I have kept my MAC advertising design similar in theme with my editorial design, as I was really happy with how it represented 'penumbra,' however I have toned it down, tweaked and adjusted it to suit MAC's brand image. I used a red colour on the lips in my design, but I will play around with other colours to decide which one I would like to promote through my final image - although I am certain that it will be a bold colour. Regardless of shade, the rest of the make-up will be as pictured - peachy, natural eyes, fair brows and fairly strong contouring. All of this is in order to keep the focus on the lips: heavy eye make-up would detract focus from the lip product. Also, strong contouring creates a line from the cheekbones down to the mouth, leading the viewer's eye to the lips. It also suits MAC's dramatic, shadowy themes.
For the hair, I do not want it to be very visible in my image. I also want it to look sleek and professional, suiting MAC's image. Therefore, I have designed a slick, tight, high ponytail, with straight hair at the back. In my hair chart I added a flick at the bottom, however I will shoot my image with a lot of shadow which hides most of my model except for her face, so this will not be seen. I will direct my model to pose with her head tilted back and her lips slightly parted, to emphasise the mouth and further keep the focus on the product being advertised. I will use warm lighting on my model's face, with a bit of lighting at the back to create a subtle glow on the top of the hair, and I will create a lot of shadow on her face, similar to MAC's Mineralize campaign images:
Today I presented my MAC brand image storyboard to my class. I received some helpful comments: for example finding a model for my work with a strong profile like the models in these images. I felt happy with how it went and I feel inspired and confident moving forward with my work.
I had a fifth idea for a make-up design for my word penumbra. I really wanted to work with the idea of 'light meets dark', and so I designed a look where everything is ombré. I incorporated the grey smokey eyes fading from light to dark grey from a previous design into this one, with bold eyeliner added for a dramatic look. I illustrated red-black ombré lips, and even brows which fade from dark to light. I would use highlighter and contouring to accentuate face shape. I liked this design and thought that it fit my word 'penumbra' well, although I was not happy with it being a finalised idea.
And so, I pulled together my favourite parts of various designs to create this look, which I would like to try shooting. It is similar to the above look, however I have taken away the eyeliner as I thought it made the look a little too '50s' - the typical winged eyeliner and red lips. I also wanted to focus more on the blending and fading of colours, and thought that this bold line detracted from that. I made the eyeshadow more dramatic and winged instead, travelling further up the temples. I kept the ombré lips, keeping the 'light meets dark' theme. I included brows which fade slightly too - I will want them to be quite straight, not too arched, above the eyeshadow. Contouring will be quite heavy, and highlighter will be used to accentuate and contrast this. I will experiment with false lashes - perhaps dramatic, large ones - to see the added effect.
For the hair, in keeping with the 'light meets dark' idea of penumbra and shadows, and inspired by the MAC 'To Live' video featured in a previous post, I have designed a sleek ponytail with a quiff at the top, and then a backcombed, teased, crimped, curled, and all-round voluminous and messy ponytail part. I thought that the front section represented the 'light' through connotations of being neat and tidy, and the back section represented the 'dark' though connotations of being messy and untidy.
Alternatively, I may use the same idea, but in high-up bunchies - neat at the front with strands framing the face, then backcombed ponytails. This would combine connotations of sweet, innocent, young girls who wear pigtails, contrasted with the same messy, 'dark' feel.
For lighting, I want to use a gobo with a spotlight to cast a lost of shadow.
The softer, less solid parts of the shadow in the first photo are a perfect example of 'penumbra.' I found it interesting how my thumb and little finger became almost invisible in the shadow cast by the soft morning light through my window. It made my hand look less human, distorted and stretched - and thus mysterious and intriguing. The second photo shows the pattern of light which appears on my ceiling every morning. I thought the way my window and curtains split the light into different colours and hues, when dispersed across the uneven texture of my ceiling, was really beautiful, and perfectly represented different types of shadows and 'penumbra.' I found it inspirational in terms of background, lighting, and shadow effects for my project.
