Brief 01 | Hola Paella | Final / Photographs

Menus -

Invitation - 

Coasters -

Brief 01 | Hola Paella | Group Feedback Session

on the 3rd of November we had a group crit of around 12 of us and each showed a piece of design that we have been working on. Hola Paella is the only brief which I have been concentrating on and therefore presented that to group.

I showed the final designs for the food and drinks menu and were passed around the group, I received a lot of positive feedback from people. However I discussed with them how I am not keen on the foiling as its not stuck very well but they were all adamant that it looks fine.
We were asked to fill a feedback form in when people had finishing analysing our work.

Likes - 

- The stock is thick and works well as a menu

- The pattern is nice, represents tapas theme

- The colours are subtle but works well

- The foiling shows a better quality

- The type choices work well 

- Nice that they are matching, consistency runs through

Dislikes - 

- The pattern isn't even on the grid

- Do the type choices work together?

To Do : 

- Design Boards!

- Finish the brief - do coasters and napkins

- Professionally Photograph 

Brief 01 | Hola Paella | Print Finishes

Foiling -

There are 2 methods when it comes to foiling, the first one is to print the part of the design which you want foiled in jet black cartridge ink, then put it through the laminator with the foil and the ink becomes sticky when hot causing the foil to stick. Or clean a textile screen and use a glue as you would a paint and then heat press with the foil which can take a little longer.

Having tested and failed the laminator method last year and not want it to re-occur I decided to do it the longer way and prepare a screen.

When first attempting to use the screen to apply the glue to the paper the first error was that the font sizes didn't match, have printed the titles out in black it would be too obvious and the foil wouldn't cover it all. Therefore instead spending another day cleaning a new screen, I decided to reprint the designs without the parts which I'm foiling and then the black ink will defiantly not be shown, this however has wasted more time. 

Once re printing the menus I then tried this method again. Screen printing the glue was a very easy and quick way, however because there was no guides and the glue is obviously clear it was at times difficult to make sure the type was lined up and even. 

The glue took around 15 minutes to dry, once it was I took the menus to the heat press in the print room to apply the foil. The heat had to be on around 160 and had to be applied to the paper for 12 seconds in order for the foil to stick.

What went well?

On some the foil looks really good and am pleased with the outcome. They make the menus look instantly better and as if more effort has gone in to them making them a better quality piece of work which is what was in the brief. 

What went badly?

The amount of time, mainly because of the problem with different type sizes. Also when heat pressing the paper to protect the menus from inks became stuck, ripping off the design. But soon found some greaseproof paper which was a success and worked really well. Also on some of the foiling its not stuck great on the glue, but this is all I can do with the resources which are available. 

To consider next time?

Use greaseproof paper to protect the final design, and use a textile screen for the glue, don't bother using black ink just leave the parts to foil blank. 

Brief 01 | Hola Paella | Development

Before printing the designs out digitally, I first printed prototypes out to proof read and analyse everything was in order.

Menu -

- Title font needs to be made smaller

- Headings need to be a lower point size

- Not a full opaque box on illustrator (91%)

- Text needs more spacing

- Change font size on paella dishes 

Invites -

- Continue pattern onto voucher

- Change white boxes to 90% opaque

- Include address smaller and at the bottom of the voucher

- Make 20% smaller

Drinks Menu -

- Less drinks on the menu, looks crowded

- Spacing between the drinks

Stock -

Colorplan, Bright White, 270 gsm

The 270gsm ensures the menus won't be easy to bend, and will be sturdy making it difficult not rip easily. The thicker stock also means it won't crease keeping it looking a higher quality.

Laser Cutting

The laser cutting went well and I cut a variety of different sized fonts to test which one looks best against the pattern of the invitation. However one problem which occurred is the font is handwritten and joint a lot of the font begins to disappear between the lettering, but I'm going to make them into the envelopes and see what the final outcome looks like and ask for feed back to decide if they look ok and a good quality.

Envelopes (A6)

You're invited would best be positioned in the centre of the envelope and needs to be made slightly bigger than a6 to ensure the invitation fits nicely inside. 

Coasters

Recently buying 20 plain beer mats / coasters from eBay for £3.80 I think these will sit well with the other set of designs which I have produced. Because the coasters are already cut, I can either stick vinyl on them from the digital print room downstairs or screen print onto them. There would be more colour choice when screen printing and would have a better overall aesthetic so think this finish would work the best. 

Dimensions - 94mm diameter 

The design for the coaster I wanted to keep simple as there a small part of the brief, however its important that there is still a consistency that follows. 

This design is straight to the point, it highlights the restaurant and the opening night date. The colour used will be blue to make sure that its consistent with the other designs. 

