Plan of the week

So only my fourth 'plan of the week'. The plan for last week was to really start thinking and exploring some of my own initial idea for the brief, which I have done. During the week I looked at some ideas for the front cover of the editorial supplement and how I can incorporate the logo, as the brief says I must include it. I also started to make a very rough draft of my layout and started to create measurements and layouts.

So onto this week. Well I plan to completely finish my basic layout plan for the supplement and then get started on creating the content and deciding what images to include. To do this I must choose a specific designer that who has worked with the typographic circle, which will require a lot of thought and research. Once I've chosen my designer I will then move onto putting all the content into my layout design.

Next Monday I'll review on the plan has gone and if I have achieved all that I have set out to do.

Digital Skills - Photoshop

Another digital skills lesson so I thought I'd post what I did. This lesson started in Illustrator using the type tools to create a giant 'N' and then placing my name inside it at different sizes and angles. I then moved it into Photoshop where I learnt a lot about how to use textures, which was something new as I've never tried it before. I didn't get time to completely finished the 'N' but I liked this lesson and I learnt some new things about Photoshop. 

Plan of the week

So this is my third 'plan of the week'. Last week was all about getting research for the new editorial brief which was fun actually, the magazine the brief is about is definitely out there and I haven't personally ever read it but it had very interesting layouts and spreads.

All my research that I decided to do in the second plan last Monday is finished, and the plan for this week is to really start thinking and exploring my own initial idea for the brief.

Next Monday I'll review on how my initial ideas have gone this week and how far I have got in the brief.

Bistro Branding - Evaluation

Project Reflection (Using SWOT)

What did you enjoy about the project?

I enjoyed trying my hand at branding as I've never tried to brand anything previously before.

What you didn't enjoy about the project?

I think I enjoyed every part of this project, I enjoyed sue parts more that others but that is to be expected in briefs.

Have you encountered any problems?

I had some problems when it came to using photographs as I didn't want any copyright issues but this was easily solved by me taking my own photographs.

What went well?

The photographs that I took turned out very well.

What didn't go well?

I won't say this went well but I think my layouts in the stationary set like the complement slip could of went better, I think it would of been greatly improved but back then I didn't know how to use InDesign back then. If I did it again I think it would be better.

New skills acquired?

I lean red some new techniques for Illustrator such as clipping masks.

Did my time management go well, did I hit the internal deadlines?

I think this project was very well managed when it comes to time and I hit the deadline and and everything ready to hand in before the deadline.

Brief - Bistro Branding

In this brief we were given the task of rebranding the Staff Bistro at Rye Hill. This brief included creating a logo, a full stationary set and a menu design.

Before getting into the brief I had to do some indepth research if I was going to design my own logo. This really was an eye opener as it was helpful to see what makes a successful logo that can be decades old but never seem out of date. I found out through my research that the key to a timeless classic logo was a simple but effective idea, a prime example is the Nike swoosh logo it was designed in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson but still look great on their products 40 years later.

Once I decided on a name to brand the Bistro I started out with some very rough logo ideas.

I liked the idea of the logo being the first letter of the Bistro's name, so once I had decided on an idea I developed it further.

I had quite a few variations of my logo design but in the end I went with the original sketch that I drew at the early stages of my designs.

When I decided on my final logo design I experimented with some colour themes but I knew that if I specifically picked a colour for my logo then it wouldn't be very flexible when it came to different colours I could use in the rest of the branding.

I decide that to be as flexible as possible I would have my logo in black and I could use modified versions in the branding if it called for it. Like the two other versions, in one I used a clipping mask to create the logo but with a picture of some grass that I took as the fill, but if didn't work I had a plain green version as well.

After my logo design was finalised I moved on to stationary design. I knew that I probably wouldn't have a very busy and detailed stationary set because I naturally go with more minimal designs. I decided not to use a lot of colour in the stationary set and instead used a lot of white and some pictures that I took myself for the reverse of my stationary.

Looking back I am quite pleased with my final outcomes especially since it was the first brief we were given in the FdA course. I like my stationary designs and I'm glad I managed to incorporate my own pictures instead of just using stock images. This brief was all about creating a brand and I think my final outcomes have that sense of unity, in they have a look and feel that link them together as a brand should.

