Brief 8 // Dr. Me Flag // Evaluation

This is the shortest brief I have completed but also one of my favourite ones. Working with Greg in this brief was good fun, we both worked well together and had the same ideas for the flag design. 

In the beginning we were being pretty adventurous and set out to make a flag out of paper using craft and folds, but we also wanted to make it fold up into a book. After spending the majority of the workshop trying to work this out, we realised that it was pretty impossible and the fact we were doing it wasn't really creating a design for the flag, it was more of a format. 

So after doing this we decided to use illusion within the design. The idea of the flag was to create a bright colourful design that messes with your vision and makes you look twice at the flag. We used a CMYK colour scheme and create a design that worked on the illusions.  Printing the flag onto fabric was good to see and try out, this was the first time in doing this and I was interested to see the results, the printed flag looks amazing, the colours of the print are spot on and really bright, just what we wanted to create. 

This brief was a good experience, both working in collaboration and on such a short brief. I liked how we spent the majority of the day on once concept which then we didn't use, but the work that we had done in that day was alot compared to other briefs I had worked on. It shows how much you can do in one day. I am pretty happy with the final flag and will be good to see it in the exhibition which Dr. Me are curating. 

Brief 7 // Elmwood // Evaluation

This brief started off well, I was pretty excited for it and had ideas for it right from the beginning. When it cam to designing the actual branding this was quite difficult to start off with. After getting a idea and concept for the branding, I started to produce the logo and explain how it came about.

The crit was good, as this informed me what people thought about the branding at the beginning stages, which was positive but had room for improvement. From the crit i took on the ideas and completed the branding. This was a quick turnaround brief for me, I completed the full brief in a couple of days.

I am fairly happy with the branding, I do like it and think it communicates the idea of the company, but if I had more time then I think I could of pushed the branding further and made it more interesting and communicate the idea of the company in a better way. The application of the branding was interesting as it was a tree surgeon I could use wood as stock and material for some of the products. This was good to do something different and work away from the computer / printers to create the products. I think these worked best with the branding and made it communicate the idea of it further.

Overall I feel that this brief was very short as I had alot of other work on at the same time, but in the time that I have spent on doing it, I am happy with what I have produced. I think the branding is okay, its not my favourite, but it works for the concept of the company and explains what it is. The application of the branding was the best part of this brief and working on material other paper was a good experience and one that I will use again in other briefs.

Brief 6 // Life with Energy // Evaluation

This has been the shortest brief, but one which I have created a range of material for. The brief was to create a information pack for saving energy within the home.

From the last brief I realised that the production and creation of the products was something that I was good at and also enjoyed doing, so with this brief I wanted to carry on doing this, but also expand on these techniques and develop my production skills.

With this in mind I have focussed on the communication, production and creation of the products for this brief. The information pack is based around engaging the audience with a subject that is seen as being boring - saving energy. For this I have used a illustrative style, this again was something different to what I normally design around, but it was good to do it.

As I was saying before, the main focus for this was on the production of the products, which I think shows in the information pack. All of the products within it have been designed and created by myself, which I think they have been completed to a high standard, but also relate to idea of recycled and sustainable aesthetic, in order to achieve this I have used stock and material that has a textured of recycled finish to them.

I have used different techniques within this brief like vinyl, wirobinding and perfect binding, all these techniques have made the project more interesting both to look at and for me to create them.

I think that this brief has been a good success, I have enjoyed designing the products and creating them, it has been a different brief as the focus has been on the products and not completely on just the design. I think that the information pack succeeds in engaging the audience with a subject area that isn't always the most interesting.

Brief 3 // Iconic Cities // Evaluation

Iconic Cities was a brief about travel, for this brief I created a travel guide and website. This was the first brief in which I have done both print and web within the project and brought them together to create one fully synthesised project.

At the start I found this hard to get going, the initial design of the travel guide was dragged out a little as I wasn't that happy with the design and concept of it. When I came up with the idea of using the travel tags and tickets, the project turned around and started to make a lot more sense. I was really engaged with the concept of it and started to enjoy the brief.

From starting the brief to the end, I feel that this brief has been one in which I have designed from the start to right to the end, taking time in thinking about the concept and drawing out ideas from the start has made the brief better in the long run.

The design on the travel guide is the main part in which I enjoyed, creating the title pages and master pages for this was great for me to do, taking elements from the travel tags and incorporating them into the printed publication was a good exercise. The binding technique of the travel guide was a test for me also, as the publication was so thick, I had to create a binding technique that would work so the book is able to be read throughout and the full page design can be seen and readable all the way through. It took a long time to realise how to do this and also keep it in a consistent aesthetic with the overall publication. Eventually I came up with the method that has been put into use now, the use of elastic bands, this creates a bind that is moveable from the elastic nature of the elastic bands, so the pages can be read throughout.

