Bread and Butterflies

Discoveries from the back of the cupboard...

2009-09-16T13:59:00.002+01:00

I am speaking of the metaphorical cupboard that seems to exist within my mac hard drive. I recently installed the new leopard upgrade, Snow Leopard, which therefore encouraged me to delve into my hard drive and tidy it up a bit. It is amazing what you can find, and what you've forgotten you had.

I came across my taxonomy photographs from last years summer project and realised that we never really got the chance to do anything with them, so here are a handful of my favourites...I may do something more with them in the future, but for now I quite like them as a type archive...

A One Off...

2009-09-08T09:43:00.002+01:00

The photos above are of all the lovely, and very talented people who work at The One Off a multidisciplinary agency in Islington, London. I spent a fantastic two weeks at the agency, assisting on one major project, that by the end of the first week seemed to have taken over the majority of the studio, and most of our lives.

Sadly, I signed a confidentiality agreement which means I can't tell you all about the project... But the basics were brand identity, mark/logo and name, the look and feel for brochures, advertising, in store point of sale, customer journey and store layout/defined areas. The customer journey and in store design were not something I had thought I would be working on, but having been thrown into the project part way through I had to get into it pretty quickly. I really enjoyed working on an aspect that I had never had the opportunity to consider before, and it has made me think more broadly about the way graphics can be implemented, and the effects that they will have on the consumer.

The brand identity aspect was much more in the vein of the work I did at The Gild, but it wasn't the same thing, as working with different people, and in a different way made it feel like a completely new experience. I feel that I have really improved my communication skills when it comes to discussions over designs, and how the brand will be viewed if various designs were to be used.

We had some difficulty with the company, as we spent the entire two weeks without an actual name for the business, which meant a lot of guess work, and multiple options were required for every design idea. This really tested my skills, as it was really hard to visualise a company that had no name, only a list of emotional words and ideas that they want their brand to portray. We spent a lot of time considering the feel of the brand, getting into the essence of what was required, and moving pieces of paper about on our huge chart that dictated the areas of design. Though some parts of this process were a little slow, I think that it really helped to fully understand, and experience the brand values, before ploughing into designing for something we didn't really comprehend.

Overall the two weeks were very informative, and a really great (and I think accurate) experience of work in a real studio, dealing with a proper client, and working as part of a small, but very experienced team of professionals. I can not thank the team at The One Off enough for all of the help they gave me, and the time they took to improve my skills and make me feel that I was contributing to an important account.

Hand drawn type...

2009-08-31T22:05:00.010+01:00

I have recently discovered two lovely hand drawn type illustrators. It seems a rather elaborate area of graphics, but also one of the most experimental. I have enjoyed exploring the work of these clever and imaginative people, and I hope you shall too...

Linzie Hunter

Nate Williams

Vintage Type...

2009-08-31T14:34:00.004+01:00

These are just some interesting pieces of vintage type...

Type-joy...

2009-08-28T21:54:00.000+01:00

Type is something that you can experience everyday of your life, and still not realise the finer points of it's beauty. I would like to think of myself as someone who appreciates it's elegance and magnificence, even in the most mundane of uses. I've been continuing my collection of type that I started as last year's summer project, and those shown below are just a few of my favourites...

Young Blood...

2009-08-21T12:46:00.012+01:00

Whilst in Sydney I visited the Sydney Design Festival exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum. I got pretty lucky as they had their Young Blood Designers Market on, which showcases the best design talent from across Australia and gives them an opportunity to get their name into the commercial market. It's a bit like D&AD New Blood, but in a museum...

Anyway - I came across several really interesting products that I wanted to buy, sadly they were pretty expensive so I didn't, but there are some examples below...

Bespoke Press

Shuky

Rebound Books

The lovely people at The Gild...

2009-07-09T09:17:00.006+01:00

Well, as we all know from the ridiculous heat wave last week, summer is finally here. Mine is shaping up to be so busy, but I'm thinking that is a good thing, I hate sitting around doing nothing.

Since finishing term and moving out of my flat I seem to have been all over the place - but in a good way. For the first couple of weeks I was busy working part-time, sleeping and sunning myself the rest. Last week I started the first of my two placements for this summer, at Exposure. Granted I was nervous for my first day, but it turned out to be pretty fun, and nowhere near as scary as I thought. As I settled into the swivel chair in front of a seductively shiny mac cinema display, I began to think 'yeh...I could do this for a living'. The first week was really busy; brainstorming for new brands, logo design, presentation preparation and general office banter really take it our of you! I'd been getting up at 7am and not arriving home til after 7pm - it was clear that sleep was going to be a top priority over the weekend (sadly, I didn't get much due to a trip to Leicester, a family gathering, and a irritatingly squashy hotel bed).