Editorial Task & Digital Skills

In class we were given a task to help with the new editorial and typographic brief. We learned how to set up a basic 2 page spread and all the measurements that you use. I then looked through some magazine and mocked up a spread of my own.

This is a photograph of the first double page spread that I designed. After I tried it roughly on just paper the class then moved on to trying it on the computer in a digital skills lesson.

This is my final digital spread that we did in the lesson.We used Indesign which was hard to get the hang of first but after you master the basics its quite simple and an easy tool to use when it comes to creating a spread.

Plan of the week

So this is my second 'plan of the week' and its actually Monday this time. So looking back, I did all the research that I planned to do last week.

This week the plan is to really start the new editorial brief that the class has been given. Do some research into the magazine that its for, and the people its about. Once I've looked at all my research I can get down to generating ideas and trying things out myself.

Next Monday I'll review on how my research has gone this week and how far I have got in the brief.

Penguin Illustration - Evaluation

Project Reflection (Using SWOT)

What did you enjoy about the project?

I've got to say I enjoyed it all, from the research on Penguin (who I love) to trying at create my own illustrations.

What you didn't enjoy about the project?

Nothing

Have you encountered any problems?

There were a few technical difficulties when it come to cutting out my intricate scenes but I think I over came them all.

What went well?

I think my final book design went very well and I love the colors I picked.

What didn't go well?

Nothing I can think of.

New skills acquired?

I learned a lot about channels in Photoshop as it was my learning about this program that allowed me to be able to manipulate the color of my book design. I can use my digital skills lessons as opportunities to further improve my skills in specific programs such as illustrator and Photoshop.

Did my time management go well, did I hit the internal deadlines?

I think this project was very well managed when it comes to time and I hit the deadline and and everything ready to hand in before the deadline.

Penguin Illustration

The Penguin Design Award is an opportunity for students on an Art or Design course or degree level to engage in design for publishing during their studies. The brief is to design a whole new cover look in order to reinvent the children's book 'Grimm's Fairy Tales'.

This brief is to be Illustration lead with a strong use of typography, during my research I saw some strong designers who used a lot of detail in their work and it made me think about some of my past projects and the fact that I tend to be on the minimal side naturally when it comes to ideas and designs. So with this in mind I wanted to really push myself to try new things for this brief and get out of my comfort zone.

What lead my ideas and gave me inspiration in this brief were particularly Rohan Easons black and white drawings and the technique of drawing a detailed scene and then carving it out on paper. I started out trying to do a very basic tree scene as I wanted it to be in some way visually linked to the brothers Grimm.

So this is an photograph of the basic scene I drew and then cut out.

But since I cut out the whole thing I knew I needed some kind of background, so I used the large light box in the classroom as I kind of luminous backdrop. I actually really liked this visual and my ideas just progressed from there.

The next thing I did after the tree scene is think about other scenes I could design and then cut out.

So I started to draw a scene, since it was to be a book cover I had to have some text in there. I found a really nice Sans fonts that was perfect for this project and arranged to how I wanted it.

After I found the right font to use I started to draw the scene around it, there was so many things that people associate with the brothers Grimm fairy tales and that are mentioned in the books. The archways at the top of this scene is from my favorite Grimm Fairy Tale 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses', it is the entrance to the secret underground castle where the princesses sneak away to every night to dance with the twelve princes. I had to add a little something from one of my favorites.

This is a photograph that I took to document the process of me cutting out my entire scene and yes it took forever.

My finished cut out scene

When I finished cutting my entire scene I then put it on the light box just like the tree's and took photographs to get the lighting effect how I wanted. I really like this image and all the cutting out was worth it because it worked out exactly how I wanted it, a lovely fairy tale scene with very dreamy lighting.

I wondered what it would look like in black and white so I decided to see what would happen if I scanned the cut out image.

This is the digital image that I got when I scanned the cut out into the computer then used Photoshop to invert the colours, I liked the black and white picture but it lost the dreaminess the original one had.

