My shiny padlet by Alex Hill

Bene Culture Research

alexandrachill03 — 2024-09-26 13:30:30 UTC

This is my mood board, which includes pictures of the store itself as well as many items that have been highlighted in Bene Culture, like the buildings adjacent to it, the pattern, and the design. Because of their aspirations and inventiveness, I believe that the aesthetic of Bene Culture unites a lot of individuals. Since many of the designs—such as windbreakers, coats, and hoodies—are based on the erratic weather, it is highly community driven. For the benefit of the entire community, the brand supports unisex designs.

Research

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-03 12:06:34 UTC

When creating clothing, design director Hemal Chauhon draws heavily from vintage inspiration. A large portion of the streetwear scene was drawn to the designs. Chauhon employs the mentality that he sells it if he likes it. With the events they organize, they hope to foster a sense of community and a wider acceptance of streetwear culture.

Ideas

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-03 13:07:17 UTC

We love the 90s streetwear magazine, and we have considered a few concepts for the zine. This will be included in our zine since the streetwear of the 1990s is a great fit for Bene Culture's aesthetic. We will incorporate a few patterns into the design and utilize them for screen printing, experimenting with various designs and patterns to generate a variety of concepts.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-03 13:12:20 UTC

So “Bene” in Latin and Italian means “good,” so we base our name on the principle of “good culture.”

Typography

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-07 09:32:53 UTC

Since it will connect to the Bene Culture store and all of the type in the books, we plan to incorporate typography into the finished design. We are quite interested in the annotations in these volumes, and I would like to use them in our zine.

Typography

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-07 09:43:37 UTC

In Oli's lesson, I used shaving cream and PVA glue to create this bubble effect, after I did this I edited it in Photoshop to create this contract and little hints of green. I will do this to other letters and use other styles of typography to try and find the style I want to use in this zine.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-12 19:57:23 UTC

Since brick made up a large portion of the shop's interior, we will include brick throughout the zine.

To give the zine a retro appearance, we're going to use 90s magazine styles, such as patterns and images.

We're exploring screen printing patterns during our next lesson.

Casting

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-12 20:59:25 UTC

In order to demonstrate that Bene Culture embraces all people, our community will consist of families representing a range of ages, races, sexes, and genders. A few families have agreed to be models for our family portrait-style pictures.

They will be dressed in hoodies, windbreakers, and large coats, which are representative of Bene Culture.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-14 12:30:07 UTC

Although we tried to include a variety of colors in the screen printing, the vivid pinks really made the screen printing stand out the most. We took a step forward because this forced us to consider the many colors we would use and encouraged us to incorporate vibrant colors in our project.

Screen Printing

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-14 13:44:42 UTC

We experimented with Screen Printing today. I really enjoyed this as it shows a different side of what I could do. We will have to come back after our photoshoot and use our photos with this process, it will be interesting to see the pictures in a unique way.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-14 13:48:47 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-24 09:16:45 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-24 09:17:35 UTC

I love the use of colour in this with the different pinks and oranges, it really pops with the bits of green. I plan on using this in my work for backgrounds.

Prints

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-24 09:26:22 UTC

These are some of the prints I did in the Screen Printing room, I will use some of these in my final design as the images are very interesting. I will try and go back to the screen printing room after I have edited my pictures.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-24 13:00:52 UTC

Casting

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-24 13:02:08 UTC

Styling

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-24 13:02:55 UTC

I would like my models to wear 90s streetwear, It will really bring out the vintage style that is influenced by Bene Culture.

Location

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-24 13:03:02 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-10-24 13:32:38 UTC

Here is me trying to screen print a pattern

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-04 13:54:06 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-04 13:54:58 UTC

This old photo of two of my models is really authentic and reflects their true natures. I'd like to utilize this image in my final conclusion because it not only represents them as vibrant, but also makes them appear to be a family.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-04 13:55:13 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-04 13:55:27 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-04 13:55:50 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-04 13:57:10 UTC

Additionally, we tried to portray our models in their early years by using individual photos of them.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-04 14:10:53 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-04 14:11:17 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-04 14:11:31 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-04 14:11:41 UTC

