Wednesday 24 October 2012

Chocolot Brief Foiling















I bought some foil to experiment on my logo for my packaging designs.



Chocolot Brief Packaging design development


 

I have been experimenting with nets for my chocolate packaging. I took out a book called The packaging and design template sourcebook and tried to find nets that looked interesting and would work with my concept.



This one works well because of the size of it and the top will work well with my logos and icons.



I chose this one because I am going to have chocolate in a cellophane bag and then place it in this box. I think this is going to work well because its a different way to approach it and its quite edgy.




















I am also going to make a gift bag for the chocolate to be taken away from the shop in. I am going to keep the bag quite simple as I want to mainly focus on the chocolate packaging.



















This is just an example of how my work could be applied to one of the above nets. I was going to foil the black writing but found out previously that the foil sticks to all colours of ink when I thought it was just black ink.


Friday 19 October 2012

Chocolot Brief: Chocolot wrapping idea generation















I have begun to develop designs for nets just to see what I can do. I actually forgot how much information has to be placed on food products which meant I did find it quite difficult to even produce these. There is nutrition information, ingredients, a barcode, a best before date and a seductive description of how amazing the chocolate is. Lots of things to creatively place.















I do quite like the front of the bar's design but the back is just not working for me. Obviously I need to play around with layout more, but I dont want to design the back too creatively in fear of it not being clear. This part of the design is probably the most important within food packaging design. People need to know what exactly they are getting and be able to read the information clearly, if they have an allergy but cant read the ingredients, I could possibly kill someone!! (Unlikely but hey).





















After having a tutorial and discussing ideas that I had I came up with a new, possible idea. We discussed my foil designs that I wanted to print, but then came up with the idea of making a chocolate mould, so instead of the pattern being on the foil it could be printed into the chocolate.

The above design is an example of what I am trying to explain. (Ignore the pattern on the green wrapping as this wouldnt be on there if I was to do this design).





















This is an idea of what the wrapping would be like on the chocolate. It would be foil that would have the information printed onto it. The only problem I may have looking forward is that all the important info may not be clear enough. But I shall cross that bridge when I get to it. For now I am enjoying thinking of really creative ideas.













I have tried playing around with the logo and flavour. I have taken the letter c from the logo and placed it behind the flavour logo at a low opacity just to add a bit of depth to everything.














Another example of what I could do but im not sure if it is communicating that it is flavoured chocolate.

Tuesday 16 October 2012

Chocolot Brief: Idea generation/ Packaging
























As part of my Confectionery Brief Chocolot, I have begun to generate ideas for packaging designs. These arent for packaging nets as current, just visual designs. I have applied the small icons I previously made and created a repeat pattern with them, and then added the logo. The idea was to have this design printed onto paper foil to wrap around the chocolate.




















I have tried the same design on a few different ranges, I do think they work pretty well although there is plenty of room for development. I think I may have to play about with the logo and its placement and appearance on these designs but the pattern seems to be a good idea.




















I have just noticed that this one's logo is not centralised like the others so its a good job its not a finished idea! Stock is something I really need to consider throughout this process. The stock I choose to work with will reflect on the brand, if I am wanting to portray that my brand is quite sophisticated then I will need to pick a stock that reflects on this, for example a gloss or silk stock.


















These are the above foil designs and the design for the front to match. The front has been kept quite simple, mainly using just colour to represent a flavour. The main logo is at the top and then underneath I have placed the flavour logo to help communicate what the product is offering. I liked these designs whilst doing them but now looking back at them im not sure if they actually work that well.












I have then gone on to play around with a pattern on the packaging so that it feels a bit more sophisticated but trying to keep it fairly simple. This design doesnt work. The logo doesnt stand out and the layout is just all wrong. In other words its crap.












This design works a lot better than the one above. Im still not convinced by the pattern. It looks as though it has just been stuck there for the sake of it. The arrangement of the type seems to work very well. I think this is because its centralised and there isnt a load of information crammed on.
























It appears to work across a range of colours too which is always good to know.

