Brief 01 / Hola Paella I have enjoyed working on this brief especially applying a range of print finishes which make the final resolutions stand out, and therefore happy with the outcomes. The concept was to use a Spanish theme and then apply this on menus, coasters and invitations for a brand new restaurant opening in Brixton.
The research influenced this brief a lot, as menu design is an element of Graphics I have not yet done, therefore analysing a range of current menus and restaurant branding educated me on important elements that should be included. Therefore when approaching the initial ideas it became clear of how to layout the documents to make them legible as well as reflect the desired design. Primary research of photographs from Spain influenced patterns and colours to design on the designs.
The development of the brief was very time lengthy as I foiled the menus to create a high quality outcome and also to better my practice in this area. I also decided to foil the longer process which was to screen print the glue instead of heat up the ink already on the stock. Although this was long it ensured that the final foiling was done to a good standard, and would defiantly do it this way again.The invitations included using the laser cutter, this is something I was familiar with since 1st year and therefore they also worked really well.
Regular feedback sessions throughout this brief ensured that I was heading in the right direction. There was a group crit in January and I brought these along and had really positive feedback.
When all the elements for this brief had been completed I took them to Headrow house in Leeds to photograph them on the roof terrace. The setting insured it was a restaurant environment and therefore became fitting to the brief. I was very pleased with the outcome of the photos, they made the outcomes look professional and a good quality piece of work which will sit nicely in my portfolio.
Costings for this brief were average, I spent around £12. The printing was low cost as I printed the menus and innovations digitally downstairs and only printed 2 copies using the matt paper from downstairs too. The foiling was also cheap as I used the print room resources at university. The invitation envelopes were bought from Amazon are were eco friendly so this was the only costly part of the brief.
If I could do the brief again I would extend it, initially I wanted to print on cutlery holders, napkins and coasters but just didn't have the time as it was when COP was coming to an end. However would like to take this brief to the end of year show.
Brief 02 / Fia & FloraOverall this brief was good, packaging is an element of Graphic design which I most enjoy completing, making nets and labels is something which I always create and design to a high standard. Fia and Flora was based on Scandinavian beauty and natural ingredients this was something which had to be reflect in the resolutions. This brief bettered my skills in designing and printing stickers and also making packaging have a fun aesthetic.
The research part of this brief included analysing current high end beauty brands like Clarins and La Mer etc. This taught the layouts, colours and type face they use which then educated the development of this brief. Other research included analysing packaging and trends at the minute in markets, the trend currently was amber glass bottles which look like medicine, this represents health and well being and therefore seemed appropriate to take this idea forward.
Within the ideas I became fixated on the use of a females hand and natural plants wrapping around, this gave the audience a clue as to who the products are for and what they contain. Drawing this idea out and receiving positive feedback it then got taken to screen where experiments of the colours were carried out and chosen to best fit this brief.
The practical development included printing the stickers for the bottles from the vinyl cutter in the digital print room, and a lot of experimentations had to be carried out to too which shape fit the bottles each and also what colours were best suited on the bottles.
Once all the designs were confirmed for the bottles I then used a photography studio in the university and pictured them together alongside ingredients such as pumpkin seeds, thyme, rosemary and oranges. By doing this it made the brief more realistic and made them look much more professional.
Costings for this brief were average as buying 4 glass bottles for this cost around £9. The stickers were low costing around £4 to print.
If I could redo this brief I would have liked to make some boxes for the bottles, as it would be a stronger outcome, although I started making the boxes once they were printed out they didn't have a great quality and were flimsy due to the low GSM stock.
Brief 03 / YCN Greenall’s Gin
The Greenall’s Gin brief at times was hard as the main element of this brief was to produce 3 stop motion videos and therefore had to use Adobe Premier Pro which is software I have never used before, so needed help in this area, however I did enjoy it but thought the outcomes could have been better.
The research for this was firstly analysing a range of current gin campaigns from well known current companies that on our high streets, this made me aware of designs which attract a range of audiences. Also educating myself on how to make stop motion videos helped me a lot when creating the frames and physically making the video.
The ideas for this were very similar and had the idea to create a video for this campaign as I wanted to step outside my comfort zone and produce an element of design that I not yet have to better my practice. However when making the video I thought how would the audience see this and whats its purpose, therefore I ended up design collaterals to sit alongside the video such as websites and neck tags to ensure this brief would all work together.
The stop motion was made at home with the photography equipment rented from the university, all worked however the lighting wasn't great and therefore some of the images didn't work well, however I ended up putting a colour filter over the videos reflecting the range of flavours that Greenall’s advertise.
The costings for this brief were quite high, this is because I bought the gin and al the fruits and ingredients to make the cocktails which came to £25. Then printing the neck tags was around £5 so in total I spent £30.
I did enjoy this brief, however next time the videos should be longer and would have been useful to include text as well. However this was the first time I have produced something like this and was pleased. All the elements of this brief work together well and a strong campaign has been made.
