Wednesday, 6 February 2013

Design strategy - Evaluation: OUGD504


1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

I have explored more in this module due to it being largely focused on print. I have developed a better understanding of the process involved in commercial printing, how products are designed before and after the process as well a multitude of other things in reference to print. I believe i have learned how to thoroughly research more, where as last year i sometimes struggled to find the right information or imagery necessary. I have developed a better understanding of Adobe as i have practiced more on Illustrator mainly as well as Photoshop, Indesign and Dreamweaver. Illustrator is my strongest still for design purposes, and Photoshop for editing imagery i have realised. I wish to be able to to join the two and make graphic design work which involves both skill and which looks consistent as a design, as i feel sometimes my vector design if far from my photographic work when put together. 

2. What approaches to/ methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

With each brief i have chose or been given i have designed throughly in comparison to last year, i had a bad hobbit of leaving design until last minute due to concentrating on other things such as research and blogging, which let my designs down as i hadn't spent enough time on them. This year i have learnt its best to design the minute i get a brief, even if its just getting my ideas onto design sheets or blogging my conceptual thoughts for a task. I feel this method of development prose worked best for me in the Design for print and web brief - Not just Fleurons, it was a brief we had to re-write ourselves, which i enjoyed altering aspects to benefit my own design. For this brief i explore hand rendered type design, digital type design, screen printing, web design and app design. These are all areas which was never very strong in, however since i have devoted a lot of effort to that brief i believe it payed off as i developed an unconventional choice of design approach with the theme of Pantone and the concept of gardening. Over all i was really happy with the final designs and i could have probably progressed more with them, i believe i should have developed more print based material for the brief as well, this could of involved a range of products such as Plantae Pantone seed, Plant dye etc. In fact these kind of product i might investigate further regardless of the deadline. 
I have practiced new design element such as foiling and screen printing, realistically these are methods i should have already designed in, this is something i will bare in mind this year to experiment at the beginning of a brief to be able to use what ever process i wish. 


3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

I believe i have became better at blogging, unlike last year i used to mange blogging terribly, this year i blog in a structured and less time consuming way. I do primary and secondary research for briefs which is really important to gather a different kinds as some times secondary isn't useful enough. I have grasped that working to meet crit deadlines is hugely important as the feedback can give you an advantage to change and make your work better.  


4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

Unfortunately by software skills aren't great, i really need to be more equipped with photoshop, indesign and dreamweaver as these are all programmes which i need to be able to use with out any trouble. The best way of me learning i find is to sit in the mac suite when designing work i'm a little uncertain on how to do so that the mac suite people can help me on design areas i find hard. 
When designing for editorial i struggle with layout, this is something i want to develop a skill in and be able to do with out the worry of it not look visually effective, this also applies to the presentation boards we have to submit, i find it a little difficult to present my work on paper, knowing whats the correct way of informing others about my designs. This falls hand in hand with my presentation skills, i am not a confident speaker but this is something i wish to over come as i am in my 2nd year now and don't won't to feel the panic next year. 


5. Identify 5 things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

I will experiment with different medias and processes to show a range in my design and technical abilities.
I will book into inductions such as last cutting, book binding and screen printing again to make my self fully aware of how to do things my self.
I will spend more time designing, especially initial designs to show a wide range of experimental ideas.
I will keep up to date with blogging, structure my time effectible and make lists. 
I will be more organised with my work and my money situations for the sake of my work.

6. How would you grade yourself on the following areas:

Attendance: 3
Punctuality: 3
Motivation: 4
Commitment: 4
Quantity of work produced: 3
Quality of work produced: 4
Contribution to the group: 5

Sunday, 27 January 2013

Life's a pitch - Inkspire

The visual identity for the business Inkspire


As a team we contributed to organising the presentation, we were assigned individual roles within the business and for during the presentation, here are some notes I have made for the presentation to our peers:

Presentation

Slides:

Intro - company inspire
craft based company, want to do novelty gift ideas, specialising in illustration

Pop up shop- start off as a small company, fork our way, explore audience, get our name out there

