For this brief, we need to produce an Information Pack that effectively communicates me as an individual, designer and learner. Alongside this, we have to produce a presentation of 7 minutes in length with 3 minutes at the end for questions which reflects the aesthetic decisions that I made for the Information Pack.
For this, I need to produce a visual identity and brand myself, finding a fitting way to introduce myself to people who don't know me. The first thing that I felt would be a good place to start would be to look at some design inspirations of how other designers and studios have represented themselves through an Information Pack as well as some research into what should be included.
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"The Self- Promo Handbook: Win More Work" (2013) by Computer Arts Magazine
Sagar, J. (2013) "The Self- Promo Handbook: Win More Work" [Weblog] 26th February Computer Arts Magazine Available from http://www.computerarts.co.uk/blog/self-promo-handbook-win-more-work-133687 (Accessed 9th May 2013)
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I found this blog post on a journal done by Computer Arts Magazine which goes into great detail about what should be done by up-and-coming designers to get more exposure and to land a job via the use of self-promotion. I think the journal itself is aimed more at an audience of people who have finished degrees or are looking into doing freelance graphic design, however, it was still a helpful tool as the summery for each chapter gave a better understanding as it allowed me to look into what would be expected of us at a higher level.
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"Self Promo Pack" (2012) by Alex Hines
Hines, A. (2012) "Self Promo Pack" [Internet] Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Self-Promo-Pack/5874355 (Accessed 8th May 2013)
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This was a really good piece of design to look at as I am interested in how you can see the initial designs and the thought process behind the design to the actual final outcome. It was good to see how another designer has approached this task and be able to communicate themselves. I felt that the logo was quite simple yet looked classy thanks to the chosen font. The colour scheme is consistent and I like that the promotional pack is in the form of a stationary tin pencil case as it emphasises that not all about design is done on by digital means.
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"Self Promotional" by Lauren Shields
Shields, L. "Self Promotional" [Internet] Available from http://laurenbrookedesign.com/Self-Promotional (Accessed 9th May 2013)
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The presentation to the promotional pack is confusing and intricate within the detail of how it is made so the layout of the information is interesting and interactive so it keeps the audience interested. The added physicality gives the product a lasting impression which is what you want when you are trying to get people to acknowledge you and your work. I am very much into games and producing things that engages the viewer or encourages them to use it so I felt it was relevant to the research.
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"Self Promotion Passport" (2011) by Ketlin Martins
Martins, K. (2011) "Self-Promotion Passport" [Internet] Available from http://ketlinmartins.com/Self-Promotion-Passport (Accessed 9th May 2013)
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The context and idea behind this promotional piece gives a more personalised approach to the work as it highlights the ambition and intention behind Martins work and includes some hobbies at the same time. The fact that she uses the icons for the adobe suite as passport stamps and has her credentials in the personal details section is a nice touch. It is a very nice idea which has been very well executed and could easily be mistaken for a real passport.
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"Self Promotion" (2012) by Kirstie Arthur
Arthur, K (2012) "Self Promotion" [Internet] Available from http://cargocollective.com/kirstiearthur/Self-Promotion (Accessed 9th May 2013)
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The use of the physicality of the object is why I looked into this as well as the subject matter of the self promotional. I eat a lot of chocolate and it makes up a lot of my genetic make up so it would make a lot of sense for me to do something long these lines, especially as I am interested in food packaging and always find inspiration in the form of food branding and packaging. The personality of Arthur comes along fully due to the playful, child-like approach to the design which is fun and shows the personality of a high level.
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"Self Promotion" (2013) by Colm O Connor
O Connor, C. (2013) "Self Promotion" [Internet] Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Self-Promotion/7756173 (Accessed 10th May 2013)
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The packaging is complicated and intricate in the detail despite the fact that it is quite a simple presentation in shape. The use of typography highlights the interests of O Connor keeping it relevant to his professional state and the aim of the package is paramount in the message behind the work- even being cheeky enough to address his audience with a tick box option to ask for a placement/ job. The focus on the professional as well as himself as a designer is of strong interest to this.