I am now nearing the end of my second week, and my time at The Gild. The people here have been amazingly nice, really accepting of me and my inexperienced designers brain, and very willing to help and give advice. I don't really think I can mention exactly what I have been doing - it's probably a breach of confidentiality; but I've really enjoyed working on different projects, and experiencing life in a real studio. I'm very excited to see what comes of work I have done; and the other projects that have been going around me.

Thank you to all the lovely people at The Gild!

Portfolio - End of Year 2...

2009-06-09T21:10:00.009+01:00

This is the PDF portfolio that I have put together for my end of year presentation. I have included 15 pieces of work, and given a short description of each brief.

OUPD201 Evaluation

2009-06-09T21:07:00.004+01:00

The work I have chosen to display in my portfolio shows me as a well-rounded designer, with aptitude in several areas and aspirations for strong skills in one or maybe two specialist areas. It shows that I am proud of the work I produce, and that I want to display the work that shows the best of my abilities. My ambitions as a designer may not be totally clear from my portfolio, but I think that this is due to the limitations of the briefs we have been given and the areas that we have been asked to explore during this year. I am concerned that I need more packaging design work and product orientated design to demonstrate that this is the area I am most interested in; this will be a significant objective for me during my third year.

I have not tried to over embellish my work by using a lot of images on one page, or creating a ‘background’ or layout for it. I want my work to speak for itself, and be shown simply as this helps make the work stand out.

During this year I have become heavily influence by the work of some very high profile design and packaging companies. The work of Pearlfisher has been a real eye opener for me, as they produce the kind of work I aspire to produce. I was particularly impressed with their work for the Jamie Oliver [Image set 1] lifestyle products and the recent work they have done for Cadburys [Image set 2]. I am so inspired by their work because they seem to hit the nail on the head every time; you cannot fault it. They are also very diverse in what they produce: very traditional and classy designs for Fortnum and Mason preserve range, and cute, illustrative design for This Water [Image set 3], they have such a range of skills within their company.

R-Design is another company that continually astonishes me with their fantastic design work. They are heavy on brand identity and impact with their product design, and they really focus on improving the overall brand. I loved their work for Selfridges; a very chic black base with bold colour, which looked great on the shelf, and created a strong impression of the product. [Image set 4].

I realise that my own design work is not currently a contender with these packaging gods!, but it really helps me to understand what will be expected of me in the future. Creating positive, and exciting packaging design is an area that will have to work very hard in, but I am very driven to achieve this.

My strengths lie in areas of design that require organisation, simple graphics and a sense of usability: by this I mean to say that my work is very clear cut and understandable. I am very good at identifying the problems with existing design, whether it be packaging or product based, or simply the effectiveness of a logo design. I am a very organised individual, which most people have come to recognize as a positive trait, and trust me with tasks that require care and consideration. I think that I am well suited to working with a team as I enjoy being able to bounce ideas off other people, but I also like being able to produce personal work, or more individual stuff.

From one of my most recent briefs I have found an area that I had not really considered exploring before; hand drawn and experimental typography. Abstract illustration (doodling) has always been a habit of mine, and experimental type seems like the perfect outlet for my skills in this area. This is an area that I really feel I can improve my skills in, and probably produce some exciting and slightly unusual work.

My weaknesses probably include my lack of confidence and conviction to pick and idea and go with it. I am always very uncertain of how well an idea might pan out, and therefore wary about choosing briefs that are slightly more challenging. I am also afraid of one-day briefs – at least I was. I have become more comfortable with one-dayers this year, but I still need to improve my abilities to work quickly and produce strong design work from the word go. I know that these skills will be essential when working in a commercial studio; not only for the sake of producing work, but also when pitching and discussing new briefs with clients.

I am aiming to gain specialist skills within the areas of packaging and promotional design, type and layout, and more experimental, illustrative typography. These areas are all relatively different, but I see them linking together in quite a constructive way. All of significant interest to me, but the packaging side is probably the most important.

I know that I will need to improve my software skills for the sake of the packaging and layout work, but I will equally need to start experimenting more with illustrative type work, and more conventional illustration.

