The experience of this module has taught me a lot about the way I work, the type of designer I am and where I want my work to go. In my rationale I stated that I wanted to “Focus on several areas of design, which will hopefully integrate with one another to give me a well-rounded set of skills, and style of design”; I think that I have tackled this quite well because I chose five briefs that all required very different outcomes, enabling me to improve my skills in several areas of design. The Occasions brief has turned me onto a new area of design that I had never considered before and the contrast between the Penguin brief and Leeds Public Arts brief has shown me the diversity within layout work, and that it can be quite interesting and fulfilling.
I feel that this module has really benefitted from the experiences I has working with design agencies over the summer. The Leeds Public Arts brief has really helped me to understand how working with a client can be really helpful, but also a nightmare when you don’t agree with their design choices. Getting the balance of good design and client’s wishes right is quite hard, but necessary and a very important skill for the future. The feel that I have been able to focus my work, and make decisions based on commercial viability and how the client would respond to the designs, rather than just doing what I like and think is best. The Sustainable Packaging brief is tied to a very specific client, but as I had no actual client input I had to think about the designs from my point of view, the customers and the clients. I think that this has brought out better work from me, and has made me think more about how my work will fit into the market place.
I have managed to tie my studio practice to my dissertation through the sustainable packaging brief mainly. The research and work I am doing has informed me about sustainability and I have allowed this to filter through into the other briefs I have been doing, but I have not made it the main focus.
I have discovered that my design work benefits from good research, and planning of the outcomes that are going to be made. I know that I am very organised, and that my design work is clean and structured. I can see how this is a good thing, but there are opportunities to take risks, and I need to make myself have a go at these, or I fear that I may get stuck in doing quite nice tidy work.
I am looking forward to my final major project because I know that I will have the opportunity to do briefs that I will feel safe and competent working on, but also to look for briefs that I may not have considered before. This is because I know that now is the time to push myself and do work that I want and can experiment with, rather than playing it safe and feeling a bit boring.
Thursday, 17 December 2009
Sunday, 13 December 2009
Context Cakes...
One of the outcomes of the final crit was that I needed to put my cake boxes into context. I took this on board and photographed two of the boxes with a cupcake, to show the context and also to give them some scale.
I do think that giving the boxes some context really helps to just give instant understanding of what the packaging is for.
I do think that giving the boxes some context really helps to just give instant understanding of what the packaging is for.
Oh (Stolen) Christmas Tree...
After the final crit, in which our presentation boards were discussed, I photographed my presents and bags in context. I realise that it is December, but I was struggling to find a christmas tree, or christmas setting to photograph them in. I resorted to stealing/borrowing a plastic tree from the cafeteria in college and rearranging the decorations so that I could photograph my presents underneath it. These are the photographs that I put on my boards, and I feel that it does really help to give some idea of how appropriate they are.
(I did put the tree back!)
(I did put the tree back!)
Friday, 4 December 2009
Gifts Galore...
I have finished producing the wrapping paper for my Occasions brief, finally!
It has taken a little while to produce them; partially because I had to do all the foiling which I needed to find time to do, partially because I had to organise putting the foiled designs through the printer to finish them, and partially because I was scared that it would all go horribly wrong! Anyway, here is a photo (taken on my desk) of 4 parcels wrapped in the paper. I am going to photograph the whole range together and individually so that I can present them on my boards really cleanly.
Overall I am quite pleased with the outcome; Unfortunately the print of the black once the metallic areas had been foiled has not lined up perfectly, but there isn't an awful lot I can do about it. So, I've decided that it will do for the photos and submission as it is mainly the concept and design rather than the finish I can achieve within college.
It has taken a little while to produce them; partially because I had to do all the foiling which I needed to find time to do, partially because I had to organise putting the foiled designs through the printer to finish them, and partially because I was scared that it would all go horribly wrong! Anyway, here is a photo (taken on my desk) of 4 parcels wrapped in the paper. I am going to photograph the whole range together and individually so that I can present them on my boards really cleanly.