Brief 01 | Hola Paella | Initial Ideas 02

Pattern Thinking-
From the research which I have carried out, a lot of the current restaurants use some pattern within there branding to hint to there customers the cuisine of the restaurant. In other research I looked into colour pallets that I photographed when in Spain & Barcelona over the summer. I wanted to focus on the tiles in the street and on buildings, as thats what always captures me when I have visited and think  its a part of Spanish heritage. The colours which I found were mainly pastel and neutral shades and have tried to incorporate them into some patterns which I made through the inspo of Pinterest and illustrator.

The pinky peach creates a neutral colour pallet similar to the ones which I found in my research. This design looks slightly more sophisticated in comparison to the others, but works well with the type and  as a sequence.

Blue ceramics is usually associated with tapas themed food, and think this design represents the idea of what food may be on offer at hola paella. The continuous pattern represents a tile design, which has been the main inspiration of the pattern. 

Although this is a repeated pattern like the others, this looks to be a more 70s retro design, and gives the wrong impression of the brand. The colours are dull and doesn't seem as inviting. 

This I don't like at all, and was a first design, the colours are too dark and doesn't represent what I found during research as a whole doesn't look very fun nor inviting.

Feedback -

'Blue looks more tapas themed'

'The pattern on the blue is so nice, reminds me of floor tiles!'

'Pink is my favourite! looks elegant.'

'White and the blue stands out more, and shows more of a tapas inspo'

Type -

When carrying out research it became apparent that at every tapas branding which I analysed each used some kind of calligraphy on their menus, or logos. When researching into the brand hola paella they used chalk boards around their food stands with colourful handwritten type. I wanted to incorporate this into the open night designs as it keeps a fun element as well as personal and independent. Therefore I searched for calligraphy fonts online and also tried myself. 

Although the handwriting adds a more personal touch, I think mine won't stand out as much as a font, and doesn't look as neat as it could. The menu will be displaying food dishes and if this was a handwritten font it may make it not legible being difficult to read, type on the page may become lost if there was a range of fonts on there, so its important I keep it to 1 or 2 max, but from the research its important that calligraphy must be included somewhere. 

For the titles and headings a calligraphy font will work best. On the chalkboards at hola paella there was handwritten font, which was similar to sweet pea, this font is easy to read and see and suits the theme of taps more than the others, its also joined up handwriting which looks better than the other fonts and gives a more personal touch. Bromello is also very nicely handwritten but there is to many flicks and think some of the lettering has become lost because of this making it slightly more difficulty to read. 

Brief 01 | Hola Paella | Initial Ideas 01

Layouts

Invitations -

01 is a invite which is A6, the invitation slides out from the envelope. The envelope would be embossed then screen printed with the words 'your invited'. The invitation is single sided and would have pattern on which runs throughout all the other branding, and the perforated line which has the 20% voucher is attached at the bottom.

02 A A5 folded card, the front of the card would be full of pattern and prints with a foiled lettering of 'your invited' and the inside would read the information with the voucher attached onto the staples and can easily be work off.

03 Is very similar to 01, but the invitation is double sided, one side full of pattern and print and the other would show the information. The envelope would also be the same but 'your invited' would be laser cut instead of screen printed, and because the lettering has been laser cut the pattern would show through.
04 Would be a simple double sided A5 design, without a envelope and digitally printed, would act as a flyer which could be given out to passers by on the street.

05 Is the same as 04 but instead it comes with a envelope. Which has been screen printed and the pattern used on the invitation runs through into the envelope.

The brief stated that the invite must include a perforated line which can be torn off and then used. Therefore the most successful ideas in showing this are 1, 3 and 4. The preferred invite from the choice is number 3, this is because the invite is protected in a outer envelope and the envelope has been laser cut showing the pattern which is across all outcomes, this keeps it persistent but also adds a personal touch.

Feedback - People really like the idea of the third design also, and the pattern showing through the word cuts as it gives a more of a high quality design, and makes it slightly more intriguing as to what the invites for and therefore entices people.

Material Choices - Id like to keep all the materials the same, giving it consistency throughout the designs. Using a white card for the main stock, so the pattern used doesn't get lost and stands out against the stock. The stock must be durable to avoid getting bent when taken out of the envelope or kept in a pocket etc, therefore a 220gsm - 280gsm would be most suited.

Final Layout

Drink & Food Menu's -

01 The first thumbnail is a A5 double sided card. The front has a pattern which continuously carries on to the back of the card. The front reads 'menu' which will then be foiled to show a high quality. The food is split into sections making it a easier read for the customer.

02 A A5 folded booklet. Similar to number 01 but the booklet gives more space for the menu and therefore looks clean and legible.  

03 Thumbnail is not on paper or card but instead on a chopping board to represent the raw natural ingredients used throughout hola paellas menu. The chopping board would have to be laser cut and the information scratched onto the wood. 

