Monday 16 May 2011

Speaking from experience..post-crit2: design development...

On friday 13th May i had another crit where i showed the development i had made from the week before concerning my initial ideas. My progress received good feedback and i was given some more ideas or things that i could develop for the final crit on the 20th May.

Things that were mentioned were:
- try out different colour themes with my branding to see what effect it has visually.
- using my created brand for this brief to brand graphic design as a whole, such as doing things like using my logo on the studio labels etc.
- trying out my branding on objects such as lanyards/ hoodies/ badges.

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From the crit feedback i have experimented with different colour themes on my hotdog books.


I dont think that the blue on this layout works particularly well because the greyish background makes the colour seem dull, also because of the red logo, the blue just doesnt seem to work in this layout.


Using the same blue as the layout above, i changed it to a background colour overlaying the pattern. This one seems to work well with the blue and i think this is because the use of white makes the blue seem brighter, which then also exaggerates the red in the logo.


This is the same as the above layout but i have changed the colours in the logo, but i dont think this works because the logo no longer stands out against everything else, it has been lost within the rest of the design. The logo needs to be clear and make a statement.


This is taking the same elements from the design above in terms of having the blue overlaying the pattern, but only in a small block. Im not to sure if this one works or not, it may seem that it has become too complicated, because the black boxes have a blue outline too.


This has had a grey overlay on the patterned area, there isnt really much difference between this and the original.


The orange in this design looks a bit tacky and too bright, but if i made it any duller it would probably look even worse, orange just doesnt suite the other elements of the design.


The green in quite refreshing and works better than the orange, but because of the red in the logo, im not sure if its a suitable colour.


The brown is something that really works, it is a subtle colour that doesnt take away any attention from the information on the design or the actual layout, but then im thinking maybe its too boring and dull?


With this one i just thought id see what it looked like using all the colours of the rainbow, but it looks tacky again, theres just too much going on. Im glad i experimented with the colours because it has allowed me to justify why i have chosen the colours and designs that i have.

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Below i have changed the colour of the packaging to see what it looks like, some work whilst others do not. I think if i were to create this package for the masses, then it would be nice to have a choice in what colour box the GD students could have, i guess it makes it more personal if you can choose the colour.









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Below i tried to design a different sort of packaging after researching kits online, but it doesnt have the same effect as the box.



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I decided to change the design of the box slightly because i felt that the striped pattern would be too much for the eye, so i added in black squares to tone it down, i have also changed the blend mode of the logo on the lid to normal, so it no longer looks stripy. I did this because some of the letters became lost in the pattern and i didnt feel it was legible enough.

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In the crit i was told to try out my branding in different contexts, so i tried out my designs onto badges, some of them are just my original logo or elements i have consistently used and others are new ideas, purposely for the badges. I think in most cases, badges like these have funny and quite simple designs on them and a lot of people put them onto their bags or pencil cases. I think there are 3 or 4 designs that i would consider using as a final outcome, including the 3 bottom designs and the middle design on the second from last row. They are simple and some light hearted designs. The badges need to be something that a GD student would actually want to wear or use.


I also tried out some t-shirt designs, i tried to keep them simple. I thought about whether i would wear them and when i would wear them if they were a real product. On some of them the logo is too big and to be honest i wouldnt wear it to uni! But maybe as pj's or scruffs. The grey design on the top row would be ok because the logo is quite small and subtle, another one that i wouldnt mind wearing is the bottom right red t-shirt. It may not be as obvious what it is, but if your a GD student you would understand the abbreviation. The logo could be on the back or on the inside label, just to fully brand the t-shirt.

Below, i started to add branding to GD related items, such as lanyards (because we will have to start using them next year, i thought the GD students could have their own design), also added the logo onto a usb stick (because we get one when we start the course, it also helps if you lose it because whoever finds it would know your a GD student), i then put it onto a portfolio case to see what it looked like.



After the crit and Amber saying that my box could be an ice breaker for the new students, i thought about creating something that would be funny and a chance for the newbies to talk to one another. So i made a card polar bear and he holds a card saying:

'How much does a polar bear weigh?
Enough to break the ice!'

Yes i know, a bit cheesy, but hopefully it would make people laugh and talk about its awful cheesiness!



I took some photos of the things that will be going into the pack, including the hotdog book and the pen case with a matching pen. Below is the same set of things but with the cute polar bear too! :)




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A few months back i emailed a Graphic Designer called Stuart Eaton, who is the director of Mothership Software Limited. I was actually meant to be emailing the Argos Graphic Designer, who has the same name. But through a case of mistaken identity, i managed to get some really helpful and quite inspiring advice from the incorrect Stuart. The advice he gave me really inspires me and when im feeling like i cant be bothered, i read his email which motivates me. I picked out one particular piece of advice that i thought could help the first years and i have turned it into a poster to put inside my GD pack, i am also going to print it onto a tote bag.


I have kept the design of it really simple and to the point and then added the branding i designed to link it all together. I think this quote pretty much sums up how we should all be working on this course, and fits with the whole thing of ' you will only get out of it what you put into it!'

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