OUGD603 Evaluation

At the beginning of the module I was very set on the majority of my briefs being packaging as this is the career path I wanted to go down. However as time progressed and I began working on the briefs I discovered that packaging was only one of the areas that I was really interested in. I began thinking more and more about how the products would be sold or promoted, and this led me to extend the projects by considering brand image, advertisements and branding. 

My plans and briefs have constantly changed over the year as I have developed and reflected on what skills I will need for industry. I really wanted to use the Extended Practice module as a way of preparing myself for the real world of design whilst simultaneously creating a strong portfolio of work I am proud of. I chose different types of briefs - competition, live/client based, self initiated and collaborative as they all taught me different things. Working collaboratively taught me a lot about negotiation and idea generation, it also showed me how much work could be produced in shorter time frames when working as a team. Live briefs were really useful as it was great experience at dealing with clients appropriately, it also taught me about sending work and clearly presenting my ideas. Competition briefs were also great because I enjoyed having to think of creative and innovative solutions to the brief whilst working within guidelines. Self initiated briefs were probably my favourite because I could choose whatever I wanted it to be, this meant that I picked projects that I had a genuine interest in and I enjoyed the challenge of having to create a brief and set myself restrictions to work within. The briefs had varying overlapping time frames so that it would be more reflective of industry; some projects lasted months whilst others would just be a few days. 

This module has really developed my thinking process and how I approach briefs. I have noticed that I now think about things on a much more conceptual level opposed to just going with the first obvious design. I feel confident taking on any brief, unlike before, because I now have a clear design process and stages I go through to generate an idea and create an outcome. I have come to appreciate how useful visual and contextual research is before beginning a project and how important research is throughout the brief. I have also realised the importance of experimenting with different ideas and sketching things out on paper before working digitally as this has really improved my design process.

The other noticeable difference is that I have grown in independence and in confidence. This module has really cemented what areas of design interest me and allowed me to explore them in great depth. It has given me a clear idea where I want to go in the future and what sort of design I want to create. I feel more confident presenting my ideas and speaking about my work with passion and enthusiasm. 

My time management throughout this module has been meticulous and organised so that I could get the most out of my time. I was wary that I was going to be out of education pretty soon so I really wanted to use my time wisely to prepare my self best I can for industry. I have shocked myself with the amount of good quality work I can produce in what feels like no time at all.

Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed this module, I have learnt so much from all of the briefs and I have come out of it with a portfolio I am proud of and I feel confident talking about. Being in charge of the year myself and choosing what briefs I do meant that I really considered every decision I made because I didn’t want to do things aimlessly or without purpose, nor did I want to take part in briefs that wouldn’t help my progression.

Olivia's Deli: Evaluation

Vanessa and I chose Olivia’s because we wanted to create a visual identity for a small independent company. Olivia’s deli was perfect because there was a large range of materials we could produce from packaging, to menus, to loyalty cards...the list goes on.

The brief has taught me how a simple idea or design can be very effective. The hand rendered illustrations looked basic when we painted them but after digitally putting them into designs it formed a very strong and clear visual aesthetic.

I really enjoyed the brief because I was able to delve into the packaging aspect and create a strong design that worked with the other elements Ness created. The packaging was different from other briefs because I didn’t assemble any boxes or consider packaging shape, it was more appropriate to design labels which the client could stick onto clear tubs as and when they needed to.

It has also been great experience at working in a team to come up with conceptual ideas and to produce designs. The challenge was defining a clear style that we both used in order to make the designs cohesive. I found working together to be very beneficial as we were able to work a lot quicker. We were on the same wave length most of the time and whenever we had differences of opinion we were able to agree on the best decision which was most fitting for the company’s identity.

Overall, the brief was a success. We were able to produce a range of appropriate outcomes that really considered the needs of the client as well as what visually would appeal to the desired market.

Feathr: Evaluation

I decided to take part in Feathr because I wanted to develop my illustration skills and create a design that was more a piece of art. I had a clear idea of what I wanted to produce but I still found it useful to do research and experimentation before I began designing.

In the end I used black ink to produce two Dutch house themed wallpaper designs - one in colour and one black and white.

The brief was a nice change from computer based work as I found it taught me to slow down and be more patient as I am used to being able to CMD Z every mistake. I had to take my time and carefully plan out how I wanted everything before I began painting.

Overall I really enjoyed this brief, it was really nice to be able to step back from the screen and have some time to paint an outcome. Whilst I have painted elements for other briefs, this has been the only one where the outcome is solely my drawing.

