Lisa Watson for Profile magazine

For my final degree project I have been working with talented and innovative jewellery designer, Lisa Watson throughout the process of her exciting final collection here at The London College of Fashion. 


Photography: Claire Masters:Fashion LDN

'Containment' is a collection of conceptual jewellery pieces heavily influenced by the world of post-modernist design and aesthetics. With their geometric angles, mathematically proportioned measurements and pop-art  inspired palette you would be forgiven for thinking that the designs created by Lisa Watson were intended for a gallery space rather than to be worn on the body. However, this final year jewellery design student has created a collection that is more then worthy of fitting quite comfortably into both the art and fashion environment. Her final year project on the BA (Hons) Jewellery Design degree here at The London College of Fashion reflects the ever increasingly evident link between fashion and other genres of design; in this instance, somewhat paradoxically, post-modernist architecture. Her eclectic designs encompass the ideology of design that derived from the depths of the Bauhaus in the early 20th Century and expanded into its own aesthetic movement that would influence all areas of design for generations to come.

Watson also draws inspiration from other architectural design styles; the Koz building in Saint-Cloud, Paris....

...30 St Mary Axe (more commonly known as the Gherkin building here in London) whose influence can be seen within the diamond etchings in her jewellery pieces...

...and even the old Italian cliff-top towns of Riomaggiore and Manarola.

The semi-opaque acrylic structures frame a series of etched-effect panels, miniature cylindrical pillars and layered 'floors' all designed to aesthetically represent the idea of a building not merely being a boxed vessel but a complex construction of geometrical shapes, lines and layers; all of which are usually hidden within the folds of a structure, often going unnoticed by the streams of by-passers. Yes, agreeably, the relationship between the worlds of architecture and jewellery appear to be paradoxical to one another but at the same time both principles of construction draw from similar aesthetics as is visually represented through these pieces.

Watson's designs are, on reflection, prototypes of buildings, the miniature models you see in the glass cases of an architects showroom. When photographed off the body and in a linear configuration they resemble a spectra of urban, post-modernist skyline. If one placed a Lisa Watson design on their coffee table it would share more resemblance to a piece of conceptual art.

Whilst not entirely practical or commercially wearable these designs represent the freedom of expression and experimentation that is nurtured and encouraged here at LCF. In allowing raw creativity to be expressed, in turn, creates a future of non-conformist and daring designers to emerge from the creative folds of our university.

www.showtime.arts.ac.uk/lisawatson

Creative Layout

As a creative magazine, I wanted to keep the layout fresh and current which meant avoiding generic magazine layouts such as standard content pages and being restricted to guided columns and margins.

A big source of inspiration for profile magazine layout was from Creative Review mag whose clever use of typography and page structure shows just how experimental you can be with a blank page.

Below is the "contents" page of my magazine set out in a "family-tree" style to deviate from the standard style used within many magazines. 

In terms of the page layouts, I really wanted to keep them as clean as possible. My aim was to avoid messy layering and unnecessary images. When I'm reading a magazine I am simply interested in the relevant images and the context of the writing and that they are visually cohesive. This is why I will not be using page numbers, master page layouts or recurring features; all of which tend to lead to generic page layouts. When I thought about it, how often do magazine readers actively use the page number/content reference? 

Whilst professional standard typography is essential in any magazine, particularly creative ones, I don't want to go to the extent of ensuring all lines of text are flush (see body text in the above layout, the staggered left-alignment of the text is intentional) or being restricted to such formal typographic rules. The main type features that I will be controlling throughout is the tracking (space between each individual letter) and leading (the vertical space between each line of type). 

As there are 3 very defined sections to my magazine which although linked by the common notion of "adornment" are quite paradoxical therefore I will need to explain my intentions for each section clearly through dividing articles which will lead from one section to the next. I will utilise my writing skills to lead the reader from one feature to the next through the use of dialogue (both body text and creative typography).

Profile Branding

As my degree project is a promotional platform for LCF students it is essential to also promote the concept of the idea as a brand in itself. The magazine will only work effectively on a collaborative basis therefore getting students excited and involved is essential. 
To begin building up the promotion of the brand I designed these canvas bags that become a walking advertisement for Profile magazine featuring my personally designed logo.

 

Bag printing: www.thecleverbaggers.co.uk 

Profile Magazine Intro

Profile magazine is the final project of my university degree at The London College of Fashion. It's aim is to profile and promote talented creatives within the university and to create an affiliation between the part-time and full-time degree focuses. Having studied on the part-time media degree for the past 4 years I have often felt isolated from the atmosphere of the university environment; we study during the evening and at weekends so rarely get to interact with full-time students. 

Profile magazine is a platform for interaction and whilst also being a tool for building up creative relationships is also beneficial for the students being 'profiled' by us. 

See it as a visual support network of creative minds...

The images shown here are the magazine's primary logos which visually contain the meaning and ideologies that sum up the focus of the project.