Photoshoot

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-11 11:43:05 UTC

These are pictures from our photo shoot, and we made a concerted effort to capture family and their bonds with one another. In order to make that connection covertly, we attempted to accomplish so without holding hands. We tried to paint the elderly members of the family staring at one another with longing, In an effort to establish this connection without relying heavily on physical.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-11 11:44:23 UTC

The models in this photo have arranged their own hair and worn their own jewelry to give the impression that they are young again. Additionally, we took photos of the models next to a brick wall, but we weren't particularly fond of them, so we chose to remove the background as we were editing the images. However, the clothing in this photo shoot did not go as planned, as we had intended tracksuit bottoms and puffer coats or windbreakers, instead they wore jeans and a graphic t-shirt, but I attempted to make the mistake work with editing and continue the project by editing them in one picture.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-11 11:45:54 UTC

Here are my parents; I portrayed him putting his arm around her to indicate that they are a relationship. I also made her lustfully look up to him in order to demonstrate how they were in their younger years. This photo shows them both grinning.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-11 13:22:41 UTC

Many of the models, as you can see, are leaning on one another's shoulders and fostering a sense of love that goes beyond simple expressions. Couples use body language to express their love for one another, and this type of love is unlike that of a parent. It demonstrates strongly that family is what you create with the individuals you surround yourself with. It demonstrates strongly that family is what you create with the individuals you surround yourself with.

Clothes

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-11 13:50:52 UTC

In order to get the desired Bene Culture a feeling, we chose to adopt that vintage clothing, wearing baseball caps, colorful puffer coats, and tracksuit bottoms.

Birmingham Statue

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-11 14:07:41 UTC

This is a modern day Birmingham family statue. It portrays two sisters, one of them is pregnant, holding hands with their kids. Many people have interpreted this image as showing two lesbians and their kids. Family is what you make it, therefore individuals can interpret this statue anyway they see fit, and it truly captures the essence of what family is. Not every family consists of a mother and father and two kids; we all come from diverse backgrounds and are unique.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-11 14:19:11 UTC

To give it a wholesome vibe, we incorporated a variety of old photos of our models. The old photos show the models with their loved ones in their natural settings.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-11 14:21:13 UTC

Old Pictures

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-11 14:31:45 UTC

Old photos of families, which frequently feature several generations together, marking special occasions or just getting together for ordinary moments, evoke a timeless sense of togetherness. These images, which are typically softly faded, capture a period when families cherished close-knit relationships and spent more time together. In a single photo, you may see parents, kids, grandparents, and occasionally even great-grandparents, signifying continuity and legacy. A mixture of pride, contentment, and occasionally the solemnity of a bygone era when having a photograph taken was an event in itself can be seen in the looks photographed. Stories of shared beliefs, family customs, and special events that unite loved ones across generations are captured in every picture.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-11 14:37:35 UTC

Love is depicted in vintage photographs in subtle yet impactful ways, frequently through tender touches, tender looks, or even the timid closeness of two people standing next to each other. These pictures, in contrast to today's contrived or Photoshopped pictures, convey true love with a timeless sense of understated simplicity. We witness intimate and genuine displays of love that are modest by today's standards, such as the slight tilt of a head, a hand on a shoulder, or the way two individuals lean toward one another. Without resorting to ostentatious gestures, family photographs portray parents with their arms wrapped around their children, couples holding hands, and grandparents gazing proudly at younger generations. These pictures, which are frequently worn out and faded, depict long relationships and a love that was preserved in the fleeting, special moments that have withstood the test of time.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-11 14:51:34 UTC

To give it that authentic feel, we attempted handwriting the fonts. I like handwriting fonts because it gives us the style we want, but I need to look at other font styles because this one is very childlike and I want it to be more scribbled and a little neater.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-11 14:55:36 UTC

This typeface appeals to me since it demonstrates both the neatness and the scribbled look I desire. The street style makes it feel extremely Bene Culture, which is another reason I appreciate it.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-12 21:58:00 UTC

Here is another example from our lesson, I make this with shaving foam.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-13 10:34:02 UTC

Since they would detract from the 90s style, we chose not to use patterns and instead wanted to create our own using shapes. This is an example of how I use patterns in our work; I like it, but it needs some background. Still, I like the pattern I made because it has a 90s vibe.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-13 10:40:29 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-13 10:41:15 UTC