My professional concerns are that of design practices. I realise that research and development are integral to the process of design development, but I am uncertain of how the process works in a commercial studio. I am really looking forward to experiencing commercial practices in my placements over the summer break. I think that they will help me to understand how real briefs run, and will improve my development skills. It will also give me an experience of working with/for clients who have their own opinions about their brand image. I want to be able to draw heavily on my placement experiences when I return to the course for my final year.

For my dissertation I have chosen to explore the relationship between the design industry and sustainable design. My title is: ‘To what extent are sustainable materials considered and used within the graphic design industry?’ I have chosen this topic because my main interest in graphics is packaging design; an area of increasing controversy when it comes to using sustainable materials. Recycling and sustainability has quickly become an issue on a global scale, with governments pushing recycling and lower uses of materials. I am interested in creating design that is suitable for purpose but also takes the environment into account. I also think that having a thorough knowledge of this area will come in helpful for future design work.

Image Set 1

Image Set 2

Image Set 3

Image Set 4

I wish more stuff came in cartons...

2009-06-06T12:30:00.006+01:00

I have a profound love for the simple waxed paper carton, and seems that the packaging world is starting to feel the same way. This simple piece of packaging is more than a container for our milk or preferred breakfast juice, it has a certain magnificence as a perfect canvas for design, colour application and information.

The definition is: carton |ˈkärtn|- noun
a light box or container, typically one made of waxed cardboard or plastic in which drinks or foodstuffs are packaged.
ORIGIN early 19th cent.: from French, from Italian cartone

It would seem that wether you are trying to find a missing child, or inform them of how good fruit is for you, the surface of a carton provides a most suitable area of application for any information.
I have found a huge range of clever carton designs and applied graphics that take this refrigerator staple to a whole new level of graphical magnificence.

OUGD203: Design Practice 2 - Evaluation...

2009-05-29T17:56:00.000+01:00

I expected the Design Practice 2 (Individual practice) module to be the most challenging of any module so far. Now that I have completed it I can safely say I was right, but for many reasons, and most of them are positive.

1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
This module has helped me to develop skills in several areas, due to my choice of 3 quite different briefs. I have improved my skills with hand drawn type. This provided the base of my designs for the Postcards brief, and I really put a lot of effort into creating interesting, and quirky type that I think suited the brief. This has also improved my drawing skills, and given me the confidence to try similar design in the future.

The running of three different briefs at the same time, meant I have had to be really conscious of my time management. I have tried to stick to the timetable I drew up for myself at the beginning of the project, but obviously things changes, sessions moved and I had to deal with this by planning ahead. For example I booked a print session early, conscious that the facility would fill up, and it helped to know that I had to be ready for this session as it was my only opportunity. My time management has improved, and I think that I will try to timetable my briefs in the future.

My skills with information have also improved; the Lonely Planet and Homebase briefs both required written information incorporated as part of the design, and this made me very aware that I would need to plan my designs well from the beginning. I really enjoyed this informational side of the design work, and would like to do more with information graphics in the future.

2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
The Homebase brief was asking for a re-design of a product range. I was able to look at the existing range they had, and identify what needed improving and how this could be done. Researching in this way helped me to create a design that was functional as well as aesthetically pleasing, and well designed.

For the Postcard briefs I wanted to work with an existing theme. Alice in Wonderland seemed to fit rather well, and I was able to research the characters and story in good depth. I even decided to read the stories whilst I was working on the brief; Researching a brief in this way enabled me to fully understand the words and themes within the book. I think that if a subject has a literary or theoretical background, then some reading can really help you to understand what angle you should use, and how you can design a response.

My development work, and the way I work has remained fairly similar to previous briefs. But I do think that I have become more accustomed to working on lots of projects at one time and learning to divide my time well. I have found that being able to switch off from one brief and onto another very quickly is something that I will need to get more adapted to in the future.

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I know that I am a very organised person, and that this probably helped me a lot with this module. I know that planning my work has been integral to getting everything done, and I need to continue this with future briefs.

I have found a new love of hand drawn type, and several of my peers commented on how much they liked the resolutions I produced. I think that exploring this area more, and experimenting with this skill could create some good opportunities for me in the future.

I am a very thorough individual, and I do not like to leave any stone unturned. I have tried to explore all of the possible options for each brief (within the timescale I allotted them) so that I could feel that I was producing appropriate and strong design solutions to the briefs.