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"Self Promotion" (2013) by Katie Powell
Powell, K. (2013) "Self Promotion" [Internet] Available from http://www.theloop.com.au/kate.powell/portfolio/self-promotion/36132 (Accessed 10th May 2013)
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Again, a playful approach to typography and a strong professional-minded piece of promotional design ensures that the information pack is concise and to-the-point. This is informative and makes it's target audience clear as it is very much direct and laid out in a business-like fashion. The shape of the leaflet/brochure is quite unusual so it gives a complexity to what would appear to be a simple response.
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"Wooly Willy Promo" (2011) by Jamie Reed of Human Shaped Robot
Reed, J. (2011) "FPO!!" [Weblog] 3rd June Spare Robot Parts Available from http://humanshapedrobot.com/blog/?p=181 (Accessed 10th May 2013)
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This interactive and playful approach to self promotion gives the memorable factor which is important when trying to sell yourself as it shows not only the designer prowess of Jamie Reed but it puts a lot of his personality and character into the choice of product so it allows the target audience to get to know him through the product.
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"Curriculum Vitae (In A Can)" (2013) by Noor Akar
Akar, N (2013) "Curriculum Vitae (In A Can)" [Internet] Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/curriculum-vitae-(in-a-can)/7404547 (Accessed 13th May 2013)
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The physicality and interactivity of the kit and the fact that the identity expands from not just one product but to a wide range of media shows the success of a brand as it can be easily alternated and interchanged throughout. The cute characters and the colour consistency is reflective of Akar's design style as well as Akar's characteristics.
From some of these inspirations, I felt it was a good idea also to look back on some of the designs I have made to get a feel for my natural style and what I produce.
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| Previous Pieces of Work produced this Year |
Looking back on some on my work this year, there are some things that I can identify within my work as being my own design style or identity. One factor is my use of the colour blue as it seems to be a colour that I continue to go back to and use. I don't necessarily use one particular shade but it is a colour that seems to be fluid within my work. Another aspect is my use of the integrated imagery or encompassing many things into one, overall thing so as to keep it altogether which usually surfaces itself in the realm of brand and identity, more specifically logos. This seems to make much of my designing style as minimal and modernist as I like having things as simple yet well produced as possible. I enjoy being able to make something that makes a product recognisable and connected throughout, with the possibility of expanding into large collateral. As the year has gone on, I have gone from producing things in handmade or paper-cut elements alone to producing projects on a digital software method as the opportunity to learn how to produce work on digital software as meant that I have learned a lot this year with this method and have run with it, especially in the last 3 months.
From this, I went onto listing aspects of me being a learner, designer and individual based on my first year work.
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| Listings based on my First Year Work |
Looking into all of these aspects, I would like to encompass aspects of these areas into my design so as to present myself straight away to the audience. I felt that the aspects of learning about software this year should be shown through my work so I am going to base the work on being digital to showcase what I have learned. it will be simple and modern in the aesthetic yet I want to highlight how I still kept my traditional roots within my work. This means that I am going to come up with a concept or idea which allows these aspects to flow through themselves, whether that be a concept from areas of my personality.
I began to think about concepts and inclusion into the Information Kit by producing a design sheet on ideas that I could use and looking into designing some possible logos which I could run with.
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| Design Sheet |
My main idea which I am happy with out of all of them is the concept of producing work based around food/restaurant/takeaway branding, collateral and packaging. A constant that happens within my PPP1 research tasks is that I always include design inspirations based around food- to the degree where I have to stop myself from including more because its all I look at! (See Previous PPP1 Study Task). From that, I felt it would be interesting to produce my own takeaway/ food based information pack which would be a bit more imaginative and fun rather than just a standard envelope and CV. I felt that it would be interesting to produce a Menu as a CV and have coffee shop Loyalty cards as Business cards., for example.
For this idea, I looked into some more design inspirations to influence my design idea.
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"Foodology" (2013) by Somewhere Else
Somewhere Else (2013) "Foodology" [Weblog] 12th May The Behance Network Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Foodology/8630551 (Accessed 15th May 2013)
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This extensive brand identity is quite mixed and experimental in the approach of the brand due to the way that the restaurant approaches food. The logo acts like a seal of approval which gives the impression of high quality and opulence so it is a brand the customer can trust as well as being an innovative way to exploit the publics general knowledge on food standards for the brands own gain.