I decided to try designing another cut out scene since the first one was just a very rough draft.

Front cover

This is the second cut out image I designed. This time I focused solely on a wooded scene just like my original inspiration. I used the same text placement and font as the first scene as I didn't want that to change, but I also took care to create room on the bottom of the page for the names of the brothers as Penguin stated they should be there. I also took the time to create the spine of the book as well since the brief stated it was to create the whole book.

Spine

And lastly I designed and cut out a back cover to finish off the entire thing.

I then used all these images and digitally put them together to create the whole cover look.

Final design

This is my finished cover look for the Brothers Grimm book. Originally I was going to leave the back light alone but once they were all together the book looked old and outdated and kind of reminded me of the colour or porridge, so instead I decided that if I used traditional methods to create the cover, since its all hand carved and there isn't a straight line in sight, then I should use a modern bold colour as a contrast against the old worldly cut out, the bold red/pink colour keeps the traditional method of cut out still looking fresh.

Penguin Illustration - Research

I'm going to be doing a few posts about a brief that I've already completed. It was an Illustration brief for Penguin, but before we get into that I wanted to show some of the images and different designers that I came across when I looked deeper into Illustration and what different types of Illustration styles are out there.

These are some images by a Illustrator called Rohan Eason, I love the drawings he does, the detail he goes into is wonderful and the fact that they all hand drawn makes it even better in my mind.

Here is some work by a very talented lady Sophie Henson. I've seen some of her covers a while ago but I never knew her name, she does some really beautiful drawings with such a light hand when it comes to colour but for her it works.

Another Illustrator that I came across who has a unique style was Damien Tran, I like the way he uses a lot of layers and texture in all of his work but also doesn't forget about real photo's.

Just My Type

Just My Type - Simon Garfield

Just a post on a book I'm reading, full of stories about fonts. It explains why we are still influenced by type choices made more than 500 years ago, and why the 'T' in the Beatles logo is longer than the other letters. It has a chapter on how Gotham helped ease Barack Obama into the Presidency, and it all begins with a cautionary tale, a story of what happens when a typeface gets out of control.   

Lovely Labels

Just some nice labels I have lying around the top one is from Peoples Market, the bottom one is from a company called Atticus.

www.peoples-market.com

www.atticusclothing.com

Digital Skills - Milk Type

For last Fridays digital skills lesson we had a go at Photoshop and learned how to manipulate photo's and use some of the tool available like the clone stamp, the eraser, the blur and transform tools.

Starting Point

We started out in Illustrator with these plain black boxes which with anchor tools I made them into the word milk.

Modified Blocks

After I made the letters in Illustrator I brought it over into Photoshop and started using photo's of milk splashes and manipulating them so it looked like they were part of the letters themselves.

Using Photoshop

I just continued using photo's of milk splashed with all four letters and tweaked them until they were blended together.

Final Image

This is a screen shot of my final image, I really liked this digital skills lesson because I learned how to use a lot of different tool in Photoshop that  never knew about before, I also learned more about blending images together and a brilliant thing in the Layer options,  New Adjustment Layer>Gradient map, which helped the milk in the image all look the same shade of white, giving the image a more professional look.

Giggle with the Guardian

This was in The Guardians weekend supplement on the 7th of January and I had to post it. 'You're just not my typeface'. What a line.

Logo's - Evaluation

Project Reflection (Using SWOT)

What did you enjoy about the project?

For the Sync brief I enjoyed trying to come with fun ways to visually show the company.

What you didn't enjoy about the project?

I carnet say that I didn't enjoy the project it just wasn't greatly challenging. 

Have you encountered any problems?

It was difficult to try and come with ideas for the briefs, I had trouble bring to create visuals for the companies as they very unique and I didn't want to create a standard boring unoriginal logo.

What went well?

I really liked create a whole new font for the Subeaze brief I think it went well. 

What didn't go well?

I could of spent some more time on the Subeaze font to really refine every letter.

New skills acquired?

I learned a lot during these logo briefs. For the Subeaze brief I learned a lot about how to manipulate paths with the anchor tools. On the Sync brief I also gained a lot of skills in Illustrator including gradients, colors and embossing.

