Red Letters, Read Letters - Red Light District

The first phrase I decided to experiment with was 'Red Light District'. As I have recently been to Amsterdam and seen their Red Light District for myself, I felt that this gave me a good start to the phrase. After looking at different ways I could combine the phrase with the Red Light District theme, I decided on the grid like style below.

To give the black and white images this cartoon-style effect (below) I used the ???? tool on Photoshop and played around with the scales until I was happy with the effect. I think that this style has certainly improved the composition as it helps the letters become a part of the piece rather than a separate layers.

After reflecting on these experiments I decided that I liked the ...... effect as it suggests the type of state that people are in when they visit the Red Light District. It also emphasises the overwhelming atmosphere of the place itself. Some of the letters fit perfectly in a window or in the middle of the road in the photographs behind; I think this would be effective if done to all the letters. What dramatically stood out to me was the thinner pictures behind the second 'i' and the 'c'. Also, I felt like the red letters could be made to look more set in the images than just being placed on top; perhaps by adding shadows or layering them into the images (i.e. the windows).

The Final Piece

Below is the final outcome for the grid-like Red Light District design. I moved around the images and re-arranged and edited the letters to try and create a more clean and sophisticated look. I think this was effective as the letters stand out much more against the busy backgrounds. Also the introduction to shadows behind the letters has also helped them stand out whilst having the grey shadows tie them in nicely with the photographs behind. 

I think that the last 'c' and photograph work really well together. The extensive curve of the top of the letter draws the viewers eye to the woman in the doorway. Also, the last letter has a very effective composition as the 't' takes up the whole of one of the empty, middle window frame. This emphasises the red light in the building as well as the positioning of the women.