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"Molly's Milk Truck Packaging" by Imagemme Packaging Design
Imagemme Packaging Design "Molly's Milk Truck Packaging" [Internet] Available from http://www.imagemme.com/portfolio/mollys-milk-truck-business-card-design/ (Accessed 15th May 2013)
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The strong 50's identity is heavily influencing the design and identity of the americana restaurant and bar. The colour scheme and type choices along with the mixture of simplicity and strong patterns as backgrounds have been selected for their aesthetic quality so that it stays true to the era inspiration as well as being very approachable as a brand, coming across as family friendly and wholesome.
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"Bruno Coffee" (2011) by Josip Keleva
Keleva, J (2011) "Bruno Coffee" [Weblog] 4th November The Behance Network Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Bruno-Coffee/2436731 (Accessed 15th May 2013)
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The brand logo is very incorporated, using a coat of arms to give a traditional aesthetic alongside a modern twist. The fact that the packaging is reminiscent of a bag and can be used to carry the contents of the subject matter means that it is multipurpose and has been thoroughly planned out, highlighting a considered design choice.
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"Dessert Company" (2013) by Egghead
Egghead (2013) "Dessert Comapny" [Weblog] 14ht January The Behance Network Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Dessert-Company/6659045 (Accessed 15th May 2013)
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The large range of collateral that leads on from the initial branding of the company shows how successful the identity is as it interchanges between objects. The yellow and black colour scheme makes for a very bold statement in regards to the tone of voice and approach of the design, even giving the appearance of being like a school identity with the use of the illustrated characters, however, this also highlights how it is a family friendly brand identity.
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"Five & Dime" (2012) by The Bravo Company
The Bravo Company (2012) "Five & Dime" [Weblog] 4th January The Behance Network Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Five-Dime/2792659 (Accessed 15th May 2013)
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This restaurant brand is classy and sophisticated with a touch of the old 50's feel within the essence of the brand, emphasised by the font choice and black and white colour scheme. Even the presentation and layout of the brand adds to this as it uses a vintage approach, such as the inclusion of the ampersand in the brand logo and the use of objects like the shirt, coasters and clipboard. This gives a humble authenticity to the overall identity which makes it seem sincere and confident within itself.
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"Mexout" (2013) by the Bravo Company
The Bravo Company (2013) "Mexout" [Weblog] 11th March The Behance Company Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Mexout/7546167 (Accessed 15th May 2013)
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The handmade elements to the overall brand, such as the approach to the logo and the use of drawings for information in quite a illustrative and child-like manner gives the appearance of a brand which is quite raw yet natural in its message. This rawness is what holds the brand together as it gives the impression of being natural which is what draws customers into the food as it is this tone of voice which encourages more of the audience.
From this research, I felt it was important to move onto producing my own identity so I could be able to establish a tone of voice and approach to my branding.
Identity/ Logo:
In regards to a name, at the stage in my learning I am at currently, I don't feel as though I am comfortable enough with the level I am at to have a designer pseudonym or a collective name. I think that as I get more confident the more I learn as I continue onwards with the course, I might feel as though I could but for now, I feel as though I should stick with being myself as that is where I am at as a learner.
To begin with, I normally start with finding a font as normally, the feel of the font sets and reflects the tone of voice for the rest of my work. I felt that to be able to get a font which was reflective of myself, I would need to test, not just fonts that I liked but, try out fonts that I would use when producing work as that was quite reflective of my style. This meant that I would be trying novelty fonts which would be more personality reflected as well as sans serif fonts which I typically use when producing work due to their easy of use and simplistic demeanour.
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| Fonts Testers |
A lot of the time I tend to have the name of the product in capitals so as to give more of an impact and make it stand out but I felt that this wasn't very relevant to the tone of voice that I was going for in my brand. Also, I felt that the choice of the novelty fonts might show more of my personality but didn't come across as very professional. I needed to find a font that would do both.
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| Chosen Font: Brixton |
I found Brixton to be a font that was professional yet approachable in its manner, with the roundedness of the letterforms to seem quite friendly and open whilst at the same time, being a font which could easily be used as a smart yet modern/contemporary body copy font. I think this tone of voice for myself with quite honest with my personality as well as how I am as a learner as I am open to trying new things as well as my growing professionalism as a designer.
