours and materials and images on the inside that relate to the subject matter in a creative, busy way that involves found materials that have been wasted highlighting the issue with recycling and the state of the planet and economy. In addition, I now have a confirmed charity that I will involve in the design process. This will make the card seem more legit, will widen my target audience, be noticed amongst a lot of people due to it's popularity and look good when I include the logo with my own artistic flair.