A couple in their younger and older years are depicted in this picture. Additionally, I put the quote "blood of the covenant is thicker than water of the womb" in the picture to demonstrate how this couple has endured a lot and has managed to maintain a very difficult relationship. Despite their difficult connection, they have managed to maintain a family, and their link is stronger than other family tie.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-13 10:43:38 UTC

I chose this layout because it shows the families together and the colours merge well. I also wanted to present the families in groups so they weren't all over the place.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-13 10:44:13 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-13 10:44:57 UTC

I used the font that we liked in this as well as the screen printing work from our previous lessons. I also included a photo from our photo shoot, which I think is ideal because it matched the look and gave it a very vintage feel, especially when I applied a filter to the image.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-13 10:45:29 UTC

I attempted to make the elderly couple blend into the screen print in this edit. I really like how the pink and blue blend together, so I edited the elderly couple to make it appear screen printed even though I didn't.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-13 10:46:26 UTC

This is the altered page because it depicts the model when they were younger, with a faded image of her later in life with an older man in the background. This demonstrates that you can find family in relationships with anyone and make it feel like family.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-13 10:48:28 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 00:26:06 UTC

These two images are what I want to do in my edit: one shows a family posed laughing and smiling with some of the background cropped out, and it has childlike scribbles on it; this image really shows me family, but I like the freehand pen work because it has a more relaxed vibe, as if a child drew all over it. I might also take inspiration from this image because the background has been removed, and I feel like the brick wall is quite limited, and I'd like to experiment with more things with my work, such as the few screen prints I made or old photographs.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 00:26:42 UTC

In this picture, I appreciate how they've made the background the focal point of the artwork.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 10:33:31 UTC

I think this writing style is beneficial, and the fact that it's in the center of the picture makes it stand out. It truly embody the brand's street-style aesthetic.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 10:48:17 UTC

Our original plan was to create three poster-style zines and then combine them to create 24 pages, but after my partner's laptop malfunctioned, we decided to create 18 pages, cut them up individually, and add some typography on the back. We divided the work between us, completing 12 each, but ended up doing 9 instead.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 10:53:38 UTC

This page, which is my partner's work, has to be redone because the models have been edited over the dates from the old photo and don't appear to be a family. The saturation is also excessively bright.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 10:56:58 UTC

As you can see, my partner's designs don't exactly fit the theme. She hasn't really demonstrated that 90s aesthetic, and she has employed patterns that we weren't going to use. To accomplish the theme, I had to reedit the piece she gave me.

RESEARCH

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 11:09:55 UTC

EXPERIMENTAL

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 11:11:00 UTC

PHOTOSHOOT

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 11:14:56 UTC

FINAL OUTCOME

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 11:20:10 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 11:34:25 UTC

Because the models are not in the same picture and the writing doesn't blend in with the white snow in the background, editing this was really challenging for me. I used the same quote and pictures, but I moved the figures around and drew them closer. To match my work, I also created a pattern using a few shapes.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 11:58:17 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 12:02:49 UTC

The typeface is much too small, and she yet again utilized a pattern that we weren't going to employ. The fact that this photo only features one model when they were younger makes it extremely difficult to see family.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 13:34:18 UTC

My partner was assigned to the printing because I carried out most of the editing; she spent the morning emailing the printing firm to attempt to get it done, but when she arrived at the store, they indicated they had no knowledge of our work. However, the staff assisted her and completed it for us. The zine is pretty blurry, but I can make it work with the old effect on the other photographs.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 13:47:38 UTC

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 13:54:21 UTC

These are the pages I have done for the project, I feel like they really show family.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 14:06:23 UTC

To sum up, this project has been up and down, but I firmly believe that I have contributed more to the final product than my partner. Despite my ups and downs, I think it went well, and the finished product is better than I could have imagined. I love the variety of colours on the pages and the clothes I chose. I think the typeface really makes it stand out since it conveys a sense of family. It resembles a family scrapbook. We used what we had to create a cute family candid blur effect, even if the blurriness wasn't planned. Although I found the project tough at times, generally I truly enjoy it.

alexandrachill03 — 2024-11-14 14:58:40 UTC

This is the back of the zine, we include all of the models names at the back of the picture they are in.