The next thing I wanted to think about was the logo or identity of myself. From my research into my own style, I found that a common occurrence in my style is the use of integrated aspects together or having an image and text combiner together in a logo. I don't like it when things are separate as much of my style is based on consistency and unity. I had started looking into integrated logos on my design sheet but they weren't up to par in my opinion. This reminded me of the traditional coat of arms as, at the time, they were the signature/logo for people which everyone would know who it is. I was quite traditional when I started this course as much of my work was handmade due to my lack of knowledge, experience or skill so I felt that this reflects myself as both a learner and a designer and where I have come to.
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| Logo Designs |
Some of the designs on this design sheet were better than others. I liked the use of the wreath as it was quite encompassing and held the design together whereas I decided that the use of a pen and pencil as a crossover design was too detailed. I felt that the traditional aspect of the integrated image alongside the more modern, contemporary style was a great way to sum up my personality as well as my approach as a designer.
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| Colour Schemes |
I started looking at colour schemes with the main ones being centred around analogous colour schemes as I liked the idea of the colours having a connection together, however, I felt it was more relevant to use the primary colours as normally, within my practise, I stick to using primary colours, particularly red and blue. I felt this would be quite fitting with the traditional aspects of the coat of arms logo designs as well so I decided to try them out to see the visual tone of vice that they provide.
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| Logo Design Colour Testers |
I found that these colour choices were quite safe and didn't really show anything about me as a designer, instead, appearing as safe illustrations that someone had produced.The addition of the colour grey in the last one interested me as, since I started the course, I have become a great fan of the colour grey. I decided to try this out in order to see if it was relevant.
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| Logo Choice |
I decided to use the grey on this logo choice and believe it was successful as it kept it simple, all together and worked in regards to a colour scheme. In order to see what this would be like when put into a colour background context and how well the colours sit with each other.
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| Colour Variants |
I experimented with different colour variations and felt that the colours which had brighter versions were fighting for attention so they were a bit difficult to see, particularly with the analogous pairings so felt this is would be unsuccessful to have my brand based on an analogous colour pairing.
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| Logo Colour Variants |
From this, I decided to stick with the grey but I looked into variating the different grey shades so as to make it more defined. The use of having the branches the same on both sides makes it seem more mature and professional and I felt that it was more approachable and less hard-nosed when produced with a lighter colour variation which worked with a lighter background as well.
Business Card/Loyalty Card:
I felt that a good starting point would be to look into creating a business card as I would be able to test how the colour, logo and font work together in a contextual manner on a small scale.
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| Development of Business Card Layout |
I felt that having the logo in the middle of the card was quite generic and made it quite plain with a lot of space surrounding it so I felt that expanding the size of the logo would add to the overall composition of the card. By justifying the text alongside the logo, it works with the simple, modernist style with spacing that makes the text easy to read as well as adding to the professionalism of the cards tone of voice.
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| Front and Back Development |
I went onto using opacities to my advantage as I created a background colour using the same shade with a transparent logo to decorate the background. The smaller logos show where the stickers/ tokens would be placed by me after every consultation/piece of work produced. This is an incentive to produce a relationship with clientele and collaborate together regularly. This works with the food and drink theme as it works like a loyalty card as well as a business card. I think the colour scheme works together but I am worried that it may be coming across as too dry and boring. I'm going to continue on with it to see if this is the effect as a group amount.
Menu/ CV:
A strong part of being able to show what I have achieved so far is via a CV but I want to produce my CV in the format of a Menu so that I would be able to categories my abilities in an inventive and creative manner as well as be honest with my skills.
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| Front Cover |
The use of the logo being to the side looked completely overpowering and out of place so I went back to the centralising of the logo but again it looked very lost with the large amount of space so I decided to place it to the top so that it would read naturally. This appeared better as a composition and seemed like a menu as it would have the information at the top.