Confectionery Brief: Chocolot logo development


After sketching out some ideas for my Confectionery Brief logo, I took them digitally and began to develop my ideas further. I tried to find typefaces on DaFont.com to see if there was one that would fit with my initial sketches and the approach I was looking for. At first I used one typeface and then began to combine different typefaces to create something a bit more exciting. The logo that I have chosen to work with is the bottom left one.

This logo will be further developed to ensure that it is clear and well made as well as being able to be applied to different products. 
This is the final logo that I will be using for this brief. The first and last letter are a different typeface to the middle. I think this works well as these add a bit of interest to the whole design. I wanted the logo to look quite sophisticated but not too fussy. That's why I have kept the middle letters very simple.


This is just the logo reversed out to show it can work either way.


I have then changed the colour of the logo and this will be determined by the flavour of the chocolate. So far I have white, milk, dark, mint and orange chocolate. These will be developed further as I research into more chocolate combinations. 


I have also began to play with icons to represent the different flavours of chocolate in my product range. I have tried to keep it simple by just using colour and type to communicate a flavour. I think its pretty clear what I am communicating when you see everything together.


I have then created little icons to show what the flavour is, I will be experimenting with these a bit later on.


I have tried to use colours that arent too bright as I wanted to keep the palette quite sophisticated.
















Monday 8 October 2012

Time management sheet OUGD301

Here is the current outline of my time table for the weeks ahead for the module OUGD301.



Undoubtedly this schedule will be subject to change as things arise that may be out of my control. I do plan on sticking to this as much as possible to ensure I get everything I need to do, done. 

Time (one thing there is never enough of)

So to get myself organised and scare myself into actually doing my work. I worked out long I reckon I need to get things done. I worked this out by deciding how long I would need to spend on each step of a design process for each brief.

The 7 steps are as follows (they dont always happen in this order);

Step One// Idea generation.
Step Two// Research and investigation.
Step Three// Concept development and clarification.
Step Four// Design development.
Step Five// Evaluation and selection.
Step Six// Production and resolution.
Step Seven// Presentation and submission.

On Thursday 4th October we were told it was 71 days or 610 hours or 36,600 minutes until submission and counting!!

So what we had to do was make a time line to show how much time for each brief we would spend on each step of the above design process.





Here is a brief overview of how much time I will be spending on each step with each brief:

Confectionery brief

- Idea generation and design development important, need to experiment with ideas
- Not loads of research needed, mainly on other confectionery brands and packaging
- Concept pretty straight forward
- Time just to evaluate before plenty of time to produce final resolutions
- Time to photograph work and present

Origami Brief

- Need plenty of time to develop ideas, play with Origami, see what I can do
- A fair bit of research to see how to make Origami, ongoing with evaluation and idea development
- Give myself enough time to produce, resolve and present outcomes
- Concept development, again pretty straight forward, just making sure I know what I am doing and why

VW Beetle Brief

- Lots of research into VW needed and a lot about the Beetle
- Idea generation and evaluation giving plenty of time to ensure I design the most appropriate outcome
- Design development, making sure I have come up with the best ideas
-Concept classification, I know why I am making the publication
- Enough time to produce and present professionally

Wind in The Willows Brief

- Plenty of time to draw illustrations, come up with ideas and have fun
- Design development to make initial ideas better ready for evaluation and selection process
- Small (ish) amount of research, looking into Puffin books
- Concept development to make sure im on track and it has a purpose
- Producing resolutions over lapping with evaluation, constantly changing
- Plenty of time to present and submit to competition

Every brief should allow time for any unplanned difficulties or issues that may arise at any time.







Sunday 7 October 2012

OUGD301 Chosen brief Rationales

Here are my rationales for my chosen briefs for this Design Practice module

Brief One// Puffin Wind in the willows

- An illustrative investigation of childrens books with a focus on retail.
- A design for print investigation of illustration with a focus on childrens books.
- An illustrative investigation of childrens books with a focus on design for print.
- A design for print investigation of childrens book covers with a focus on illustration.
- A childrens illustration investigation of retail design with a focus on design for print.

An design for print investigation of illustration with a focus on children's books. I am going to design illustrative book covers and other print based designs for retail based on the children's classic The Wind in The Willows because this will allow me to develop my illustration skills and apply them to a range of outcomes.

