OUGD505 - SB1 Evaluation

As a result of the micro genre investigation, there were opportunities to explore new ways to create communicative work that would celebrate aspects of music through design. The chosen topic of investigation would be UK Drill, as there had recently been debate as to whether the genre is to blame for the rise in youth crime around London. Through investigating the genre through its lyrical content and origin, it would be possible to understand what makes it unique from other forms of UK rap.

It was found that the genre had originated in Chicago, USA under the sub genre 'Drill'. As UK Drill involved similar lyrical content and themes, it too had been demonised by the media and police as violent, nihilistic and problematic. Although the genre is seen as 'underground' by its fans, there were clear signs that it was becoming more mainstream, as its fan base had grown across the UK and other parts of the world.

During the initial ideas stage of the project, the genre was explored based on its lyrics, references to gang life and themes. This was then projected into several minimal designs that expressed the images, objects and locations often found in the music videos. From this, feedback was given on ways that the project could progress further, including the exploration of colour and typography.

Looking into the formats that UK Drill used to reach its fan base, also provided insight into the high production music videos for popular Drill artists and the typography used in the videos. Often, these videos were found on YouTube channels that had previously been known for distributing RnB, hiphop and Grime music. Channels such as Pressplay Media and GRM daily were found to be the most popular distributers of UK Drill, with millions of views on their videos.

After noticing the recurring aesthetic in the high production music videos, the content was assessed and used as inspiration for the final outcome. As the videos often included neon lighting, it was found that red and blue were the most used colours throughout these videos. This was then interpreted along side the previous practical investigation, with the colours being used as a way to celebrate the genre.

As some of the ideas of the prior investigation were dismissed during critiques, they were then explored further as an extra feature of the outcome. As it was found that Drill artists often referred to themselves and their gangs as soldiers, a set of dog tags were engraved with the examples of two Drill artist on them. This would inform the audience of the relation between the artists and their comparison with soldiers. It would also help add to the gritty aesthetic of the final piece and express this as a physical object to the public audience.