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| Content Development |
In regards to my content, I wanted to use opacity again to my advantage by having a lighter coloured background alongside fainter logos like on the business card for easier legibility and readability for the audience. The columnised information is in the style of a menu with the use of smaller logos to show the rating of the skills as well as some having descriptions underneath so as to give the impression of the expertise. I have used language that would be suitable to a menu, separating my CV into my starters (education) main entrees (skills most designers are expected to have), sides (software skills set) and specials (what I'm personally good at). This would allow me to have a way of showing the skills I have gained and the skills I have yet to develop.
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| Back Cover Details |
The back page is just for contact details as usually the contact details of a restaurant or takeaway are on the back cover. The logo adds to the consistency as well as the overwhelming amount of space that swamped the text so it doesn't seem as overpowered. The use of the line that separates the information and the header gives it a more professional aesthetic.
Development of Identity:
I decided that the choice of using all grey as the identity came across as quite boring and dull which didn't add any dimensions to my work or give the right impression that I want to make about myself as a person, learner or designer. As I had previously mentioned, there is one colour which I have noticed I regularly use which is the colour blue and seems to have become a signature within my working practise. I decided to change to this colour as I felt it would give me a bit more scope to work with and more room for experimenting.
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| Experimentation of Blue colour |
The experimentation with different shades and tones allowed me to see how the colours would come across, with some being a bit too dark. I selected the 3 lightest shades as they gave more of a welcoming and approachable tone of voice with a more legible contrast to be used on the business card so as to see the colour choices in a context. I felt that the lightest shade of blue looked better visually as well as being able to work with the black for the font, however, I felt that this was a bit harsh so I wanted to try and see what the logo would look like with white rather than black lines.
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| Logo White Experimentation |
I felt that the white colour looked good in the lines, however, when I tried it on a fill, it didn't appear very considered and I felt like having the lines showing added to the aesthetic that I was going for. The darker blue made a higher contrast between itself and the white yet the lighter blue made for a softer contrast which is more pleasant on the eye. The transparency of the last development, having the fill of the leaves in the background colour means for using just 1 colour throughout which would be better for printing costs as well as making for an easier unity throughout the information pack.
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| Development of Business Card |
From the new colour choices of light blue and white, I had to readjust my business card so that I could see if it would work in context as well as when working together. The white was still legible and readable from the blue and I felt that the choice of colour gave it a bit more personality than it previously had. I found that the colours were successful together yet my choice of 'Brixton' font didn't give any definition between the header and information body copy.
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| Typeface Experimentation |
I downloaded a couple of other fonts that I hadn't previously tried as I wanted to have a strong, striking difference between my body copy and my header font yet I still wanted them to work together. I felt that the font 'Cubano' added some emphasis whilst still having the sans serif aspect which would have a link to 'Brixton'. It is quite a narrow font without being too narrow which wouldn't work with the visual identity shown by the wide 'Brixton' font.
Adding to the development, I decided to convert the colours on the business card so I could have 2 versions.
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| Colour Development |
All I did was invert the colour to create a different visual which would still work with the rest of the identity. This would add to the information pack by giving it a bit of variation as well as giving a visual identity that could be inter-changable depending on the need.
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| Tokens |
In regards to the tokens that clients could collect, I produced a small square image of my logo in both the white and the blue which I would attach onto the cards every time someone would work with me or would have a consultation. This would keep the system fair and would provide a record to work from.
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| Ordered for Print in Illustrator |
As I produced the designs on InDesign, I knew that it would be difficult to produce back to back without making a PDF so I organised and ordered the cards by aligning them using the distribution options. I know this is only a small thing but this is something that Ive learnt this year as in previous projects I've had to get other people to do it for me whereas Ive learnt how to do it now for myself.
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| Printed Loyalty/ Business Cards |
The cards have come out very nicely in regards to the print out. I did have a bit of trouble with the colour, however, as it was coming out darker even though it had the same colour percentages as all the others. Also, I learned how to put a bleed on my work and produced that myself as well which is very important when creating double sided work. This meant that the front and back of the cards all came out successfully.
Following the changes made from the identity development, I then did the same with my menu by going through the same experimentations. I did these alongside the business cards so as to keep them fluid and the same throughout.
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| Experimentation and Development of Menu |
What I found when developing the Menu was that it gave me a large scale to see whether the colour scheme would work and see what tone of voice it produced for me and my brand. Saying that, the more I added to it, the more personality and character that it managed to produce instead compared to having the previous grey one. It is softer and more experimental than the grey one.
