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.

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.

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.........

Olivia's Deli: Packaging Labels

For the packaging design I wanted to create something with a strong visual aesthetic especially because the printing was limited to black and white. The other factor which had a massive influence over the packaging design was the fact that Olivia's is run by a family who perhaps don't have loads of money to spend on packages. For this reason I decided to design the packaging as simple labels which could be printed off and stuck onto plastic tubs. This means the family don't have to bulk buy packaging but instead can stock up on the cheaper alternative of plain plastic tubs, with the option to attach a label as and when they need it. This will allow them to create the packaging to keep up with demands and also stops lots of different packaging from piling up.

The designs are strong visually because of the powerful black and white contrast. I have made the top half of the packaging black so that it is a clear background for type. This space will include the logo and product information so it needed to be as clear and easy to read as possible. The bottom half of the design is white so that the illustrations stand out and make a pattern which fills the space. This adds an illustrative and hand rendered element to the packaging - making it more personal as well as visually describing what is in the packaging. The two sides of the design work well and compliment eachother as the black in the illustrations picks up the heavy black top.

Stickers have also been designed. Two round stickers - one white, one black will be used for holding the baguettes and other produce together. A rectangular sticker has been designed for the cheese to provide the employee a space to write what cheese it is and when it goes out of date. This sticker's versatility means it will work for all the cheeses and save the owner money.

 

The pattern wrap was the first thing I created and since then the product has developed and changed. Anyway, the original wrap had all the illustrations in neat lines, all the same size. This looked out of place with the newer designs so I decided to redesign the pattern to make it a bit more mix matched so that it would fit in better with the other designs.

Olivia's Deli: Cup and Cheese pattern

After the bag design turned out so well I have decided to copy a similar design for the paper coffee cups. I have ordered the illustrations in a large format around the name and information so that it is clear what they all are. I wanted the illustrations to be slightly bigger so that they would be clearer on the cup which has a smaller surface area. 

I will make the template for the cup tomorrow at uni where I can measure the exact sizes. However for now I have mocked it up on a psd version of the coffee cup, this works just as well to show the affect that I want to achieve. The design sticks with the black and white theme, with the illustrations adding an artistic and personal touch.

I've decided to create an extra wrap that we can print on Monday. Whilst the other one with all the illustrations on would be used to wrap bagels and baguettes, we wanted to create a separate wrap which could be used to package the cheese. It seemed only appropriate to create a similar pattern out of the cheese illustrations seeing as it is specifically for cheese. I have made the illustrations bigger than the last pattern I made because it will be more consistent with the bag and coffee cup design. I am now thinking that I will go back to the pattern I originally designed and make it less structured so that the illustrations don't stick so rigorously to the grid, making them bigger will also mean that they interlock and create a pattern which matches the other designs.  

Olivia's Deli: Bag Design

Ness and I had a small crit about the work we have produced so far, she really likes the bag design but I still want to work on it and progress it further so we have a few different options. The brown paper bags we ordered have arrived now so I am redesigning with the correct dimensions which will make it easier to see how the design will fit and also how big it will actually print.

Simply adding in that it is a delicatessen and the address on the bottom of the bag so that people who just see the design and don't know what Olivia's is can easily find out.

Exploring having the type vertical instead of horizontal as a way of making the letters larger. I want to make the letters as big a possible so that the illustrations are clearer. This layout doesn't work as well because the word is harder to read and quite broken up.

Moving the Olivia's logo to the bottom makes the design bottom heavy.

Diagonal could be an option but again pretty squished. 

Idea 2

Another (and perhaps better) idea would be to have all the icons larger so that it is obvious what they are. Something Ness said in the crit stuck with me "its a shame they will be so small when printed" this got me thinking that actually it would be nicer for the illustrations to be bigger as we spent a lot of time creating them. The 'yum' design can be incorporated into other elements like the menus.

Keeping the Olivia's logo at the top and placing items around creates a much stronger visual affect.

Moving the logo to the centre of the design works a lot better because it makes it more of a focal point. All the products are pointing into the logo which helps to frame it and draw the viewers eye in. The design is now a lot more exciting as it is full of character. The ink outlines work really well on a larger scale as when mocked up onto the bag it looks as if it were painted on, adding to the hand made aesthetic. The design could also be printed on tea towels, T-shirts etc...