I wanted to create a bespoke publication and concentrate on the production of the travel guide to make it the best quality as I could, I think that I have achieved this, focussing on the production of the guide has defiantly helped this process and shown myself that firstly I can create products like this, but also it is something that I am good at and also enjoy. This has been clear within this brief that the creation and production of the products has been the most enjoyable part for me and something that I can take through the future briefs in the year.

The second element of the brief was to create a website for the company. For this I have just mocked up a website as I didn't think it was necessary for it to be coded and built as it wasn't the main deliverable for the brief. The website extends the printed publication and makes the travel guide more accessible to the audience. The main use of the website is that the user can create there own personalised and tailored travel guide by selecting certain information they want including.
The website design was good to do, this has been the first website I have created for the year and it was good to refresh myself in doing this. The design of the website was quite simple but I feel this worked best for the project and to work with the printed publication.

I preferred working on the printed element of the brief, but also creating the digital side of the project was good to do something different for a change, but also to make them both work together.

I think this project has been the best of the ones completed so far, it has been the one which I am most happy with and the one I feel I have created the best concept and developed this concept the best throughout the products created.

Brief 1 // imprint // Evaluation

This was the first brief I started when coming back and starting uni in the third year, I found that this brief got me back into the flow of designing and got me back into doing design work from the summer.

The idea of the brief was to create a brand which I can use in appropriate briefs throughout the year for anything that consists of publication & editorial design.

I enjoyed doing this brief as it was purely a branding brief. It was good to create something that I could use myself and in a sense it was easier for me to do because I knew what I wanted it to be designed like.

The hardest part of the brief was creating the brand guidelines, this was the first time I have designed a guidelines and found it quite hard. Producing the content in terms of the designed elements for the guidelines was pretty easy, but it was the body copy that was difficult for me to write, as this had to inform the reader about the company but also describe how to use the different elements of it too. I think there are pages within the guidelines that could be changed and some pages that could be added in to explain the company better and describe the brand story and values.

I felt that this brief did go on for longer than I wanted to, but I think that was because there was a lot of course workshops etc at the beginning of the year and I couldn't get into a constant flow to get the work done quicker. In the end I didn't complete everything that I would of liked to; I would of liked to create a copper plate and emboss elements of the design, but I didn't want the brief to go on and on.

That said I am still happy with the outcomes for it, the accent colours all work together well and have created a contemporary publishing company, which is what I set out to do. The brand guidelines is created to a high quality and uses a different type of binding method, this again puts into practice the type of publication design that the company would create in real life. The brand works across all the branding material and creates a consistent design that fits all formats.

Brief 1 // imprint // Brand Guidelines Mock up

For the brand guidelines I wanted to use a different binding method and make it more interesting and bespoke. The guidelines explains the whole company, so making this to the best quality will present the company to the best ability. 

The idea of the binding technique is to use binding screws. As these are being used and the screws pull the pages together tight, there needs to be room for the pages to open fully throughout the publication. In order to make the pages within the publication open properly the front cover will have a fold on the left bind, so this page folds back and opens fully. This will make the rest of the pages within the publication able to open more and make it easier to browse through the book. 

Brief 7 // Elmwood // Presentation Boards

Presentation boards for submission and submission to Elmwood. These boards present the full concept of the branding and show the design process and products created for the branding and identity of the Tree Surgeon company.

Brief 7 // Elmwood // Final Product Images

Final images of the branding material for the Tree Surgeon company - Heartwood.

Brief 7 // Elmwood // Wooden Stationery

As part of the stationery for the company I am going to create some limited edition business cards for high statue companies or regular clients that may use the company. These business cards are going to made out of wood. By laser cutting the design into the wood this can be achieved and work well for the type of company it is.

Along with the business card, I am going to create a clipboard out of wood, that again has the branding applied by laser cutting into the wood. This product is practical for the surgeons as they can use it when out on a job and filling out forms etc, but it also ties in with the branding for the company too.

Business card design for the laser cutter

Clipboard design for the laser cutter, the clipboard will be finished by using a large bulldog clip. 

Images showing the process of the products being cut and engraved in the laser cutter

Images of the final wooden products. 

The business cards have worked quite well, apart from the design being quite dirty and not the cleanest of finished because the laser cutter burnt the wood, but this in a way adds to the aesthetic and works with it being a tree surgeon as this isn't exactly the neatest and cleanest occupation.

Clipboard has worked well, the bulldog clip on the top fastens the papers to the board and makes it easier for the user to write on these sheets.  

The back of the clipboard has the logo engraved into it. This ties it in with the rest of the branding and creates a consistent design across all the products within the branding material. 

Brief 7 // Elmwood // Company Uniform

A company of this nature will have a company uniform, but not one like a suit. As the job is pretty rough, hands on and always on the move, the uniform needs to durable and moveable once in it. This causes more of a casual / builders aesthetics. 

The surgeons will need a high vis jacket when working in areas with restricted views or on the motorway / roads. The high vis jacket is your standard jacket with the just the logo printed onto it.

As I said above the job occupation won't really rely on any sort of corporate uniform as it is far from that, I have mocked up the branding on a jumper and t-shirt, which I think are suitable clothing for a company of this nature. 