Brief 04 / York Arts Market
Brief 04 is incomplete, I decided not to take this brief forward because it wasn't solving a problem within Graphic Design, and therefore didn't seem appropriate to use as a final piece within my level 6 submission.
Brief 05 / Alex Photography Zine
This zines purpose was for Alex to submit with her PPP, also for her to take to future clients. Alex’s work was quite out there and my designs are usually minimal therefore at first found it difficult to begin however with regular feedback from Alex the zine began to look more like her style.
The development was very long and took just under a month, this was because we were both busy and wanted to get Alex’s feedback to ensure I was heading in the right direction. Experimenting with a range of layouts, pattern and type to try and achieve the playful and aesthetic style which Alex was wanting.
When printing the book a range of stocks were used to create different textures as well as keeping an interest. The book was binding by coptic stitches, this is a bind which I have never done, however really enjoyed it and thought it worked well with the book.
Overall working with Alex went really well, she split all costs with me which was around £30, and she was engaged with the designs and agreed to meet up for regular feedback sessions which was really good. From this I would like to work with her again. The only negative comment which I would add is that it took nearly a month and half to make and print the book, as I was waiting for the images for a while and the got changed and swapped throughout.
Brief 06 / Zeinab & Melvin Photography Business Cards
Designing business cards is not an element of Graphic design I find that exciting, however I wanted to make a strong portfolio demonstrating a range of graphic design outputs. Working with both these photographers was difficult as they both weren't sure what they wanted.
Melvin began with one idea which I then designed and printed but wasn't happy with it, however applied embossing to this which took half a day so wasted my time. But I did another one for him and foiled them which he liked but has since not picked up the cards or had much communication with me. He also never put money towards the stock, the foil and printing so would probably not work with him again!
Zeinab was fun to work with she had a lot of ideas that worked well as a business card. However it took her a month to get her images to me. By the time I got her photos her deadline was a week and a half away not allowing a lot of time for development and experimentation. Therefore felt as if they were slightly rushed. However was pleased with the outcomes of these postcards, but the foiling didn't work as well as we wanted them too so this was a shame.
Overall I didn't enjoy these briefs with the photographers, I felt like the poor communication from them wasn't great and don't think they understood all the work I had to do for other briefs on top of this one. I also put most of the money towards these briefs and not a lot of it was split equally. The outcomes are ok but not super proud of them.
Brief 07 / World Record Store Day
This was one of my favourite briefs that I have done this year and was really pleased with the outcomes, the brief was live and the posters were used in Jumbo records, it was rewarding seeing the work I have created being used in the real world.
Together me and Rhys designed a 3 poster series and screen printed them to give a DIY look and also coordinate with the vinyl culture. To add on to this brief we also printed on tote bags which helped the brief become stronger and work well together.
It was hard getting a starting point for this brief, and took us nearly 2 weeks to make a strong concept for Record Store Day. Throughout the development of these posters we engaged with regular feedback from the store owner, which was usually positive and he was pleased with how the brief was heading. The printing of this brief took us two days, it was very long and tiring, however because there were 2 of us printing there was a routine to get it done fast but also to a good standard. Each poster followed the same grid and we printed 40 of these before screen printing which was a good thing to do as it ensured all the posters followed the same design which made them uniformed.
However because Jumbo records was moving stores when we were doing this brief there was an element of the brief missing. We were initially going to make flyers of the live bands that were playing at Jumbo on record store day, however nothing was confirmed and the shop was very busy meaning we couldn't get this information.
Working with Rhys on this brief was really good, we both split tasks equally and fairly and both put 100% into it also. Rhys was very good communicating and designing the outcomes whereas I was better at the screen printing and deciding the colours of the posters. The cost for this brief was around £20 for tote bags, binder and stock, all costs were split equally.
Brief 08 / YCN Fedrigoni
Fedrigoni is a brief I did last year for YCN and really enjoyed working with paper therefore wanted to do it again this year, however collaborating this year with Sophie from creative advertising. We decided to package some Panettone for an Italian themed Christmas gift which matched the Fedrigoni brand.
I developed and experimented with a range of packaging that was best suited to fit the panetonne in. Packaging is an element of graphic which I enjoy and therefore decided to this while Sophie thought of names for the box and the idea behind it.
The box was laser cut to ensure it had sharp edges and the words ‘Christmas means sparkle’ & ‘Sparkle means Christmas’ were also cut into the box which gave it more of a christmas touch. This brief consisted more of hands on design and didn't really use a computer, only to design the nets and get the file ready for the laser cutter. Instead the design for this was how the box works and appeals to an audience.
Fedrigoni didn't send us any samples of their paper, nor give a image of it on the brief so in a sense it was difficult knowing how to show off this paper when we got nothing from them. We decided to chance a white stock which had a texture on it, this worked well and also fitted the ‘snow range’ Elements of christmas were added to the box which encouraged a christmas design, for example glitter was placed on it to produce this effect and also circles representing snow were also cut out.
Brief 09 / Jessy Lanza Print
Taking part in a live exhibition is something which I have never done before yet was one of my final aims for level 06. This brief was very quick and wanted it to be a day brief.