Overall I am quite pleased with the outcome; Unfortunately the print of the black once the metallic areas had been foiled has not lined up perfectly, but there isn't an awful lot I can do about it. So, I've decided that it will do for the photos and submission as it is mainly the concept and design rather than the finish I can achieve within college.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Alice's adventures in the photography studio...
I spent most of yesterday in the photography studio trying to get a product shot of my finished Alice book cover. Angus helped me with the photos; he has a really good camera, which meant that we were able to catch the shots we did whilst keeping the overall design looking really crisp. These are my 3 favourite photos from the afternoon (we took about 100!)
Thank you to Angus for his help, I really appreciate it!
Thank you to Angus for his help, I really appreciate it!
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...
Sara and I were informed on Monday that our design for the Public Arts Strategy had been chosen to go to print. We had a meeting with Vanessa on Thursday and went through the changes she wanted to make to the document, which we agreed needed to be made. The majority of the changes were relatively low key; images or small errors in the text. The screen shots below show some of the changes we've made...
This layout had an image of two cars behind it, and the coloured boxes were a dark purple. We changed the image to a much more vibrant close up of a post-box and altered the colours so that they contrasted with the image, but complemented the overall design.
These 'chapters' were on the same spread with the peg image between them. We gave them their own double page spread (DPS) each, and added an additional image. This gave each section its own personality, and the text had more room to breath.
These are the revised action plan spreads. Originally the design was over 3 DPS, not it fits over 4. We have added the column titles on each spread, rather than just the first and use the same layout for each. We chose images that were very ambient, and all had a nature theme, this also meant we could keep the colour palette very similar for these pages as they are all part of the same section.
These are the new layouts for the "flowcharts", which in the meeting we clarified to just be "charts" as they don't actually need to flow in anyway. We have given each chart it's own DPS which means that the text isn't so squashed. Each one also has it's own image behind it, and fits in with the layouts of the other pages. We are SO pleased that we were able to change these, as the charts have been a real struggle since the beginning.
These spreads contain the information relating to flowcharts. These now have a DPS each aswell, which means that the images we have used are much more a focus of the page. It was particularly important that the pliers on the crate were visible (I'm not sure why, but Vanessa was very clear about that). We feel that spreading the information out more has allowed the document to become much more readable and everything feels less squashed in.
Finally, this is the front cover of the document. We have made a tiny change here; the Leeds is written in bold and has been moved onto a line of its own. I am not a fan of this because I don't like widows in text, but Vanessa wanted the Leeds to stand out a little bit more, and she asked to have it moved onto its own line.
This layout had an image of two cars behind it, and the coloured boxes were a dark purple. We changed the image to a much more vibrant close up of a post-box and altered the colours so that they contrasted with the image, but complemented the overall design.
These 'chapters' were on the same spread with the peg image between them. We gave them their own double page spread (DPS) each, and added an additional image. This gave each section its own personality, and the text had more room to breath.
These are the revised action plan spreads. Originally the design was over 3 DPS, not it fits over 4. We have added the column titles on each spread, rather than just the first and use the same layout for each. We chose images that were very ambient, and all had a nature theme, this also meant we could keep the colour palette very similar for these pages as they are all part of the same section.
These are the new layouts for the "flowcharts", which in the meeting we clarified to just be "charts" as they don't actually need to flow in anyway. We have given each chart it's own DPS which means that the text isn't so squashed. Each one also has it's own image behind it, and fits in with the layouts of the other pages. We are SO pleased that we were able to change these, as the charts have been a real struggle since the beginning. 
These spreads contain the information relating to flowcharts. These now have a DPS each aswell, which means that the images we have used are much more a focus of the page. It was particularly important that the pliers on the crate were visible (I'm not sure why, but Vanessa was very clear about that). We feel that spreading the information out more has allowed the document to become much more readable and everything feels less squashed in.