04 Is similar to 02 but instead of the information printed inside the booklet, there is a insert which is stapled and attached within. This creates a more thoughtful design, and keeps the main information away from any dirt. 

05 Is a long rectangular menu, just experimenting away from the A5 card. The Spanish themed pattern would be on the front running onto the back and then the food well displayed down the centre of the menu. 

Number 01 is my preferred choice as its the one which would be low cost to print, in the research I found that the customers who visit hola paella just want good food at a good price, therefore won't be looking for a high end menu that has been expensive to make. Within the brief it did state a good quality and include print methods - this menu would be best digitally printed and then the titles foiled in silver to include a element of quality.

Feedback - When asking class mates for there preferred choice of menu style, they did like the wooden chopping board one, as its different and would be suited to reflect hola paella, however this would cost too much money to produce and I would be worrying as to whether the lettering on the board would show through. However they do like 01 and agree that the foiling would give it a better quality and produce a more sophisticated output as well as the menu been legible and decorative. 

Material Choices - When generating ideas for this menu, its important to consider that food and drink may often be spilled on the menus, and therefore more will be needed to be re printed to replace them. Therefore its important to keep the cost of the paper low which will make them cheaper to replace. A 120gsm would be the best thickness to ensure stability and also would be more cost effective. 

Final Layout

Clipboard 

Recently visiting Belgrave in Leeds centre I came across a clip board which had the menu attached, it looked trendy and also offered more support for the menu instead of it lying on the table or falling onto the floor. Brixton market is becoming a very trendy and hip place at the moment and feel as if something as little as a clipboard could help reflect the vibe as well as keeping the menu pristine and grubby fingers off it. 

Napkins -

01 Simple white rectangular folded napkin, with bold colour screen printed onto it.

02 Red triangular folded napkin and yellow screen printed text to represent the Spanish flag.

03 Also a plain white folded rectangular napkin but with 2 sets of different font.

Napkins aren't a of main importance compared to the other outputs but its important that their consistent with the other designs for the opening night. 

I think the rectangle fold are the best suited, with the name of the restaurant and the opening night date, its best to keep this simple in order to finish the brief in time. The best way to transfer this information onto the napkin is through screen print, so will therefore have to get a screen washed and exposed in time. 

Brief 01 | Hola Paella | Research 04

Open Night Branding
"The restaurant business is competitive, and that is why you need to have an effective strategy in place to help put together a plan for your opening night. By the time you launch your grand opening, you should have worked out all of the major issues, and be ready to impress your clientele."


What needs to be considered? 

- Menus (Drink & Food)
- Invites
- Cutlery holders
- Napkins
- Reserve labels
- Receipts
- Coasters
- Food bags

Restaurant Branding-

Within the branding for the opening night its important that the designs have a consistent layout and are coordinating alongside each other. This ensures a high quality and persistent design reflecting a clean and organised brand. 

Print Finishes

In the brief it states that a print finish must be done to ensure a high quality. A few finishes which I have learnt over the past 2 years are gloss, emboss / deboss and to foil. Each of these finishes look professional once done and would like to apply one of these, I would apply more but the time scale is small and would rather choose quality over quantity.

Emboss / Debossing

"Embossing and debossing are the processes of creating either raised or recessed relief images and designs in paper and other materials. An embossed pattern is raised against the background, while a debossed pattern is sunken into the surface of the material (but might protrude somewhat on the reverse, back side)."

Foiling 

'Foil stamping, (also known as foil application) typically a commercial printingprocess, is the application of metallic or pigmented foil on to a solid surface by application of a heated die onto foil, making it permanently adhere to the surface below leaving the design of the dye.'

Gloss

"Satin — a satin coating is a less shiny coated finish. It has a lower gloss level than gloss finish, yet a higher gloss level than matte finish. Colors are sharp and vivid. Matte — a matte coated paper is a non-glossy, flat looking paper with very little"

Overall I think that foil would be best for the finish. The theme is tapas and think its the most suited to the type of restaurant as embossing seems to be more of a higher end finish. The foil could play a part in the colour choices, and would sit nice on the calligraphy that is going to be used. Also because I haven't given myself a lot of time foil would be quicker too, because it can be done in bulk at uni, whereas to emboss would have to be done individually. 

Brief 01 | Hola Paella | Research 03

Primary research - Spanish themes / Colour pallets

Over the summer, I visited Barcelona for a day whilst in Spain, and wanted to gather a range of images which I could use inspiration from when beginning my designs for this brief. Concentrating on texture and colour to create something which was relevant to the brief and current.
Walking around the streets and visiting Park Guell I captured a range of images which were very pleasing and interesting, the colour pallets were very elegant but subtle.

The different colour pallets tend to lean more towards shades of pastel, and very light, uplifting and subtle colouring. Pastel blues and pinks seem to be the most common colour from the photographs, and gives a very uplifting and aesthetic design.