I have chosen these three images as my favourites from my Pinterest collection. The first one from the MAC 'Vamplify' campaign has the pose I like - her head tilted back, and her eyes half closed with her mouth parted to emphasise her lips - and also it has very shadowy lighting, which fits with my word 'penumbra.' However, it has quite a dark undertone, whereas my interpretation of 'penumbra' includes the idea of 'light meets dark,' so for my work I would like to create a more gentle, brighter mood as well to contrast the shadows and bold lips.
The second and third photos demonstrate the cropping and composition I like, as well as the pose - again, the head tilt, the eyes, and the emphasised lips. I also love the lighting effects. The backgrounds are black and parts of the model's faces are in shadow - perfect for 'penumbra', and also in theme with a lot of MAC imagery, which often contains dark backgrounds. The patterned shadows are something I would like to use in my work, through the use of gobos.
I drew up some hair designs for my PENUMBRA photoshoot. Initially I wanted to keep the focus on the make-up and lighting, so I opted for a slick-back ponytail with dead straight hair so as not to cause distraction from the rest of the image. It was inspired by the nude, calm feelings I gathered form my moodboard, and is more in theme with the 'light' side to the concept of shadows and penumbra.
Next I wanted to take a darker approach, creating feelings of moodiness and mystery. So I designed a textured, centre-parted style, where the hair will hang over the face and frame it. There will be added volume at the crown.
Finally I tried to combine the two - I think this is my favourite design. I feel like it follows the theme of 'light meets dark' - the sleek ponytail at the front, with added volume above the forehead, and then the messy, backcombed and curled, voluminous ponytail. This look was partly inspired by MAC Cosmetics 'To Live' promotion video. Even though the models in the video were dressed in white with pale skin and hair, there was still a sense of darkness and almost evil in the video - perfect for the concept of 'light meets dark.'
I decided to test my face charts on myself to see how they looked.
The first design I found difficult to keep consistent - the sizes of the diamonds and their placement was easy to skew slightly. However, if done neater, I liked this look. My concern is that if I use a lot of shadowy lighting effects, it may look excessive. Something I definitely like is the bright lip colour, though.
The second design was harder to do in my room with limited lighting. I used false eyelashes on my brows to create the illusion of long brow hairs to cast shadows down the eyes and cheeks. This design was probably the least successful when put on a real face.
Next I tried the nude look. I liked this, although found it a little plain.
Finally I tried the smokey eye and grey/purple lip. I liked the eye make-up here, although wonder if it would look more effective with a fairer brow to contrast it. I also think it would suit a bright lip colour. I think this design best matches and is inspired by my second moodboard I created - for example, the colour scheme and softness is similar.
Next I will try a design with a fair eyebrow, smokey eye and bright lip, and I will need to test it with studio lighting too.
Founded in 1984, MAC Cosmetics was intended to be a make-up line that would fulfil professional needs. The founders, Toskan and Angelo, had found a lack of colours that would shoot well with photography, and so became the 'ultimate colour authority.' MAC's target audience, although originally intended more for professionals, is now mainly young women with a passion for make-up. However the brand's credo, ‘All Ages, All Races, All Sexes,' is accurate - the brand's image and innovative products are very versatile and can fit the needs of everyone. MAC describe themselves as ‘a makeup brand defined by appreciation of individuality, artistry and self-expression,’ with their main appeals including creativity and high standards, perfect for professional make-up artists. They are also a brand that believes in 'giving back,' evident through their AIDs/HIV fund. Their products blend casual, street styles with glamour and flare, and their honour of individuality and self-expression introduced a sense of drag and theatre; again, suiting the needs of a wider audience. To me, MAC symbolises colour, modern fashions, confidence, standing out and ignoring conventions. They are appealing due to their bright, dramatic, abstract, eye-catching, but also often simple image.
https://www.instagram.com/maccosmetics/
MAC's look is sleek, chic and simple. Their packaging, store image and advertisements all demonstrate this; for example the black pots and boxes with the simple logo that products come in. This makes products more affordable than other luxury brands. MAC is usually promoted via magazines or online; they rely on the integrity of their 'carefully formulated' product line rather than using conventional or traditional adverts or promotion methods.