Finally, this is the front cover of the document. We have made a tiny change here; the Leeds is written in bold and has been moved onto a line of its own. I am not a fan of this because I don't like widows in text, but Vanessa wanted the Leeds to stand out a little bit more, and she asked to have it moved onto its own line.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Cover to cover...
I have printed the Alice book cover design onto several different stocks to see what effect it has on the overall design and whether the colour is suitable.
The covers stocks, from left to right, are:
Heavy double sided newsprint, Coloured medium weight paper and Off-white cartridge paper
The red stock, though very vibrant, looses a lot of the overall punch that the design has, using this stock is not an option.
The heavy newsprint works well because of the thickness and the way that it sits over the hardback book (though the final design may not be hardback) The off white colouring is interesting but makes the book look old and used, which isn't something you would want to see on a shop shelf when looking for a new and exciting book.
The cartridge paper is just off white, not very different to plain paper bar the texture. The laser print does not take well to the texture of the cartridge paper, and is prone to rubbing off or smudging, which isn't great!
This stock test has been useful because it has highlighted to me that the likely outcome for the book is; that the cover will be thick with a laminated finished to prevent it spoiling. The use of plain white gives the book a fresh and bold cover design, with the red and black combination really popping from the cover.
The covers stocks, from left to right, are:
Heavy double sided newsprint, Coloured medium weight paper and Off-white cartridge paper
The red stock, though very vibrant, looses a lot of the overall punch that the design has, using this stock is not an option.
The heavy newsprint works well because of the thickness and the way that it sits over the hardback book (though the final design may not be hardback) The off white colouring is interesting but makes the book look old and used, which isn't something you would want to see on a shop shelf when looking for a new and exciting book.
The cartridge paper is just off white, not very different to plain paper bar the texture. The laser print does not take well to the texture of the cartridge paper, and is prone to rubbing off or smudging, which isn't great!
This stock test has been useful because it has highlighted to me that the likely outcome for the book is; that the cover will be thick with a laminated finished to prevent it spoiling. The use of plain white gives the book a fresh and bold cover design, with the red and black combination really popping from the cover.
Thursday, 26 November 2009
All wrapped up...
I have finalised my designs for the elements of the paper product range. I have changed the colour scheme - the options are now craft stock, black and silver or craft stock, black and gold. I feel that this is a much more manageable range (with 4 colourways and 4 designs the range would have incorporated 30+ products) and can be achieved in the time I have left to produce it for the module deadline. I do have the opportunity to design a different colourway after the deadline for the brief deadline next spring.
These are the final:
Card Designs:
Primary Wrap:
Secondary Wraps:
Gift Tags:
Primary Bags:
Secondary Bags:
These are the final:
Card Designs:
Primary Wrap:
Secondary Wraps:
Gift Tags:
Primary Bags:
Secondary Bags:
50/50...
I have produced 50 of the christmas cards I have designed for a client. They chose two designs, and two colourways (as shown below). I printed the colour areas of the design digitally (inkjet) and then screen printed the gold metallic ink areas over the top. It was relatively time consuming to produce them, but I am really pleased with the outcome as I hit several walls in the course of production.
Monday, 23 November 2009
Gifts in bags...
This is my first mock up of the gift bag format. I have stuck to the size guidelines that we were given in the brief, and looked at an existing gift bag to determine the type of net I should use. This is a very small mock up, but the net has worked really well, and I think that with some reinforcement (because the brown paper is flimsy) it will look really good for my final mock ups.
I have to produce 4 types of bag - 1 small, 1 medium, 1 large and 1 wine. I am going to produce a different design for each size that uses the type baubles, and another set all using the same simple dot pattern design. This will create a set of 8 bags that all complement each other, along with the gift wrap and card designs.
I have to produce 4 types of bag - 1 small, 1 medium, 1 large and 1 wine. I am going to produce a different design for each size that uses the type baubles, and another set all using the same simple dot pattern design. This will create a set of 8 bags that all complement each other, along with the gift wrap and card designs.
Cake Boxes...