Ringtons Tea: Evaluation

I chose this brief because I wanted to create packaging for a FMCG such as tea, and I settled on Ringtons because I had never heard of it before but thought it had such an interesting history and such a boring package design. My aim was to update the Ringtons brand image so that it appealed to a modern audience whilst remaining true to its British history.

In the end I redesigned packaging for 4 flavours of tea, created advertisements for the products, as well as considering the brand image at points of interaction with customers, i.e ordering and door to door delivery. I found the brief extremely useful as it got me thinking about the bigger picture and how the brand image can be applied coherently across a range of different designs.

Another reason for choosing this brief was because I wanted experience at designing one packaging concept but applying it to a range of flavours. In the past I have only ever designed stand alone packages so I thought it would be beneficial for me to challenge myself now and gain an understanding before entering the industry.

In the end I feel I successfully updated the brand image  whilst retaining a British element. This project has given me a better understanding of how to develop a brand identity that expresses its personality and history, as well as how and where it can be appropriately applied.

River Cottage Menu: Evaluation

This was a one week competition brief that I chose firstly because I wanted to do something not related to packaging, and secondly because I have never attempted a menu design before. I felt the brief was a good opportunity to improve my type hierarchy skill set and really think about what order the information should be read in and how a hierarchy can make it easier and more pleasant to read.

The brief has taught me about the importance of layout and the placement of information as well as how individual elements such as type, colour, illustration and image can be combined to create a pleasing design.

The brief format and colour restrictions forced me to think about what elements would bring life and personality into the menu design whilst still being within the limits. I think I have been successful in creating a design that is both interesting and engaging but also importantly in keeping with the existing River Cottage visual identity.

I have also learnt when to stop working on an idea and admit that it isn’t the most appropriate or effective outcome. For quite a while I tried to get the menu design to work with a painting but in the end an image worked far better at communicating to the customers than the painting ever could.

Overall the brief has been a success as it has helped me develop all the skills I wanted to work on and I’ve produced an outcome that I am proud of.

Secret 7: Evaluation

I wanted to take part in Secret 7 because it was a good opportunity to design something completely different from what I usually do.  I chose to design the album artwork for Tame Impala’s - The Less I Know The Better purely because it was the only song I really liked.

This brief has taught me that I can produce outcomes in a very short space of time. This is always something I have been skeptical of and have found quite challenging. However I’ve learnt that by following the same design process and giving the outcome consideration I am able to produce a design in a much shorter time frame. This will be a very useful skill when it comes to (hopefully) working in industry and this brief has reassured me that I am more than capable of producing work in less time.

Overall, I found this brief to be refreshing - it was nice to have something completely different and in a much shorter time frame. I am happy with the outcome as I feel I have produced a design which is in keeping with the artists other visuals whilst also fitting in conceptually with the song.

Feel Good Drinks: Evaluation

I chose this brief because I wanted to have at least one beverage based design in my portfolio. The competition brief was set by YCN and was intentionally an open brief. I was attracted towards this because it meant I could tackle the project from more than one angle and explore my growing interest in advertising and promotion. I wanted to create a coherent campaign which would involve the redesign of bottles, a package and also a poster series.

This brief has taught me a lot about designing for a brand and working within guidelines to ensure that all designs are consistent. I have improved on my ability to create a clear visual identity which is in keeping with the brands beliefs, personality and ethos. This is something I was really keen to work on as I felt it would be an important and beneficial skill set when it came to working in industry.

With this brief I have found myself beginning to think more conceptually about the designs, how they work in context, what the context is and who it its the designs are aiming at.  I feel this begun to change how I approached briefs and the design process I carried out. I also found that information I learnt whilst reading for my dissertation has come into play. For example breaking the product category norm by packaging the bottles in a box opposed to a carton board belly band.

Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed this brief as I found the challenge of depicting a brand and its values to be a rewarding learning step.

Evaluation: Nestlé

I chose this brief because I wanted to take part in a Starpack competition brief; they are packaging based and this would help expand my packaging skill set. I decided to redesign the packaging for Walnut Whips with the aim of creating a more efficient and more appealing design.

This was the first brief where I’ve had to design packaging for food, this in itself taught me a lot as I had to consider packaging shape - what would be most protective and suitable as well as considering the physical appearance of the package.

I also developed my photography skills as this was the first project where I was really happy with the final photographs. I began considering the background more and framing the product to give it a stronger impact; simply adding a yellow background and walnuts really helped to bring the packaging to life. This got me thinking a lot more about photography and how I choose to present my work.