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?
I feel that I am very controlled in my work. I would like to be able to create more interesting, colourful, vibrant and exciting work. I am not sure how exactly I am going to do this; I think that maybe picking briefs that are slightly more out of my comfort zone and giving them ago would probably help.

I would like to have possibly done a fourth brief, as a one day project. I used to dislike one-dayers a lot, but a opportunities earlier this year told me different. I was not brave enough to choose a one-dayer for this set of briefs, but in the future I would like to give a few a go, and be a bit more daring.

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

I will try to keep a log of my work. Creating the timetable really helped me to get an idea of how efficiently I had to work. I think that recording my work will help me see how efficient I am, and where I can improve.

My motivation for the briefs needs to improve. There are of course outside elements that dictate mood and willingness to work; I never want these to become a distraction from my work, and I will try harder to not let them be. I think that if I can focus better on my work, then the quality will improve and I will also be preparing myself for a job in the design industry.

I has to reprint my labels for my work several times due to a very silly spelling error. This may not seem like a massive issue, but reprinting took time because the computer suites and printers were very busy, and it took much longer than I intended. In future I will make sure that my work is spell checked and that I prepare myself for the busy periods in the computer suites.

I found the idea I was working on for the Postcard briefs was not working, and I wasn’t enjoying it. I made the decision to change the direction of the brief, but was very worried that I would not be able to make it work. In future I would like to be able to make the decision with a bit more conviction, and have more faith that my ideas will pan out, and that I am good enough at what I do to at least make a go of it.

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

5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor

Myself
Attendance 5
Punctuality 5
Motivation 4
Commitment 3
Quantity of work produced 4
Quality of work produced 3.5
Contribution to the group 4

OUGD203: Lonely Planet - Final Designs and Applications...

2009-05-28T20:18:00.000+01:00

This brief was relatively short, and I came to my final design quite quickly. It was the amount of information and the balance between graphics and text that took a little time to get right. I have designed the poster, which can also be used as a magazine advert, and a promotional postcard. I am quite pleased with the outcome, though this is the brief that I struggled with the most, but I feel that I did my best with it.

OUGD203: Postcards - Final Designs...

2009-05-28T19:43:00.001+01:00

These are my final design for the five postcard, with a different reverse for each. The packaging is also shown below, a simple brown paper envelope with a Queen of Hearts stamp and Wonderland postmark. I am really pleased with the overall outcome of the designs, and I have really enjoyed experimenting with typography.

OUGD203: Homebase - Final Products

2009-05-27T19:21:00.000+01:00

These are my finished product photographs. I am really please with the overall outcome; I think that the design works well, the products create a strong set, and the design can be applied to a wide range of products.

OUGD203: Postcards - Begin at the beginning...

2009-05-22T21:49:00.000+01:00

These are 3 variations of the "Begin at the beginning and go on until you come to the end. Then stop" postcard. This phrase is spoken by the king of hearts, which is why I have used to the red white and black/grey colour palette. The transparency on the words allows all of them to be read, and the repetitiveness creates a loop of the phrase - preventing you from beginning at the beginning, going on to the end and then stopping.

Crit feedback told me that the design needed a bit more texture, and depth to the design. I have applied an eroded texture to the centre image, and added outline, and hand drawn letters to the bottom. I have asked for feedback on these, and the bottom image was preferred as it has a more hand crafted look, which fits in with the other cards.

OUGD203: Postcards - Packaging...

2009-05-22T05:47:00.000+01:00

In today's crit a couple of people mentioned packaging the postcards together somehow, so that they feel like a set. I have chosen to use brown paper and string as the packaging; this is a very simple approach, but won't take away from the design of the postcards inside. I also think that the simplicity will create intrigue; I am going to include a small stamp and postmark in the corner to indicate the nature of the design, and the theme.

OUGD203: Homebase - Illustration experimentation...

2009-05-15T20:21:00.000+01:00

This is the experimentation I have been doing for my illustrations for the packaging. I am trying to find a balance between simplicity and a fully designed image. The outline illustration is slightly 'unfinished', and the solid colour is slightly too dense and dull. I have settled on using the 6th illustration, I like the full colour, but the use of white outline to define the shape and form of the vegetable or fruit.

OUGD203: Postcards - Reverses...