Create attention

Creating a buzz - come up with different strategies to attract an audience, for example tea making it more personal, personal customers, customer care and friendliness

Staying in touch - networking, leaflets, blogging, twitter, linkedin to create awareness and an online presences

Company cost - we want a small company, want to be sensible, do things low cost, small business, don't want to aim to high because we have to cover the costs, split the commission, have all participant taking an equal role

Draw something - is the inspiration board, type of designs that are influential to us, styles per illustrated for different audiences, so we'd consider patterns, colour pallets, drawing techniques,

Product range - looks at t-shirts, tote bags, fabrics, stationary, home gifts, themes products for each audience.

Responsibilities:

LISA: Website 

_We thought it would be a useful idea to create a second form of publicity, a way of getting our products out there.
_Become a bigger company 
_Promote inkspire as a brand and identity, move up in the market
_ The goal would be to gain recognition mainly but also receive feedback from previous customers.
_So a way of publicising our work and having an online presence, would be to create a website which would link up to all the social networking sites.
_Each page informing costumers about contacts, commission, who we are, what we do and how we do it alongside lots of visuals of ready made products. 
_If this were all in check then the company would have grown from a popup stall at a craft fair to a decent brand that sells illustration themed products. 

Existing competitions - well known brands such as paper chase, who are existing competition as we'll as inspiration companies


Saturday, 19 January 2013

Life's a pitch - Product range research

Here are a few photographs to show how illustrations can be applied to a range of products:








http://pinterest.com

Thursday, 17 January 2013

Life's a pitch - Imagery research

After we organised what out business would be, we each collected some imagery to show in the presentation as examples of what kind of illustrative approach we would take, and who the work would be aimed at. Below are a few examples I collected.

Adult art





Teens art








Source:http://pinterest.com

Tuesday, 1 January 2013

Life's a pitch - Who are we?

Myself, emily, Katie, Josh and Nikki chose to go in a group together for Life's a pitch. As a team thought it would be interesting to set up the business based on our favourite interests within design, this being illustration and craft based work. As a group we would represent:

Working as a small business, perhaps starting off working at art fares and pop up shops.
We would like to be primarily craft based but open to other designs ranges.
We would like to produce a range of products from stationary to clothing, depending on the audience. 
Developing an online presence would be beneficial as we would gain recognition for out work. 
Our love for pattern design would be explore thoroughly in the products and perhaps produced through screen printing.
Novelty products are our main idea, products that people like to collect.

Friday, 9 November 2012

Effective design: Design areas of interest

I have decided to keep a collection of post on my ppp blog, as a reminder of all the things i come across whilst researching other things which may not relate to a specific, however keeping a visual document of anything i'm interested in will be useful for future design explorations as well as research.
Firstly i will start with these popular projects which are visually effective and rememberable. 

ManvsMachine


ManvsMachine is a design & motion studio based in London, England.

Since opening its doors in early 2007, ManvsMachine has grown into a multi award winning, multi national team of creative specialists directing & producing globally acclaimed branding, commercials, animation, film & print.

More 4



After winning a competitive pitch, Channel 4 commissioned ManvsMachine to create a new brand identity and on-air look for More4. The package aligns with a re-focussed range of content on the channel.
The re-brand is centred round a bold, flexible logo that morphs through a series of flips, folds and reveals. The colour palette reflects the vibrant nature of interiors, food culture, fashion and other contemporary lifestyle programming.








Nokia N9


We were very flattered when Nokia approached us with the task of creating a start-up sequence for their new N9 smartphone. The brief encouraged us to explore the limits of the 'connection' narrative associated with the iconic Nokia 'hands' sequence.
In keeping with the super-clean form of the button free N9 handset, the final animation brings the display to life with a minimum of fuss, with tactile fluid ripples attracting to the Nokia logotype.