This advert campaign from June 2014, named Mineralize, 1, 2 and 3, shows lots of shadow, and black negative space - similar to MAC's packaging style.
In the first image, which is selling a lip product, the shadow covers the top corner of the model's face, revealing only one eye, her nose and lips. Her head is tilted back slightly, further pushing forwards her lips, and her eye is almost closed, taking focus away from it and leaving all the attention on the lips. The model appears to be nude, meaning no distractions of clothing, and her hair and body is covered in the shadow anyway. The lipstick is the brightest and most eye-catching part of the photo.
In Mineralize, 2, much more of the face is shown as it is advertising a foundation. The model faces the camera directly, and the skin is flawless. The eye and lip colours have been chosen to flatter and compliment the skin tone, and more of the model's body is visible, emphasising the focus on skin. The shadow cast still hides the hair, preventing any distraction and focusing attention on the skin.
Finally, in the last image, promoting eye shadow, the model stares directly into the camera, despite having her face turned away slightly - this draws attention to the eyes. The eye make-up is vibrant and strong, much more dramatic than in the previous two photos, and the lips are kept nude, to keep the focus on the eye shadow. The lighting, again, hides the model's hair and body, preventing distraction.
When the images in this campaign are considered as a whole, despite being mostly black and shadowed, they haveactually got quite a warm vibe; the make-up colours and lighting are warm and vibrant.
I found these Paris Haute Couture images from MAC's Instagram page quite inspiring and relevant to my work. The shadows, dark colours and moody poses suit well with my word 'penumbra.'
This photo of Mariah Carey, advertising a lip gloss, has the caption 'One shimmery swipe of this luminous frosted nude lipstick makes your lips as fierce and timeless as the icon herself.' I like how the brand do not need to use colour in order to show off and sell a lip product. Despite being black and white, the lighting hitting and highlighting the lips and also the open-mouth pose both bring attention to this part of her face. Her hair covers her eyes and skin, meaning the focus is not on them, and much of the photo is left in shadow, as is common in MAC campaigns, only the left side of her face being softly illuminated.
When watching this 'To Live' commercial, the word 'abstract' springs to mind. Everything about it is very arty. The colour scheme is pale and white, contrasting the black and shadowy themes seen so often in MAC promotions. The models seem to float around with almost lifeless facial expressions, while their hair and clothing is intricate and powerfully styled. To me, I think this video is intended to showcase MAC's abstract artistry, and focus on self-expressionism and MAC's message and image, rather than any actual products. This video perfectly fits my word 'penumbra.' Despite being all white, pale and seemingly angelic, there is a sense of darkness and almost evil undertones to the video - perfectly matching the 'light meets dark' concept of penumbra.
For my work I will be selling a lip product, and so, taking inspiration from Mariah Carey's image and also the Mineralize Lipstick photo, it would suit the brand's image to use shadow to cleverly reveal the lips and keep them as the focal point. I will also make sure the lipstick is the most eye-catching part of the photo by keeping the rest of the make-up subtle, and my model will pose in a way that makes the lips look appealing - for example with their mouth slightly open or their head tilted upwards. It is important that the product looks wearable, eye-catching and appealing.
I was really excited about this lesson, because it would relate perfectly to my word 'Penumbra.' We were shown a couple of examples of brand advertisement designs that we will have to insert our image into; as I have been given the brand MAC, my image will go with this template - although I have the option of changing colours and the product picture:
A light was set up directly above the camera, with a spotlight attached to it, which created a circular spread of light on the model. Gobos - thin metal discs with holes and patterns in them to cast shadows - can be inserted into the spotlight, which can be focused to create a softer or sharper shadow. Black boards were used on either side of the model to block any light hitting the sides of the face, and we also tried using lights at the back above the model to highlight the hair or create a fade effect in the corners of the photos. We experimented with an 80mm lens and saw that colours came out much warmer. We also tried using gels and our hands to create colour effects or shadowed parts over the model - for example to bring focus to a certain part of the face.