My product is a set of children's illustrations for the children's classic story The Wind in The Willows. The range will be a set of book covers (at least five), book marks, posters and shop signage. The distribution for this brief will include children's books, e books, web, gift bags and shop signage.

Brief Two// Confectionery branding

- A branding and identity investigation of confectionery retail with a focus on packaging and promotion.
- A design for packaging investigation of confectionery retail with a focus on branding and promotion.
- A design for print investigation of confectionery branding with a focus on packaging.
- A brand and identity investigation of packaging with a focus on confectionery promotion.
- A packaging investigation of confectionery brands with a focus on new product promotion.

A design for print investigation of confectionery branding with a focus on packaging. I am going to brand and promote a new confectionery brand because this will allow me to develop my brand and identity skills along with my packaging and promotion skills.

The product I will be creating is the branding and identity for the confectionery brand, this includes a logo. The range will include a variety of confectionery items like chocolate bars, bags of sweets etc and the distribution will be the packaging, gift bags, shop signage and a website.

Brief Three// VW Beetle

- A print based investigation of car retail with a focus on publication.
- A design for print investigation of promotional publications with a focus on car retail.
- A promotional publication investigation of car retail with a focus on design for print.
- A type and layout investigation of printed publications with a focus on car retail.
- A print based investigation of car retail promotion publications with a focus on type and layout.

A print based investigation of car retail promotion with a focus on publication. I am going to promote the new VW Beetle using print based methods, I am doing this because it will develop my design for print skills, type and layout, illustrative skills and working on something out of my current comfort zone.

The product will be a promotional piece for the new VW Beetle. The range I can apply this to is a publication, magazine ads and a moving image. My methods of distribution include mailouts, retail environment and the web.

Brief Four// Origami

- A paper crafting investigation of self promotion with a focus on branding and identity.
- A branding and identity investigation of self promotion with a focus on design for print.
- A print based investigation of self promotion with a focus on Origami.
- An Origami investigation of design for print with a focus on self promotion.
- A design for print investigation of self promotion with a focus on Origami.

A design for print investigation of self promotion with a focus on Origami. I am going to use the art of Origami to explore ways in which I can promote myself using print, I am going to do this because it will help me to promote myself as a designer in a unique way.

The product will be my self branding and identity. The range will be a creative CV, a business card, letterheads, portfolio and a website. The distribution will include mailouts, email and website.


Friday 5 October 2012

My chosen briefs for OUGD301



The reason I have chosen to work on this brief is because I feel I can benefit a lot from it. Regarding the want and need lists I did, I feel this brief can cover many of the skills I want and need to develop through this year which will then affect the outcome of my portfolio.

I have developed this brief from its original to make the amount of work I can produce a bit more significant. Instead of just designing a book cover I am going to promote the book through retail graphics and other outcomes such as book marks, several finalised book designs and things like posters.

It will be a fun brief to work on as I get to develop my illustration skills.



One of the main reasons I am wanting to work on this brief is the fact there is potential for company to give me some feedback on my work. My Boyfriend is currently on placement there, which means if my work is done to the highest standards he can take it in and get me some feedback!

This brief will also allow me to develop a list of skills from my wants and needs, including type and layout, design for print, book binding and illustration.



The reasoning for choosing this brief was because there is so much I can do with it. I can explore packaging, branding and identity, illustration, type and layout and design for print.

It is also something that I will thoroughly enjoy researching as its about sweets and chocolate. The reason that I made this brief up as such was because I have always found it interesting how confectionery companies market their products and how the packaging reflects on the chocolate or sweet itself.

This brief is very design lead but research will be a very important and significant part of it.



This brief will have a balance between design practice and hands on research and prototyping. Originally I was going to create an Origami exhibition but it just seemed like a pointless way to try and use Origami.

So instead I have decided to link this with the use of Origami within Graphic Design. So like how can printed design be applied to Origami to make it more interesting.

I am going to be using this to help design my creative cv and other self promotional materials.

Wants and needs for YEAR 03


Here are the top ten things from my wants and need that I need to address throughout third year:

1// Will I get a job at the end of this?