These are my mock-ups for two of the cake boxes; the cupcake box, and the small cake box.
My decisions behind the design for the boxes are as follow:
1. The boxes carry no printing which means that they are cheaper to manufacture
2. The lack of printing means that the boxes are easier to recycle
3. The tag allows the buyer to save the details of the company,
without having to write them down, or keep a sticky piece of cake box
4. The ribbon (or coloured string or raffia) can be purchased in a range of colours that complement the logo and design work, and it can be bought in bulk as it is suitable for every box.
Overall these boxes will be cheaper to produce and more effective for the customer. In the future Cake&Co. may want to apply design to the boxes, which would be very easy to organise. However, for the moment they need a cheap but effective and aesthetically pleasing option.
My decisions behind the design for the boxes are as follow:
1. The boxes carry no printing which means that they are cheaper to manufacture
2. The lack of printing means that the boxes are easier to recycle
3. The tag allows the buyer to save the details of the company,
without having to write them down, or keep a sticky piece of cake box
4. The ribbon (or coloured string or raffia) can be purchased in a range of colours that complement the logo and design work, and it can be bought in bulk as it is suitable for every box.
Overall these boxes will be cheaper to produce and more effective for the customer. In the future Cake&Co. may want to apply design to the boxes, which would be very easy to organise. However, for the moment they need a cheap but effective and aesthetically pleasing option.
Saturday, 21 November 2009
All that glitters is not gold...
I have had many an issue with trying to print a certain part of my card designs in gold. I had to option of using gold foil or gold metallic ink.
The foil will stick to either; a screen printed glue or a carbon print (ie. laser print or photocopy)
I had tried using the carbon option before, but I have chosen to produce the cards on heavy watercolour paper* and the foil does not take well to it due to the texture. It does however take much better to the glue - as shown. The only problem is that the glue takes several pulls to make sure that it goes through the screen and as a result it bleeds a little. The letters are quite delicate shapes, and the bleeding shows, giving a rougher outline to the letters.
Screen printing the gold ink has worked quite well; shown below. The colour is not quite as bold or brassy as the foil, but the metallic element is still there, and it has quite a lovely glittery effect as well. The letters have come out quite cleanly (1 or 2 pulls works best).
I have to produce 50 cards this week for a client, and I have decided:
- Print the colour parts of the design onto watercolour paper using the laser printers
- Screen print the gold ink on to the cut down cards
* I am using watercolour paper because it is not actually white, which is warmer than stark white, and complements the colours and metallics better. It is also quite heavy and, when folded, stands up well. Overall it was the most suitable sort of stock I could find, and I think that it will work well for the cards.
The foil will stick to either; a screen printed glue or a carbon print (ie. laser print or photocopy)
I had tried using the carbon option before, but I have chosen to produce the cards on heavy watercolour paper* and the foil does not take well to it due to the texture. It does however take much better to the glue - as shown. The only problem is that the glue takes several pulls to make sure that it goes through the screen and as a result it bleeds a little. The letters are quite delicate shapes, and the bleeding shows, giving a rougher outline to the letters.
Screen printing the gold ink has worked quite well; shown below. The colour is not quite as bold or brassy as the foil, but the metallic element is still there, and it has quite a lovely glittery effect as well. The letters have come out quite cleanly (1 or 2 pulls works best).
I have to produce 50 cards this week for a client, and I have decided:
- Print the colour parts of the design onto watercolour paper using the laser printers
- Screen print the gold ink on to the cut down cards
* I am using watercolour paper because it is not actually white, which is warmer than stark white, and complements the colours and metallics better. It is also quite heavy and, when folded, stands up well. Overall it was the most suitable sort of stock I could find, and I think that it will work well for the cards.
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Cosmetics Comparisons...
I have reached a point in my design process where the design is now formulated, and the application process is beginning. I have collated a range of different Boots Own Brand products, so as to compare their collective brand with my design for their Expert brand. The image below shows Boots ranges: Vitamin E, Tea Tree, No7, Ingredients, Sun Swim & Gym and Essentials.