Following on from this practical, I am excited to try using gobos and shadow to create effects in my images. It means I can represent 'penumbra' through my lighting and set-up, rather than just my hair and make-up.
For my first face chart I followed the idea of masking or and hiding something. I was also inspired by the image I spoke about in my previous post which featured stars amidst the shadows - and so I chose to create the 'mask' out of diamond, again creating a juxtaposition of diamonds being associated with emitting light, while shadows are the opposite. I also used the idea of a bright pop of colour, again contrasting the shadow, by adding a bright red lip. I wanted to keep the eyes and eyebrows fair and neat so as not to detract from the 'mask.'
For my second design I was inspired by the Vogue image of a girl with long lashes creating shadows down her cheeks. However I wanted to continue the idea of light-meets-dark and mystery, so I wanted to obscure the eyes - and in doing so, block the 'window to the soul.' So instead of creating shadow from lashes, I have chosen to use the brows, so that shadows will be cast over the eyes, almost rapping them behind bars. To do this I will need to attach long, false brow hairs. For the lips, I wanted to carry on with dark and shadowy tones, so I opted for a deep purple. I would also heavily contour my model, to create as much 'shading' as possible.
Next, I wanted to focus less on the make-up, and more on the actual creation of shadows. So for my face chart, I used very natural make-up to create soft skin, lightly contoured, with a nude lip and pale peach eyeshadow and fair eyebrows. I wanted everything to look natural, innocent and delicate, to contrast the shadows I will cast over the model. These shadows, and how I will create them, are something I still need to work on.
Finally, I chose to go for a more obvious approach, and do the make-up in a 'shadowy' way, by applying a smokey eye and greyish eyebrows. The smokey eye will fade from grey to black, representing my initial keyword 'penumbra.' For the lips I chose a muted, greyish-purple tone.
Taking the feedback into account, I created a new moodboard. My first change was to use fewer beauty shots - this moodboard contains only one, if counting the chin, neck and shoulders at the top as a 'beauty' shot. I also stuck to a dark colour scheme; all the images are either black and white or at least muted, dull colours, as I felt that these represented shadow, darkness and mystery better. I made sure to include one of my own images - the downward lines of shadow and colour in the large picture to the left. I was lucky enough to wake up and see this beautiful light and darkness being cast on my ceiling this morning, and thought it showed various types of shadows and penumbra really well. I paid attention to the layout of my images, keeping gaps even in the grid, and placing images that I feel depict movement together around the bottom and right sides of the board. I added a short quote which I found quite powerful - 'To light a candle is to cast a shadow.' I felt that this created a sense of darkness and mystery; as if everything you do can have a negative side to it, and creating wonder and mystery about what lay in the shadows created. By adding this text, and also by including pictures where shadows seem blurred or distorted - even the dog's shadow is unnaturally lengthened - I feel I am pulling on emotions like mystery and fear of the unknown.
I am pleased with my second moodboard and feel I have taken the feedback I received and put it to good use. I understand that more imagination and inspiration can be created from photos that are not all beauty images - with beauty shots you run the risk of simply copying an image.
I also found this quote, while researching for my moodboard, by Martin Luther King, Jr.:
'Everything That We See is a Shadow Cast by That Which We Do Not See.'
This quote triggers thoughts about how everything is created, and by whom. It also evokes thoughts about family and ancestors, and how so much of life we really know little about - again, reinforcing this fear of the unknown. Most of all, to me, this quote speaks about gratitude - so much time and effort has gone into everything we see around us in order for these 'shadows' to be created; there is an importance in remembering and appreciating this.
In terms of my work, I think this quote pulls further on the emotions of wonder and mystery, something I would like to incorporate through my work via use of shadow, darkness, body language and facial expressions.