Source:http://manvsmachine.co.uk


Anagraphics


Anagraphics is an interesting project by Button Button. Combining “anagram” and “graphics”, the project is a collection of popular minimal movie poster-styled illustrations of letters forming famous brand names, rearranged according to “the laws of creativity and the absurd.” Very creative and original, Anagraphics shows us some interesting and quirky results when it comes to brand names.


Yves Saint Laurent & Ray Ban



Mastercard & Starbucks



Malibu Coconut & Absolut



Google & Colgate 


Source:http://www.brandingmagazine.com/2013/01/08/anagraphics-of-famous-brand-names/

Thursday, 8 November 2012

Design strategy - 5 briefs: OUGD503


As part of the responsive module we were asked to pick 5 briefs from the following links to produce work for:

www.dandad.org/
www.istd.org.uk/
www.ycnonline.com/
www.graphiccompetitions.com/
As i have never entered any competitions before, i think this is a great opportunity for me let my create flare out, and not hold back on design ideas. 
I have browsed the design website sand came across a few briefs i would like to take part in.
Here are the following:

Douwe Egberts

Generate excitement about Douwe Egberts coffee, and create a desire for better coffee at home

Background

Douwe Egberts has been roasting and blending coffee since Egberts Douwes opened his first shop in the Netherlands, in 1753. Since then it’s grown and become the third largest coffee roaster in the world. In countries like the Netherlands, Germany and France, Douwe Egberts ground coffee enjoys a commanding market presence, and in the Netherlands it outsells even Coca-Cola!
Douwe Egberts came to the UK in 1984 with a range of instant coffees and two years later brought it’s ground coffees to market. With its established heritage in Europe and superior quality, Douwe Egberts Ground coffee quickly became the market leader in the UK. Never one to rely on its heritage, Douwe Egberts has been at the forefront of innovation, and created the single serve coffee segment with the launch of the Senseo system in 2001.
Over the last 10 years, Douwe Egberts have tried to maintain relevance with consumers, through new products such as the Inspirations range of Instant coffee, and the new-look range of ‘Lifestyle’ ground coffee. In the last year, we have also launched our new brand identity, with the hope of appealing to younger consumers. Most recently we have launched ‘The Flavour Collective’ – a range of three flavoured instant coffees designed to bring variety for coffee lovers and engage younger consumers with instant coffee.
Coffee, and more broadly hot drinks are becoming the territory of older drinkers, and that is particularly true for Douwe Egberts. Our main consumers are 50+ with very few younger people choosing to drink coffee at home.

Background to the Business

For more than 250 years, the company and the Douwe Egberts brand have been synonymous with high quality coffee. This global company is one of the largest dedicated players in the industry, with revenues of €2.6bn for the fiscal year ending in July 2011 and almost 7,500 employees. They are the third largest manufacturer in the world with ambitions to move up to second place through a combination of expansion, innovation and value-added offerings. Their craftsmanship and knowledge of coffee is built on decades of experience and insight into our consumers’ preferences.

This is a highly competitive industry; the brand’s ambitious plans for growth are underpinned by ‘Challenger’ and innovative thinking.

Background to the Category

Over the past five years, world retail coffee sales have grown year on year by almost 8%, growth has come from every segment within premium coffee sales. The wider availability of high-quality coffee, the fact that most High Streets now have up-market coffee shops and more knowledgeable consumers keen to sample different varieties of coffee are the primary drivers of growth.

The Douwe Egberts Brand in the UK

This brief covers Douwe Egberts coffee in the UK. The brand in the UK has a retail value of £64m. The largest part of the portfolio is Instant coffee valued, followed by Ground coffee and then Single Serve Pods.
The brand in the UK has a mission to ‘Challenge and disrupt the category by building a dynamic brand that consumers love’.
The brand vision is to ‘Inspire and surprise shoppers and consumers to discover and explore the brand’s coffee experiences’.
Brand positioning: Coffee is one of life’s pleasures. Here at Douwe Egberts our master blenders draw on 250 years of experience to bring you the distinguished coffee experience you deserve.
Brand essence: No one knows coffee like we do.
The brand behaviours: Passionate, confident, daring, knowledgeable, expert, optimistic, authentic, warm, trustworthy, engaging, ‘Challenger’, brave, modern traditional, premium, versatile, loyal.
Brand assets: Heritage (250 years of expertise), roasting and blending expertise,the brand name, iconic packaging, master blenders.
The brand acts as a ‘Challenger’ brand, believing ideas are the currency that fund growth, they outsmart rather than outspend. Trying to do more with less is a thought central to the brand’s ‘Challenger’ approach. As the brand isn’t market leader they make sure they make their stamp by being ‘Thought Leader’ in the category.