This is obviously one of the reasons why I am here so it is very important I ask myself this question. Am I doing enough to try and make sure I get a decent job that I will enjoy.

2// My portfolio: Quality not quantity!

I want my portfolio to be very concise, I want it to include good quality pieces of work in small quantities rather than shove a load of average stuff in it to bulk it out.

3// Who am I as a designer?

This is going to be a really important part of my third year. I would like to know what I am good at, what I enjoy and what my forte is. This will help me look for jobs that I know I will get the most out of and will also help me to contact studios for visits and placements that create similar work to what I aspire to.

4// Will my work sell?

I have recently opened an Etsy store online where I am going to be selling my work. So far I have some greetings cards on there. I want to know if people want to buy my designs as in the future I would like to make a bigger thing about selling my work.

5// Do loads and loads of dissertation research!

Well so far this hasnt really happened. I had the best intentions of doing lots over summer but it just didnt happen. I really want to write a good dissertation that will get me at least a 2:1. So I know I need to work really hard and get my arse in gear.

6// Become amazing at project management!

This is a very important part of third year. As everything is now down to me to organise and do. So I need to make sure I have a schedule and keep to it to make sure I make the most of my briefs.

7// What will I do after uni?

It would be nice to know the answer to this question and I guess my future is partly in my hands. I will only get out of this what I put into it. So I guess this is more of a motivational question to keep asking myself throughout the year.

8// Be confident in myself and my work!

This is very important, I need to believe in myself and the work that I produce. I think the key is to worry about what I am doing and where I am with my work rather than comparing to other people. Obviously its important to know what others are doing but everyone is doing stuff so different I need not worry too much.

9// Acquire a strong set of design skills.

I want to try and develop skills I already have and learn new skills that I will benefit from throughout the year. This will help develop my design practice and also make my portfolio a lot better.

10// Become an Origami expert/ pro/ ninja!

I love paper crafting and Origami is a new found love. It is part of one of my briefs and I am looking forward to making lots of Origami magic. One thing that I wanted to do this year was make 1000 Origami Cranes as if I do I get to make a wish at the end of the year.


BA (Hons) Surface Pattern Brief



Monday 1 October 2012

Cambridge Coral Tech Brief



Cambridge Coral Tech Brief initial ideas:

- New logo
- Website design
- Catalogue of products
- Business card
- Shop signage
- Price list

Cambridge Coral Tech is a tropical fish shop owned by my Uncle in Cambridge. He sells everything you need to set up your own tropical fish tank. His shop has been set up for a few years now but its design needs a revamp. I have spoken to my uncle and I am going to redesign his business.

Confectionery Brief



Confectionery Brief initial ideas:

- Either re brand an existing confectionery brand or create a new one and design all the packaging and promo material
- Wanting to focus on chocolate bars
- Wrapping, packaging, bags, receipts
- Potential to do a come back promotion for an old chocolate bar like Fuse by Cadbury?

Personal Stationary Brief



Personal Stationary Brief initial ideas:

- Nan's 50th Wedding Anniversary party invites
- Friends 21st birthday party invites
- Christmas cards
- Halloween cards
- Other greetings cards
- Wrapping paper
- Gift bags

Origami Brief



Origami Brief initial ideas:

- Experiment with different Origami methods
- Print out things that can be transformed into Origami
- Possibly use this brief to experiment with mine own self promotion
- Skill I want to develop and explore
- My creative CV

Puffin book illustration Brief



Initial ideas for Puffin book illustration Competition Brief:

- Illustrations, explore different design approaches
- Wind in the willows needs bringing up to date, how can I do this?
- Book cover, different scales
- Posters for shop to promote book re launch
- Character t-shirts
- At least 5 different designs
- Post cards
- Stickers

VW Beetle Brief



Initial ideas for VW Beetle Brief:

- Use acetate to create look book
- Having thick, well printed card between pages with info on
- Disect the new Beetle and depict using illustrations printed into acetate
- Mail out book, promotion for VW
- Not something necessarily trying to sell, promo material and information based
- Target audience, existing VW owners, Beetle fans
- History of the Beetle could be included
- Illustrations of all models shown in a look book
- Something really professional and sexy