Olivia's Deli: Bag Mock Up

I wanted to explore creating a design that uses the illustrations Vanessa and I made. I think it would be a shame to not incorporate them more into the designs as they create an interesting effect when made into a pattern. I decided to work with the word 'yum' and create it out of the deli illustrations.

I used the word in Ariel as a template, displaying it in a light green meant that I could clearly see the letters structure whilst also being able to identify each individual illustration.

The letters were slowly filled in.

Removing the green word shows the illustrations by themselves; the word yum will be clear to read.

The design works well with the logo to create a hand rendered but neat design aesthetic - very in keeping with Olivia's brand personality.

Mocking up the design on a tall white bag to show how it would allow for several words or a repeat of yum filling the bag.

Mocking the design up onto a brown paper bag gives a much more realistic idea to how it would look. The 'yum' is clear and easy to read from distance and when the design is viewed up close the individual illustrations become apparent.

Olivia's Deli: Ink Iconography

Today we spent a few hours painting out some basic icons with ink. We wanted to create an artistic, hands on aesthetic to compliment the independent deli's character. The paintings can be used on the product packaging but also organised into a pattern which will be printed on wrap paper - this will create a lovely black and white visual design.

Above shows all the icons we have painted. They have been put into illustrator onto separate art-boards so that they can be dropped in to form a collage.

After mocking up the first few paintings in Illustrator I decided to see how they would look as a pattern to get a feel for how the design was going to look. I really like the affect produced; the products are clear to see and identify but the brush stroke outlines make the illustrations more personal and hand rendered. The small idiosyncrasies and the fact that things aren't straight or symmetrical give the design its character and make it more intriguing. 

I have begun to create the wrap paper by using a 13 by 11 grid on an A3 document. At every cross and in every square an illustration is being placed.

Working from the bottom up the design is beginning to fill up.

Above is the final outcome, although it was quite time consuming I am really pleased with the result. The illustrations look a lot better than I could of imagined and the visual effect that they produce when all together is really cool. Using a grid definitely helped with sizing and distancing them from each other - no parts look clumped together or too heavy and all the illustrations are balanced out well. 

Olivia's Deli: First meeting

Vanessa and I met today to brain storm initial ideas for Olivia's Deli. Olivia's Deli is based in Topsham, Exeter, the food is popular amongst residents and visitors but unfortunately it has no visual identity. With its growing popularity the delicatessen wants a clear visual aesthetic to separate themselves from competitors and create a brand that people love and talk about.

The target market is the wealthy middle class who enjoy the finer things in life. They don't mind splashing out on products and demand only the best, they love authenticity. The design needs to reflect Olivia's - it should have a hand crafted element to symbolise the hands on approach, whilst also appearing refined and upmarket to mirror the target market and reflect the high quality produce.

Visual Research
I began by gathering some visual images to refer back to and gauge the style that we wanted to create.

The iconography works really well because it clearly shows the object but it the simplest way possible. Perhaps this is something we could adopt into our visual aesthetic, however the outlines should be messier (not messy but not as need and straight), more artistic to give the design more character.

Screen printing onto brown paper bags is another thing we are quite keen to do. This will be perfect to contain take away meals, the bag will also act as a promotion for Olivia's Deli when people are carrying them or eating from them etc... The space itself is quite large so this leaves a lot of room for an interesting design print, but equally a simple logo would be just as effective.

I quite like this visual aesthetic of overlaying images and type. It creates an interesting affect which is visually pleasing but also practical as it would only be a two colour print. 

A print on a wrap for food is something we really want to create as this would be an essential for packaging certain types of food.

A simple and refined design using bold stripes of colour on a white background. The type is clear and compliments the black and white images.

A good example of how the final photograph could look. This is something we will need to consider - getting a strong layout for images.

Laser cutting will give a really authentic and interesting finish. We are hoping to laser cut menu boards which would be displayed on the walls behind the counters.

Logo

Ness has been working on creating a logo for Olivia's that looks refined and upper class but with a handmade element. The font chosen is called Sophia and it works really well for what we are trying to portray.