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| Finished Digital Menu |
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| Printed Menu/CV |
I was a bit worried that the white font would be a bit difficult to read yet when it came out in print, it came out very well and readable. The size of the CV isn't too big either so it is easy to handle and not too overwhelming. The addition of the 'Cubano' typeface is definitely a lot more effective when being used on a larger scale, like on the CV Menu, as it gives more of a header and body copy relationship between the typefaces and breaks up the type so it is legible and adds to the readability of the content.
Napkin:
My initial approach to having a napkin was that I wanted to use it as an opportunity to showcase my work in print by having some of my finished works from this year on the napkin. This would give my napkin purpose and reason to be within my information kit.
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| Initial Development of Napkin |
I started b coming up with an initial layout and then trying to find a way of placing some of the photographic images of my work onto the napkin. The trouble I was having was that it was coming across as though the images had just been placed on without any consideration therefore they were looking very much out of place and disconnected which I didn't like.
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| Photograph Colour Experimentation |
In order to combat this visual problem, I decided it would be a good idea to put a colour filter onto the images to see if they would blend in with the rest of the napkin so they would seem more considered and less disconnected. I used auto correct and tone as well as checking the levels and making all images black and white so that they were all the same. Then I produced the same tone of blue in photoshop and used opacities and different lighting to be able to produce the same for all 4 images.
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| 4 Colour Manipulated Images |
This gave the 4 very different images some kind of uniformity and a level playing field in regards to how they could be viewed. I put them onto the napkin to see if it was any better.
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| Photo Napkin Experimentation |
Still, the photographs were looking as though they had been an after-thought and just put there. It was getting frustrated yet I couldn't use this as a visual. From this, I decided to make some flyers/leaflets which would include the images as promotional material and I would create the napkin as a poster that could be used to promote me.
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| Illustrations to symbolise aspects of my design |
I liked the use of having a pattern of the napkin yet it was just there so I decided that I would allow it to promote what I am good at. Using the points that I had made earlier in my Menu/CV about being good at ideas/concepts, communication and working under pressure. I showed this by making some illustrations to represent these points and decided to adorn them to the napkin so it still had some purpose.
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| Experimentation of Napkin Visual |
By experimenting and adding the illustrated visuals, it gave a whole new lease of life to my napkin and gives it more visual depth and meaning. By bringing the logo to the front, it means that it stays to the forefront of their mind yet the illustrations give an additional pointer to the napkin.
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| Final Napkin Print |
The napkin is of quite a large size and therefore would have to be folded into 4 to give the impression of being a napkin. I also had trouble with this file in regards to printing the colour but after a few attempts it was fine. The printed version of the napkin highlights the fact that the object can be used in several different ways and doesn't need to be a complicated object to be able to get the message across.
Promotional Flyers:
Based on the unfortunate occurrence with the napkin, I knew that I wanted to include images of my work within my kit but wasn't sure how which is how I came up with the idea of a mail-shot/promotional flyer which could easily showcase my work as well as promote myself.
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| Flyer Experimentation and Development |
The main aspect of my flyer was the fact that I was experimenting and developing the layout by trying out how I could have the logo alongside the photograph. I liked the idea of having it on the top but it just interfered with the imagery of the photo itself. I tried to use different shapes and the use of photo filters again but these didn't seem to give a considered or professional aesthetic.
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| Selected Layout |
Out of all of the layouts that I tested, I liked this layout the best as it keeps everything together and looks professional whilst seemingly looking considered and purposeful, especially with the modernist influenced justified text. It also means that the photograph is the main focal point of the flyer which I think is important as it makes sure that my work has to sell itself.
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| Printed Flyers |
I wasn't sure how the photographs would print out as some of my images had appeared blurred or slightly pixelated on screen but they came out very clear and clean when printed out. This gives more of a professional print quality and allows my kit to be taken more seriously. The only problem was that I hadn't put crop marks on the flyers so I didn't have a set rectangle to follow when cutting them out which made it difficult and problematic when trying to make them all even and the same, however, that is my own fault and means that I can learn from this mistake.