Grey crew neck jumper. The logo is applied in the top right corner and acts as an emblem. 

The t-shit design above show how the branding can be applied to it, using a existing package, the branding can be applied to the project in the same way. 

The clothing is pretty standard and the design of them may not be that interesting of engaging but they are very bold and precise and communicate the idea of the logo. 

Brief 7 // Elmwood // Van Livery

As a tree surgeon they would have to get around and go to various locations to care for the trees. In order to do this they would need some vans, so I have mocked up how the logo could be applied to the different vehicles to advertise whilst out on the roads. 

The small van would be used as a get around vehicle, the branding is applied in a simple way, but by having it laid out like this above, it makes it very clear to the people driving past what the company is and how to contact them. Within the application of the branding I have tried to use different elements from the shape and bodywork of the van to make it abit more appealing. 

The second van is the one which would be taken out to the job as you can this is more of a pick up and uses the cargo area at the back to collect the shredded tree branches and bark. This also has the shredder machine, which can be branded. Again the branding is applied is a simple way, but to maximise on the communication and advertising for potential driving customers.

Brief 7 // Elmwood // Printed Stationery

Now the logo has been designed and created I can start to apply it to different application to show it in context and how it would work across a range of printed material. 

As the company is a tree surgeon and works around tree, bark and wood I liked the idea of using a wood texture within the branding. After finding this image of wood, I adjusted it slightly so it had more of a brown tone to it. This has become the reverse side for all the printed material. As you can see the logo has been centered within the page. 

The letterhead has a simple three column system to it. The first column is the thin one on the left, this holds all the information about the company - logo, tag line, address, phone number, email address. To the right of this is the main content area, this is twice the size of the left column making a 1:2 column ratio for the grid of the design. Also along the bottom of the page the wood texture has been used again, this links back to the reverse side and adds a visual aid into the quite modernist laid out design of the letterhead. 

Following on from this the invoice uses the same structure, but in the main content area is the invoice information. This holds information about the customer at the top and then breaks down the works that has been carried out and the cost of each part. The total is highlighted at the bottom, along with terms and conditions printed below the invoice total. Again the 1:2 ratio column grid has been used to maximise the space of the invoice, keeping all the company information together in one place and down one side all the time, makes it consistent but also separates that information form the rest of the information on the page. 

The compliment slip also uses the wood texture on the reverse of it, with the logo placed in the centered. 

The compliment slip takes the same information from the letterhead and the invoice, but it is laid out closer together as the compliment slip isn't as tall. The same idea for the layout and structure is still used and apply as you can see above. 

Finally there is the business cards. These are both the horizontal and vertical versions of the cards. These business cards are the ones to be used everyday, there will be some special edition business cards which will be made from wood, these would be given to high statue companies. 

These business cards again use the wood texture on the reverse side with the logo placed in the centre. The fronts of each card are slightly different but in essence are laid out in the same way. Both have the information aligned to the right hand side which is in the same format as the rest of printed material. With the horizontal card there is less height so the logo is placed to the left, on the vertical card it is placed above, this layout mimics that of the other printed stationery, hence why I think i works better as it is a consistent design throughout all the products. 

To put the printed material into content, I have mocked the designs up onto some different products, so it is easier to see how these would work in real life and how the designs are adapted for each different format. I think these designs show a consistency across the full board, this makes the stationery look more professional and stand out. With the designs above I wasnt too sure on the small wood texture on the fronts of the design, but on these mock ups it works really well as it gives that part of the design a visual aid and makes it a little bit more interesting. 

Brief 7 // Elmwood // Logo

The logo for the company is working again from the two sides of the company - using imagery and symbols from the surgery side to add a clear and precise aesthetic and then the tree surgery side which makes the logo communicate the idea of tree surgery and obviously trees.

The logo is quite simple and is made up from two elements that represent each idea behind the company. Even though the logo looks simple, it is interesting and engaging, but mainly is has a concept behind it and when you see each element and see what each represent the logo is very clear and precise and communicates the company.

This symbol relates to the surgery side of the company the symbol was created to represent defibrillators, as within the surgery defibrillators are used to bring someone back to life, just as this could relate to a tree surgeon bringing a tree to good health. 

The leaf represents the tree surgery side of the company and relates to tress. Within the leaf, I have used the lines to represent veins and the main one through the middle represents the heart beat line on a heart monitor. These subtle characteristics all back up the concept and create a strong visual. 

Bringing these two elements together along with the name of the company creates the logo. As a whole I think it has quite a scientific feel to it, but the leaf instantly relates it to wildlife and tree surgery. The plus sign refers to health care. So all together it creates a representation of caring for trees. 

Showing how the elements of the logo all fit together to create the final logo. 

Initially the logo was created in solid black. This will still be kept and be used as a monochrome logo. 

The main logo will use this green as the main accent colour. The bright green makes it stand out in context and catches your eye on the page. The colour was chosen because it relates back to trees and the idea of wildlife.