After entering the competition and receiving a commended award I decided to extend the project by creating an advertising campaign with the aim of bringing Walnut Whips back on the publics radar. I really enjoyed the challenge of coming up with a concept and exploring ways of showing it through different formats of advertising. This extension brought to light my interest in copy writing and with that expanded my skill set.

Overall this has been my favorite project as I have learnt so much. I approached this project with the mindset of going into industry which made me want to increase my skill set by thinking about more than just the packaging, and considering how the Walnut Whips would be promoted.

Integrity Windows: Evaluation

The reason I chose Integrity Windows as a brief was because I wanted to get more experience designing for a client opposed to initiating briefs myself. This meant that I had to really consider what was appropriate for the client and how to best portray his company to the target market. I also felt it was important for me to complete briefs where the subject matter didn’t interest me, this put my design skills to the test as well as preparing me for industry where I am sure I will have to do jobs I have no interest in.

I wanted to create a visual identity which stood apart from its competitors, initial research into existing double glazing companies showed how poor the category’s branding was and this really spurred me on to create a conceptually led design. The challenge was to create a design which reassured the market and reflected the company’s trustworthy and reliable characteristics. I believe I have succeeded in creating a well thought out design as the logo presents an honest and trusting company as well as visually standing out from the competitions cluttered designs.

It has been really beneficial to undertake a brief for a client who will actually use the designs in real life. This has made me think about the design in the context of those who will be seeing it or interacting with it. It has also been useful because it has given me practice at communicating with clients, sending them work and clearly explaining my thought processes and design outcomes.

Autonomous. Co: Evaluation

This was the first of two live briefs as I felt it was important to work with ‘real people’. The clients were clear on the design they wanted so the brief was only 2 weeks long, however I learnt a lot in the process. The clients had some pretty big and impractical ideas, this meant that I had to think about practical (and more realistic) solutions and communicate and rationalise this with them; this was good experience in tactfully dealing with clients. In the way of skills, I learnt a lot about making GIF’s in photoshop - getting it right was the biggest challenge of the project but it was beneficial because it has given me a skill I didn’t previously have.

The final designs consisted of a logo, visual identity, GIF and Youtube banner. The design was pretty straight forward as they had a clear idea before they came to me. This was different from any project I have previously completed because I have always created the concept myself. In some ways it was good experience because I will have to just design things in industry with no say over the leading concept. However I found it hard because the outcome isn’t something I would have chosen and I feel that if I was in charge of the ideas behind the design it perhaps would have been slightly better or at least more conceptual.

Overall, I really enjoyed the brief and although it isn’t my proudest work I am happy that I was able to help someone who needed a brand identity.

Value Range: Evaluation

This was a self initiated brief that I chose because I hate the basic range design and strongly believe that people’s negative perceptions of the food is down to its packaging. I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could create a design which was more aesthetically  pleasing but still recognisably a value product.

Originally I was going to just redesign the packaging but as I got more involved in the brief I began thinking about how it could be expanded into a campaign. This meant I was thinking a lot more about the packaging in context of how it will be promoted and this had a big impact on what products I chose to repackage.

In the end I created a concept for a new basics range called Sainsbury’s Savour, packaged all the ingredients for a roast which linked nicely with the promotional campaign aimed at ‘bringing the family together’.  As well as creating a secondary typographical based campaign aimed at promoting the Savour brand.

This was largest brief I did and probably the one I have learnt the most from. I have found that as I have progressed throughout the year, I kept developing and improving the Value Range designs conceptually. I have learnt a lot about creating a brand from scratch and really having to define who they are and what they are about. I have also learnt how this is implemented throughout every design to make the range clear and coherent.

Overall, I found this project extremely interesting because it was something that I felt quite passionately about. The main reason for doing this brief was to equip myself with the necessary skills for industry, I really wanted to be able to show that I am more than packaging design and that I have a real interest in the conceptual, idea generation side also. Since completing the project I feel a lot more confident in my abilities and my skill set is definitely a lot larger than before.

Time Management: The Last Week

I have continued to use my 6 week wall calendar to plan my time and organise the briefs. I have found this to be extremely useful because it gives me a clear idea of where I am, what I have achieved and what I still have left to complete. Colour coding each brief has visually helped to see what time is allocated to each brief and also the time frame. 

For this last week I have broken the days down into lists and created a final everything to do list which I will continue adding to. This has really helped me spread out the remaining work and organise what needs to be done on each day in order for me to finish on time.