The Challenge

As the drinks market becomes even bigger, with different kinds of water, energy drinks, fruit teas and infusions, coffee is becoming ever-more sidelined at home, and the coffee shops are picking up that custom. Douwe Egberts coffee has a lot of ‘love’ from people, and a high awareness of the brand name, but people tend to associate it with their parents and grandparents, and the special coffee that gets bought at Christmas. Because of this, the DE brand is seen as old-fashioned, out of touch, and irrelevant to consumers. Whilst our 250 years of heritage are what make us special, it also makes us look old!
We have recently become a pure-play coffee & tea company, DE Masterblenders 1753. This means that now we are totally focussed on creating excellence in every cup of coffee we make. We employ some of the best blenders, roasters and tasters in our business, who live & breathe coffee every day. See the links section to find out more on our website.

The Brief

Develop a creative campaign, new product, new packaging or communications idea for Douwe Egberts in the UK to appeal to younger consumers, to increase their awareness of Douwe Egberts and ideally have a theme that can extend across different media. It needs to present Douwe Egberts as a brand that is contemporary, without losing its heritage and expertise. We know that people in the 18-30 age bracket will happily spend their money in a Starbucks or a Costa, but not drink coffee at home. The challenge in this brief is to find a way of making coffee drunk at home as appealing as coffee drunk in a coffee shop.

Creative Requirements

To get younger people to re-appraise or discover the Douwe Egberts brand. Generate excitement about Douwe Egberts coffee, and create a desire for better coffee at home using any form of communication you feel appropriate. Get younger people talking about Douwe Egberts Coffee in a positive way, and try to shake the ‘old-fashioned’ image, without losing the heritage and expertise.
You can incorporate ‘For the Love of Coffee’ or ‘No-one knows Coffee like we do’ (our taglines) into the piece, but that is not essential. The new brand identity, logo and packs can be found in the project pack.

Target Audience

Coffee Lovers & Coffee Connectors. 25+, demographic classification ABC1, educated, a thirst for knowledge, curious, pursuers of pleasure, like to travel, experimental, foodies, passionate, love life, pay for quality.

Brand Benefits

At Douwe Egberts, we’ve been roasting and blending coffee for over 250 years, which means nobody knows coffee like we do. Every cup of our coffee is expertly blended, roasted and tasted by our Master Blenders to ensure that it’s perfect before it leaves our factory.

Mandatories

The DE logo (red seal + wording) must be used, this is included in the Project Pack. The Brand Guidelines that you’ll find in the Project Pack refer to our corporate logo so please disregard this and just use the relevant information within the guidelines.
The creative/campaign/product must bring a modern/contemporary feel to the brand.

Deliverables, Artwork and Additional Information

For guidance on how to submit your work, please adhere to the main deliverables information which can be found here.
Any additional supporting information referenced in the brief can be found in the supporting project pack.


UK Greetings

Design a range of greetings cards

Background

Imagine seeing your card designs on the shelves of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waterstones, Paperchase, Clintons and independent card shops, and on window sills across the country.
UK Greetings are the UK’s market leading direct-to-retailer publisher, and manufacturer of greetings cards.
Based in West Yorkshire, we supply to the major supermarkets, high street specialists and independent retailers in the UK and internationally.
UKG have several established sub-brands, each priding itself on delivering something unique, giving UK Greetings a distinctive edge and sound reputation for diverse and eclectic product. More information on these can be found at ukgreetings.co.uk

The Creative Challenge

The greetings card industry is a very competitive market. We are constantly looking for ways to stand out from the crowd, whether this be through an exciting card format, interesting use of finishes (emboss, foil, glitter, varnish, gems, googly eyes, printed card attachments, bespoke attachments, buttons etc), or simply stunning designs that stand out from the competition.