I am quite pleased with the overall feel of the design, and I think that it integrates well with the rest of the Boots brand ranges. I realise that there are elements of the designs that I need to change and develop a little, but this is the basis of what my final designs will look like.
I am quite pleased with the overall feel of the design, and I think that it integrates well with the rest of the Boots brand ranges. I realise that there are elements of the designs that I need to change and develop a little, but this is the basis of what my final designs will look like.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Cupcake Box...
I've been working on the design for the individual cupcake box. I have chosen the design below for several reasons...
1. The design is easy to make; it folds up in a simple way, making it easy for the staff to put together when they are required.
2. The design does not use excess materials; the other designs I looked at used unnecessary amounts of card, as well as incorporating handles that weren't of much use.
3. The design requires only one line of glue to hold it together
4. The box can be prepared for making (ie. scored and glued) and then flattened for easy storage.
5. The design will hold and support the cupcake without the danger of squashing it.
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Cake Box...
I have started looking at the types of packaging that I can create for the cakes and other products from Cake&Co.
I want to create packaging that is;
totally practical for each individual productcheap to produce, as the goods have a short shelf life, and the packaging will end up in the bin pretty quickly clever and different from what you might expect
I want to create packaging that is;
totally practical for each individual product
I have been focusing initially on the individual cupcake box. This box needs to be well designed so that the cake is enclosed and cannot slide around, big enough so that the cake is not squashed, and tall so that the icing is not crushed when the box is closed.
I have been looking at suitable shapes, and produced these mock-ups as options for the cupcake box...they are all thiner at the bottom to help stop the cake moving around, and wider at the top to protect the icing...
I have been looking at suitable shapes, and produced these mock-ups as options for the cupcake box...they are all thiner at the bottom to help stop the cake moving around, and wider at the top to protect the icing...
Crit Feedback...
We had a crit on Wednesday, and I was able to get feedback on all 3 of the briefs I have started as well as the collaborative brief that I am doing with Sara. These are the basic notes that I made whist the feedback was being given;
Sustainable Packaging Brief...
- First hand research - go to Boots and look at what is on the shelf next to the products I am redesigning.
- Layout of the text - make it clearer
- Stock test - how will the stock/materials improve the personality of the products
- Might I include imagery?
- Find a happy medium with the type, not too overlapped or spaced out
- Plain bottles and simple colours works well
- Keep the design clear and clean
- Needs to feel more expert and crisp
Branding...
- Logo works well
- The colour palette is well chosen and hints at a retro-ish theme
- Use the logo within the doily shape, green circle with brown edge
Type & Product...
- Woodblock design with highlighted lyrics is the most popular
- Work with the order of the words on the digitally produced designs
- Lyric designs are less obviously christmas, less cliche
- Make the woodblock designs a little less distressed, not so gothic
- More white space - the design should not touch the edges of the cards
- Colour combinations are a good choice
- Gold/Silver accent will make the design pop, and not overpower with too much colour or glitter
I am going to devise an Action Plan that will relate to each of the points made in the crit, as well as the areas I feel I need to develop/ explore and design in. I also need to plan time around letterpress development and screen printing my outcomes.
The action plan will start on the first day back after the reading week (scheduled for next week).
Sustainable Packaging Brief...
- First hand research - go to Boots and look at what is on the shelf next to the products I am redesigning.
- Layout of the text - make it clearer
- Stock test - how will the stock/materials improve the personality of the products
- Might I include imagery?
- Find a happy medium with the type, not too overlapped or spaced out
- Plain bottles and simple colours works well
- Keep the design clear and clean
- Needs to feel more expert and crisp
Branding...
- Logo works well
- The colour palette is well chosen and hints at a retro-ish theme
- Use the logo within the doily shape, green circle with brown edge
Type & Product...