Olivia's Deli: Final Edited Images

After narrowing down the final images to a selection of the best I have begun to edit the pictures. I have cleaned up the images by removing the dirty spots that were on the lense, I have also got rid of crumbs and little bits around the food around the edge which detract from the image food. 

On a few of the images I have traced around the objects and added in a coloured backing. I have experimented with different colour backgrounds to see what affect they have on the selection of products. I quite like the darker blue because it makes the Deli look more sophisticated and mature which is in keeping with their middle class market.

 

Other images have been cleaned up but left without a background so that it adds a bit of variety to the photos.

A lighter turquoise blue also works well to promote the products and design. I think that most coloured backgrounds will work well with the Olivia's branding because it is black and white.

Ringtons Tea: Final Promo Posters

Here are the final posters advertising the different Ringtons Tea flavours, I have added in pictures of the ingredients to break up the illustration and provide the audience with a visual example of what is in the tea. "Just my cup of..." plays on the idiom suggesting that every cup of Ringtons is perfect and to the consumers taste. The use of teapots and tea cups add personality and character to the teas diffrentiating them from one another. 

The posters would be displayed in poster boards where passers by would see them. Ringtons only delivers up north and online so people down south probably aren't as aware of the tea. Displaying posters around cities will raise brand awareness and in turn increase online sales.

Ringtons Tea: Van Design

I've begun considering other ways to promote Ringtons and what they use to connect with their customers. Creating a design for the van provides a way to promote the company whilst staff are out doing their rounds. This will tie in the van with the rest of the promotional material.

Originally trying the pattern created for the box in a British flag however it makes the van look EDL than elegant and fitting. Definitely not appropriate for the company or the image that they want to portray to the outside world.

Using the repeat pattern made previously looks a lot better than the flag design, however it still doesn't work to promote the main qualities of the company. 

Blocking out the pattern with nay blue rectangles means that the logo can be added over the top. A slogan 'time for a brew!' has also been added to the bottom of the van to add some personality. 'Brew' sounds a lot more friendly and casual as if the company is friends with its customers.

The pattern still wasn't looking great, as a different more free flowing alternative another design has been mocked up. Having the teapot pouring out tea frees up the space of the van and creates a sense of movement.

I mocked up the design on 4 different vans to show the four different teas, I quite like the idea of different routes having different colours so customers will associate a colour with their deliverly. The design is fun and colourful which adds a more exciting element to an otherwise boring part of the brand.

Olivia's Deli: Final Photographs

On Tuesday, Ness and I photographed our work for Olivia's Delicatessen. We bought a selection of fresh breads to give more context and background to our photos, as well as making fresh baguette sandwiches to photograph. We took a range of different photos to make sure we covered all bases as this would be our only point to photograph the perishable goods. Below are a select few of the best images, unfortunately we forgot to clean the lense of the camera before we began shooting so all of the photos have dirt marks on them. Whilst this was an incredibly stupid mistake and I have now learnt to clean the lense every time before photographing, it is not that hard to eliminate on photoshop.

 

We wanted to get some photographs purely of the breads so that we have the possibility to display this at the end of year show. Introducing a chopping board has added another dimension to the photos by giving the products a backdrop and surface to sit on top. 

 

A photograph of just the packaging shows how the design works across the range of produce. Oils, cheeses and olives have been enough for the time being with the plan of extending the project for the end of year show where we would design packaging for longer lasting food such as pasta and jars of stuff like chutney.

 

Olivia's offers coffee and tea both to drink in and take away. It was important for us to explore the breakfast side of the deli and how the packaging would work together. I created a design for disposable coffee cups which use the fun illustrations to frame the brand and cover the cup. Coffee club loyalty cards were designed by Ness so that customers would receive their 10th cup for free. This rewards their loyalty as well as providing them with a good reason to choose Olivia's for their coffee over its competitors. Unfortunately we didn't have time to screen print the brown paper bags, although we will do this after the deadline for the end of year show. We decided to include the bag as it gives context - the idea of taking produce away. For now however I will edit the photos on photoshop and mock up the bag design onto each photograph, it shouldn't be noticeable that it is edited on.

 

 

 

A close up of the bag pouring out bread creates an interesting composition with the packaged products framing the receipt. This clearly shows the tops of the packaging which is ideal as it means the type and pattern is clear and easy to see/read.

 

Two photographs of the baguette menu surrounded by the fresh bread and pre-made baguettes. We felt this was a good way to photograph the menu because it gives it context and adds a bit of colour to the design. 

