A Visual Communications and Design (VCD) Project
In this lesson students are given a design brief - in this case, to make a company logo for a book publisher with an emphasis on negative space. Utilising design elements and principles and drawing techniques students carry out research, brainstorm designs and then refine them in order to each create a unique logo.
Linocut
Negative Space As Sight
The logo is drawn onto lino and carefully carved out. At this point, the printing stage, the work became a collaborative one as everyone adds their unique design to a sheet of paper displaying all of them and making the work a group piece rather than individual effort.
The notion of negative space is perfect to explore through a technique like linocut which relies heavily upon a clear understanding of positive and negative space. Such art making and designing lead to higher visual literacy an a greater understanding of form and two and three dimensional space.