2009-05-13T04:36:00.000+01:00

I want to create a design for the reverse of the postcard that ties in the phrase on the front, and brings the cards together as a set. These are examples of vintage postcards, and these will influence my ideas for the reverse of the postcards.

OUGD203: Postcards - Research...

2009-05-13T03:21:00.000+01:00

I have looked at these pieces for inspiration for my type design. I've been influence by several illustrative typographers, whose work is displayed below, and the way they give the words expression and personality. I want the postcard designs to be very distinctive from one another, but keep them together as a set, and related to each other through the design on the reverse.

OUGD203: Homebase - General design ideas...

2009-05-13T02:33:00.000+01:00

I have been using the plant marker/label thing as the starting point for my packaging design. I have been trying to find a layout that will suit the entire range of products that Homebase sell for their Grow Your Own range. These are the basic ideas that I have come up with, and hopefully one will become the basis for my final design:

OUGD203: Postcards - A typographic wonderland...

2009-05-08T19:03:00.000+01:00

I have decided to base my Postcards from the Edge brief on Alice in Wonderland, and the characters in the stories. I started by investigating the characters, trying to get a feel for how to represent each one. Initially I wanted to create collage effect, using illustrations, photographs and embellishments. I investigated this, and hit a dead end with the ideas for each calendar.

So, I have moved on to using typography instead of illustration. I think that the words and quotes from the stories are really expressive, and present interesting areas for typographic exploration. I think that hand drawn type, and illustrative elements will help to give the words expression and meaning. The images below are my initial ideas for some of the quotes that I have found in the stories:

OUGD203: Homebase - Logo Design...

2009-05-07T20:00:00.000+01:00

I have been experimenting with my logo design for 'Grow Your Own'. I decided that I wanted something more delicate, less imposing and more interesting that the current logo, shown below. I have decided to use this slab serif, embellished logo as my final design. I think that the addition of the leaf shapes and vine like ends to the letters make the logo more interesting, and the way the existing tear drop terminals and rounded ends to the slab serifs simply add to the overall organic feel.

Original Logo...

My design...

OUGD203: Lonely Planet - Initial ideas...

2009-05-05T18:51:00.000+01:00

This is my shortest brief, I only want to spend a week and a half focusing on this project, so I need to make fast decisions. I have been considering exactly what Lonely Planet stand for, and what they want to convey to their customers:

Independent
Personal
First time travelers
Informative
Simple
A feeling of company
Expert advice
Responsible
Encouraging
Tell it like it is
Inspirational
No holds barred

I need to endevour to incorporate all of these aspects of the brand into the advertising, and show that Lonely Planet are a reliable and informative travel company.

OUGD203: Homebase - Product Research...

2009-05-04T22:01:00.000+01:00

I've had a look at the other grow your own sorts of products that are currently available. This range by Burgon and Ball seem to be the only ones with a design created since the early nineties (everything else is about 5 different colours and has horrific type). However, this range uses just one image, repeated throughout the range, and overall it is very expensive. It focuses more on the tools and equipment, rather than the plants or seeds for growing.

OUGD203: The Briefs...

2009-05-04T21:42:00.000+01:00

OK, so I realise it has been a month since I posted anything - woops!
So here is the first post of my new term, and new projects.
My 3 competition briefs that I've picked are:

1. Homebase 'Grow Your Own' Packaging - Re-designing the packaging for the grow your own fruit and vegetables range that Homebase sell under their own brand. I have chosen this brief because I really like packaging design, and it was the only packaging brief in all the ones we had to choose from! I am also interested in changing the packaging, making it more eco-friendly, recyclable and maybe even compostable, instead of polystyrene and plastic containers.
Intended length of five weeks

2. Lonely Planet, copy based campaign for 3 new book titles - I have chosen this because I really like Lonely Planet as a brand - how they seem totally anti-corporate, even though they are, and that they speak to their readers on a very friendly and one to one level. I want to create something that is very friendly, and full of information, because Lonely Planet stop at nothing to give you all the advice they possibly can!
Intended length of 1 and a half weeks

3. Postcards from Wonderland - I am creating a series of postcards based on a rang of characters from the Alice stories. I wanted to pick a theme that was interesting and had lot of imagery and language that I can play with for the designs. I also chose Alice because it is a Victorian novel, and postcards were 'invented' during the Victorian era, so I though going back to the very roots of postcards would be a good idea. My plan for this brief is to create textural, type and illustration based images for the postcards, each representing a different main character.
Intended length of two weeks