- Woodblock design with highlighted lyrics is the most popular
- Work with the order of the words on the digitally produced designs
- Lyric designs are less obviously christmas, less cliche
- Make the woodblock designs a little less distressed, not so gothic
- More white space - the design should not touch the edges of the cards
- Colour combinations are a good choice
- Gold/Silver accent will make the design pop, and not overpower with too much colour or glitter
I am going to devise an Action Plan that will relate to each of the points made in the crit, as well as the areas I feel I need to develop/ explore and design in. I also need to plan time around letterpress development and screen printing my outcomes.
The action plan will start on the first day back after the reading week (scheduled for next week).
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Card Stock...
I have started to consider what kinds of paper stock I am going to use for the christmas cards and wrapping paper etc. Stock can be an integral part of the overall design and is really important to getting the tone of voice for a design right.
I am thinking that the cards should be printed onto some sort of heavy cartridge paper, possibly water colour, but definitely something with texture or grain in it. I think that this will add to the letterpress/woodblock design of the card, and enhance the hand made feel.
The wrapping paper could be of similar stock, probably thinner, but still using a textured/pulp paper, but I am also considering using brown paper. A couple of years ago I bought some beautiful christmas wrap that was basic brown paper with a repeat pattern of reindeer silhouettes printed on it in gold. The contrast between the 'cheap' brown paper and the expensive printed finish created a strange but beautiful design that made the paper feel really special. I think that this design worked because it wasn't too over the top with lots of metallics or glossy texture, but 2 very simple and contrasting elements. When I come to screen printing the paper I will try using brown paper, white paper and possibly some tissue paper, as well as more textured stock.
This is a digital mock up of how the brown paper might look with black and gold printing...
I am thinking that the cards should be printed onto some sort of heavy cartridge paper, possibly water colour, but definitely something with texture or grain in it. I think that this will add to the letterpress/woodblock design of the card, and enhance the hand made feel.
The wrapping paper could be of similar stock, probably thinner, but still using a textured/pulp paper, but I am also considering using brown paper. A couple of years ago I bought some beautiful christmas wrap that was basic brown paper with a repeat pattern of reindeer silhouettes printed on it in gold. The contrast between the 'cheap' brown paper and the expensive printed finish created a strange but beautiful design that made the paper feel really special. I think that this design worked because it wasn't too over the top with lots of metallics or glossy texture, but 2 very simple and contrasting elements. When I come to screen printing the paper I will try using brown paper, white paper and possibly some tissue paper, as well as more textured stock.
This is a digital mock up of how the brown paper might look with black and gold printing...
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Work in progress...
This is some of our work from today, general work in progress stuff of how we have begun setting up the document.
We have hit a few snags - not having some of the content, and also having to make decisions between photos because we do not have a set up that allows more than one full image on any double page spread (we feel this may clutter, and make the brochure more like a photo album).
We have hit a few snags - not having some of the content, and also having to make decisions between photos because we do not have a set up that allows more than one full image on any double page spread (we feel this may clutter, and make the brochure more like a photo album).
Public Art Progress...
The deadline for the this brief is the 2nd November. This is the first day back after our reading, for which Sara and I have already made other plans involving dissertation work, and visiting family, so we only have one week to complete the brief, rather than two weeks.
Today we began developing our work, having looked at it individually over the weekend. We created several master layout pages, and started our document from scratch. We have made good headway today with the content of each page, and which layout they will use. We have also been through all of the images Vanessa gave us and chosen a few we really like to fill in some of the gaps in the document.
These are our master layouts; every page of the document will be based on one of these set-ups, though sometimes the layouts may need to be combined to create enough space for the large amounts of text some of the pages carry.
Today we began developing our work, having looked at it individually over the weekend. We created several master layout pages, and started our document from scratch. We have made good headway today with the content of each page, and which layout they will use. We have also been through all of the images Vanessa gave us and chosen a few we really like to fill in some of the gaps in the document.
These are our master layouts; every page of the document will be based on one of these set-ups, though sometimes the layouts may need to be combined to create enough space for the large amounts of text some of the pages carry.
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