Did my time management go well, did I hit the internal deadlines?

I think this project was very well managed when it comes to time and I hit the deadline and and everything ready to hand in before the deadline.

Logo Competition - Sync

Newcastle University set up a competition to create a logo, as they have recently started Sync a consultancy that aims to bring together scientific research and the public's needs. They knew they didn't want really bright colours especially red or orange because of there emotional connotations, but instead suggested to aim towards more friendly and relaxing colours such as greens, blues and yellows.

Early Ideas

I came across the idea of having all the letters connecting as I wanted to give the logo a 'sync' like quality.

Final Ideas

These are some final designs that I entered for the competition. When it came to the design process there were quite a few variations on my original idea that I liked, so I ended with four final logo's.

This project helped me quite a lot in terms of learning the key features of Photoshop and Illustrator as I was just learning how to use them at the time and helped me build on my limited knowledge of the software. 

Looking back I probably should have tried more ideas in the beginnings of the project instead of committing to just one straight away, developing more than just one idea is maybe something I can think about when it comes to new projects. 

Logo Competition - Subeaze

Hi I wanted to show you how I designed a logo to enter a competition, the logo is for a company that is completely online, it is a service for subcontractors within the construction industry. For obvious reasons we were told by the company that they would prefer any colours that linked with the construction industry or signage such as black, yellow, blue etc.

For this logo I wanted to try and create my very own font. So I started drawing some very basic different shapes for the letter 's'. I knew I wanted to create a very masculine font with quite thick lines but also maybe do something with diagonal angles.

Early ideas

After going through some ideas I mapped out the entire name of the logo making sure that I measured all the letters to be the same height and that they all had the same amount of spacing between them.

Rough hand drawn idea

I then scanned this drawing into my computer and started to re-create it on illustrator using simple anchor points to build a rough idea of my logo.

Final Logo Designs

These are the final logo designs I created for the competition. I had fun designing a whole new font myself instead of using an already excising one from the Internet, and I definitely want to try it again. Its exactly how I wanted it to be masculine, bold but with a difference.

Plan of the week

This is my first 'plan of the week' and its not Monday but I doubt it really matters.

This week I will mostly be doing... (a little bit of fast show humor)  ... Research. So I've just started a new module 'Typographic & Editorial Design' and for this week I must do two research tasks.

Task 1 is to pick one editorial designer from a list and research them. I picked a nice man called David Carson. I've already done this research task and I must say I really like his work. He's a American born graphic designer who became very famous in the 90's. My favorite piece of work of his that I found whilst researching is his cover for 'little white lies' magazine.

Little White Lies Cover

To me this is such a unique cover and I only wish I bought a copy when it came out, I've always like the idea of text over image and I think this cover does it perfectly. From the light delicate drawing of Natalie Portman to the strong unyielding use of type and placement. The films not bad either, just a bit weird in some places.

Task 2 is to pick one typographic designer from a list and research them. I picked Andrea Tinnes, I have started this task but not completed it yet. From the research that I have done already I can say she has some really cool typefaces out there one of my favourites from her website is DasDeck.

DesDeck Font

It appeals to the sci-fi nerd in me, what can I say give me a strong lined sans-serif type with slight curves and I'm in geek/typeface heaven.

I guess next Monday I'll review on how my research has gone this week. I bet you can't wait can you.

So what's this all about?

WELL... Okay the reason I'm starting a blog is because I kind of have to. Its part of my graphic design course to start a weekly online blog about kind of everything.

So every Monday I'll be posting a 'Plan of the week' a list of sorts and it will basically say what I'll be doing through out the week and so on, I'll also reflect on the previous week and think about what I did and how I could improve stuff.

I'll be posting other stuff like images from my sketch books and development work along with some final designs for briefs in doing. Basically you'll be seeing all the stuff I'm doing for my course.

Another thing I'll be posting about is things that inspire me like designers I'm researching, images I've seen, maybe good books that I'm reading, essentially anything I want to share with you.

So yeah that's about it, be warned if your not into graphic design or any aspect of it then this will probably be boring as hell for you.