CD Cover:
I felt it would be nice to have a copy of my presentation on CD for the audience so that they would be able to have both a printed physical and digital copy of my work. This would also mean that i would be able to have more of my personality into the information kit because it would be like I was talking directly to the receiver of my information kit myself.
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| Digital Mock Up of CD Cover |
I wanted to keep the presentation of it simple and uncomplicated as it is the contents of the Cover which is the most important thing. Even though it wasn't completely necessary to have an inside pattern, I wanted to have this extra bit of detail to show that I have been very considered when making design decisions. Also, i felt it would give a bit more of a better quality to the actual casing.
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| Tester Version |
To make sure that the net for the Cover worked, I printed and assembled a rough version of the cover which would allow me to be able to see if it needed improving or re-sizing. It was perfect in regards to assembly and the amount of room. I didn't want to have a lot of room so the CD would't fall out but enough room to be able to get the CD in and out of the cover effectively without damaging either the case or the CD.
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| Printed CD Cover |
The CD cover came out a bit too dark in regards to the shade of blue I was wanting, however, I think it is more noticeable to me because I wanted it that way. It's nice that the inside has a pattern to it and the simplicity of the cover allows for it to be more purposive rather than fancy.
Packaging:
For the packaging, I knew I would have quite a bit of stuff in my kit so I felt it was necessary for the packaging to be quite big but would need to be relevant to my food/ restaurant idea so I came up with the idea of a doggy bag or takeout bag which are quite popular. This would be relevant to the concept as well as be easy to use and could be used again and again.
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| Initial Development |
I developed the net to create just a simple shape that could work on a simple scale to produce a working bag before moving onto the aesthetic. From these, I felt that the bag itself was quite plain with the large amounts of surrounding space available and not being utilised. I want to go onto making the design more busy yet not too overcrowded.
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| Development of Bag |
I added onto the net a small strip to the side to be able to connect the 4 main sides together. I hadn't thought about it at first but I realised that my net wouldn't be able to work if it didn't have an additional bit to it. I included the illustrations for the same reason that I used them on my napkin but also so that there is a bit more fluidity to there use within my pack- so that they are re-occuring rather than being on just one object randomly. Interchanging the colours of the illustrations and the sides of the bag makes it a bit more different and goes with the interchanging for the business cards as well.
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| Tester Packaging 1 |
To test whether the bag would work, I made a prototype using the net that I had created, however, it wasn't as successful as I had hoped. The flaps at the bottom were very very short which meant that the bag had no bottom to it which would be problematic as to its purpose. On a more aesthetic note, I found that the size of the boxes sides would be quite narrow so I felt that would be a good idea to change for ease of usable.
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| Tester Packaging 2 |
From the problems that were identified with the first prototype, I went back to the designing and extended the flaps at the bottom so that the are longer so that they fit together better. I also extended the sides of the bag in regards to the width so that it was able to hold more stuff in it as it was quite narrow. The 2nd prototype came out much more successful with the net working completely throughout and having more room to put stuff into.
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| Printed Bag Net |
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| Printed Bag Together |
The bag itself printed out lovely, using a slightly thicker matt stock than the rest of the kit just so that it would be more withstanding due tot he fact that it would be more in use than the rest of the kit. The colour of the print came out loverly and the illustrations are slight and decorative without being too overcoming. The handles are quite small which, if I had the chance, I would perhaps change so as to make it easier for people to carry but this would perhaps only be a problem to those who had big hands.
Final Pieces:
The brief requested an information kit that effectively communicates aspects of me as a designer, learner and as an individual.
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| Final Piece- Information Pack |
I am really happy with the information pack as it works as a physical object which demonstrates what I find interesting, what I have learned over the year and how I have developed as a designer in regards to evaluating my style without necessarily using words or descriptions as it can be physically seen in the product itself through the use of the production, medium and the idea behind the concept. It is successful as it completely describes visually a lot of the areas that needed to be shown through this piece of work, such as my personal interest in food branding and packaging, what i've learnt in regards to software and my design style in regards to consistency and integrated imagery. The product I felt was most successful out of all of the kit was the business cards as they are direct and to the point whilst also being fun in their double use. If I could change one thing it would be that I would re-print the products as there was trouble reproducing the colour for all of them even though it was all produced on the same printer.
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