The research was very short and consisted of developing a understanding of the song including analysing the lyrics and also researched Kate Morros’ work, this is because she has a very playful style using bright and illustrative techniques, an element which I wanted to apply to the ‘Oh No’ print.
Screen printing this was best as I wanted the colours to bright representing elements of the video creating a more visually attractive print. The screen print was 3 colours and took around a hour to get the best outcome.
The only issue I had with this brief was the GF Smith stock arriving late; the stock arrived a day before the print was due to be in, so felt the screen printing was rushed and because there was only 1 sheet of stock it also made no room for errors. I was very pleased with the final print for Oh No, it represented the song and stood out due to the bright colour.
Brief 10 / Research Brief
I found this brief quite difficult to produce an outcome which I was pleased with. The concept of this brief was strong and believe that there is a problem concerning young people and the news, so therefore thought it was relevant within todays society.
To begin research I carried out a survey to find out whether this is a real problem or just a myth, asking 21 18-24 year olds only 5 of them were able to confidentially tell me major news stories currently happening. Also all of the 21 asked said that they would like to see something put in place which would educate and inform them. From this research I then went onto find out how younger people consume their news and the most popular means was through social media.
Other research included finding relevant news stories to display as an outcome, the two which I thought were most relevant were the bomb that Trump dropped over Afghanistan and also information regarding the 8th of June vote. To understand how to educate and inform I research NHS posters which gave me a insight into elements that should be used when designing the posters. Also cut and paste style was heavily influenced from a recent trip to Amsterdam and really wanted to incorporate this style within the poster.
The development of the posters was very time lengthy as I wasn't happy with them, regular feedback was needed to ensure the posters were informing and educating. Once the posters were completed they were then mocked up in places that were most likely to appeal to young people. Also a Facebook page was created, this was influenced by the research, creating the Facebook page allowed the audience to find out more about the news stories if they wish encouraging them to become more interacted with the news.
When gathering feedback from the posters I asked 10 18-24 year olds what they think the posters are communicating. All the feedback I received was good and showed that the poster achieved and they could each understand the story therefore achieving what this brief was asking. To extend this brief I would have liked to have done more posters but due to the deadline approaching and other briefs needing completing this wasn't possible.
Overall I enjoyed the brief however did think that the final posters could have been better, this brief took in total a month, generating a good aesthetic for the posters was hard and this took longer than expected. However with regular feedback from peers it helped a lot and gave direction. The final posters were printed digitally on to A3 demonstrating where the posters would be used in reality, the printing of these cost around £15 and thats all that was spent on the brief.
Brief 11 / Oh Aura Earrings
The earring which I packaged were a friends, I really like the design of the earrings and she creates them from wood and laser cut making them unique. The earrings are fun and wanted to create some packaging for her that would make them stand out.
The research was very straight forward as it was just analysing a range of current packing and understanding what worked well and what didn’t. The ideas were influenced by the earring and created a range of patterns from the objects that were used with the earrings. I decided to screen print the outcomes as its a process I enjoy and because the earrings are hand made it creates a overall unique product.
The stickers that are used on the packaging are printed online from MOO, unfortunately James had no room in the print room until the 15th of may which is the deadline day so used other resources. The printing of the stickers had a high quality and the bold colours worked really well with the colours used on the packaging that were screen printed.
An extension of this brief was creating a poster, allowing audiences to know that Oh’Aura is now available in store.
I enjoyed this brief, packaging is an element of graphics I enjoy, also screen printing is a method which I like to do also. The cost of this brief was around £20, this is buying stock, binder and getting the stickers printed. Also this brief was only a week long brief and managed to get everything done within this week.
Brief 12 / Friendly Picnic
This was another enjoyable brief of the module, again because it was packaging I really enjoyed working with nets and layouts. I wanted one of my briefs to be food related and thought the idea of a picnic and it ties in well with this factor.
I firstly ordered the wooden cutlery and palm plates. However when I photographed them at the end I really wanted them to stand out and be bold so therefore made the decision to paint them yellow, this made them vibrant and fun.
For the packaging I made 3 boxes for the cutlery to sit in and a label for the plates, for the stock they were all printed onto a brown recycled card fitting to the environmentally friendly part of the breif, this allowed the card to be recycled after use making a greener product. TO secure the labels onto the plates I used a coloured string of yellow and red, I thought this worked well with the overall product and created a more playful aesthetic. The designs were also screen printed as I thought this process would also resembles a more greener product and is a process that I enjoy completing.
When all the products were complete I then photographed them in a photograph studio, I was really pleased with the outcomes of the photos, I thought the worked well and the colours came through very bright and bold. To extend this brief I also made a poster adverting the cutlery sets, I looked at current food posters by M&S and took influence from this creating a strong poster advert.
Overall the Friendly Picnic brief has been one of my favourite briefs this year. I set this brief to take a week and I completed it within a week, I was happy with the outcomes and think that the photography stands out and is very eye catching. Buying all the materials including the stock, cutlery and plates has cost around £15 so has been a low cost brief.