 

A photo of me holding a wrapped baguette, again, another useful photo which could but cut out and used by itself or with the background. We wanted to show off the wrap packaging - how it would look and how the Olivia's sticker holds it all together.

 

A final photograph of everything! Here you can see how the branding would work, it gives you a good idea of the brands visual aesthetic and how it would be applied across a range of products.

Now to edit all the photos.........

Ringtons Tea: Better Photographs!

The photography studio Nessa and I booked out on Tuesday to photograph Olivia's Deli I decided to get some better pictures of the Ringtons packaging that I could use in my portfolio and on my design sheet. 

Introducing coloured sheets have really helped to bring the designs to life - the dark navy blue box now pops out against the colour.

 

Theses pictures give a lot clearer picture of the packaging and can be used in my portfolio to show the different sides, I may even turn it into a gif!

Ringtons Tea: Editing and Extending Brand Identity

I have been thinking about ways to extend the brands identity. 

One idea to help promote the company and also to reward loyal customers was an umbrella design. I really wanted to promote the true Britishness of Ringtons and one thing that all brits complain about is the weather! The umbrella gives loyal customers a way to protect themselves from the rain whilst also working in the favour of Ringtons by promoting the brand as customers walk around. The umbrella would have the logo printed on it with a statement "great, whatever the weather" this refers to how amazing a cup of Ringtons is whether it is raining, sunny, snowing etc... It could also reflect the brands positive attitude - the fact that come rain or shine they are delivering their products with smiles on their faces.

I have gone back and changed the box design so that it fits in better with the rest of the promotional material. Whilst I really like the idea of the flag I think it clashes with the other designs and stands out but not in a good way. The new design just shows the repeat pattern of tea pots and cups in the standard navy blue. This is a lot more fitting and appropriate as it no longer sticks out but still looks interesting and exciting.

A shirt has also been mocked up for staff uniform. This will help to show the staff as part of the brand as they are part of the Ringtons image. The design is relatively straight forward with the logo on the top left of the shirt, I don't think the design needs to be overly complicated as its just a shirt.

Nestlé: Dare to Share?

Another concept for a promotional poster - Dare to share? After creating the "one for you, one for me, one to argue over" it got me thinking about the whole sharing aspect especially because there are 3 of them. Dare to share implies that the Walnut whips are that good that you might not want to share them - you wouldn't dare to share! 

Originally I wanted to have the three walnut whips in a row with someone pinching one. However the images of the Walnut whips don't sit quite right on the background. This poster will be part of a much larger campaign so I don't think it is necessary to have a picture of the walnut whip on everything - instead the posters can have elements which hint at the chocolate snack.

Instead of using the clumpy walnut whips I have created a falling walnut background. This works much better because the walnuts fit the shape and fit around each-other better to visually appear as if they were falling. This also means that the type is the centre focus which adds more emphasise to its message.

I have introduced a blue bar across the bottom to replicate the first poster. This provides a separate area for the brand name and picture whilst still being part of the design. The picture of the packaging above doesn't stand out from the blue bar, it hard to see as it just fades into the background.

Keeping the blue bar but removing the packaging image has really helped the design. Walnut whips are back gives the viewer enough information to understand what the poster is talking about but a level of intrigue is still there.

Here is how the poster would look in reality. It would be displayed in billboards to catch passers by. The whole campaign uses this strong yellow and blue contrast to unite the strong impact campaign and be in keeping with the packaging. This visual aesthetic means that all the designs are immediately identifiable as Walnut Whip.

Experimenting with the positioning of the Nestlé logo - it was important to include this seeing as this is the brand!! Plus I think people will view the designs like 'ooh Nestlé' I guess it adds reliability and reassurance seeing as they are a big brand name. The logo looks better on the bottom right because then it is out of the way but still there - it is not distracting from the main message.

WARNING: may cause nostalgia

Another poster idea promoting Walnut Whips history. A lot of people used to love walnut whips and have fond childhood memories of them. Seeing as they haven't been around for a long time I like the idea of reintroducing them into society with a nostalgia warning: in a way this advertises them through people's memories, people want to feel nostalgic and reminisce! 

Originally working with the blue background and having the walnut whip on a separate board. Whilst this catches your eye the two designs could be promoting completely different things - there is no clear way that the designs are linked.

Changing the background to yellow makes the two designs consistent. I am going to remove the blue bar and change the walnut whip type colour to red or blue I think this will further help to link the designs.