Target Audience

16-34 year olds.

Considerations

Think about the sending situation. Why would you be sending them a card? What is the occasion? Birthday card to a friend or to a family relation? Something to say good luck, get well? Congratulations? You’re getting married? Simply ‘I love you’ or ‘I miss you’?
Who is the recipient? At what stage in their lives are they? Single, married, with children, off to college/university, passing their driving test, losing someone close to them?
Remember who you are targeting. Who is going to be actually buying the card for the recipient? Although you need to design a card that targets the recipient, it’s the person who is buying the card we need to impress and convince.
Also please note: Women buy far more cards than men.
Is the card design-led or copy-led (could be a quote, just a ‘hello’ or a longer message)?

Mandatories

You must design at least 4 cards. These will include:
  • Front page designs.
  • Designs for the inside of the cards (this may or may not include an insert).
  • A range name and logo to be printed on the back page.
  • Remember to think about the envelope colour or design.
  • Suggested card sizes – 159mm x 159mm, 121mm x 184mm, 137mm x 159mm, 110mm x 210mm but don’t let that restrict you.
  • Add 3mm bleed to all artwork supplied.

Preparation

Take a look at what is out there. Visit Paperchase, Clintons, WH Smith and local card shops. A successful range often does something different to what is already out there.
Do some research into what types of cards are being sent to this target group and why.

Deliverables, Artwork and Additional Information

For guidance on how to submit your work, please adhere to the main deliverables information which can be found here.
Any additional supporting information referenced in the brief can be found in the supporting project pack.


  • Packaging Design
  • Brand: L'Artisan Parfumeur
  • Agency: jkr

Brief
Re-envisage the L’Artisan Parfumeur brand for the 21st Century by creating a design solution for a new unisex range of scents.

Creative challenge

Traditional French fragrance houses are steeped in a rich history of style and imagery. L’Artisan Parfumeur wants to break with this convention. Their latest collection is uniquely based around bottled emotions. Your challenge is to showcase this range by breaking the rules of conventional perfume packaging.
There are four scents, each capturing a different human feeling:
Scent a: Passion and desire. Sex and lust. Raw and physical.
Scent b: Perfect, sublime love. An interior emotion.
Scent c: Excitement and fear. Adrenaline, exhilaration and thrill.
Scent d: Elegant and dignified. Stormy yet still.

  • Photography
  • Brand: Dazed & Confused

Brief


Create a portrait of contemporary youth.

Creative challenge


Is culture drowning in a sea of visual mediocrity? Are truly iconic images devoured and disregarded in a relentless and unstoppable stream of click-consumption? In 10 years, which images from today will stand the test of time? Which will define our generation?

Dazed & Confused magazine want you to create your own portrait of contemporary youth. A single image that will be just as relevant in a decade. An image that captures this period of time, with determination and attitude.

Shoot your friends, your peers. Capture reality, fantasy, people with interesting stories, people with great ideas. Something real. Avoid the clichés. Seize the chance to define the visual language of your world in 2012/13.

Additional prize

Selected winning work will be showcased on Dazed & Confused / dazeddigital.com



  • Applied Graphics
  • Brand: Batiste

Brief


Create a trend-led graphic identity for a limited edition range of Batiste products.

Creative challenge


Make Batiste a must have product for every beauty toolkit, appealing to new customers and engaging with existing ones.

Build the Batiste brand by creating four new graphic identities and fragrances. They should fit in with the current range but have stand out shelf appeal. Demonstrate this across a number of practical applications, including packaging, website and point of sale.

Batiste are fashion led, utilising trends to ensure that they have significant shelf appeal and strong brand loyalty. How can the graphic identity work harder to sell the varieties of Batiste in an instant, whilst also clearly demonstrating the full potential of the product?