Festive Brief

OUGD405 - FESTIVE BRIEF 

For the edible type festive brief I chose to join my two flatmates to create a team of 3, I thought this would be more practical as we live together so can use our kitchen facilities and split the cost of ingredients. We came up with a range of ideas, our top two being either glyph-iteroles which would consist of profiteroles sculptured into the shape of  glyph, however as no-one had made these before we were unsure how complicated the recipe would be and how much time it would take. Our second idea was formed around a pun of the classic sandwich cake, the Victoria Ampersand-wich, this would consist of a Victoria sponge cake shaped into an ampersand. We felt this concept was far more achievable as we had all made the classic cake before and knew the recipe was relatively simple. 

We chose the Victoria Ampersand-wich concept as we felt it would be the most achievable and would produce the best quality result. We started by researching a range of recipes ultimately settling on Mary Berry's recipe from recommendation by family members. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mary_berrys_perfect_34317 We chose the largest tin we could find as the cutting would be intricate and would be easier to achieve a good quality rest with a larger cake, we then printed out an ampersand template that would within the cake in preparation for the cutting. 

We then started  by measuring out the ingredients and placing the mixture in a greased and lined tray to make it easier to remove from the tray after baking.  We had to cook the layers one a time due to the amount of oven space we had however this ensured ample time for the cakes to cool. When the cakes had cooled we then cut the ampersand shape from the large rectangular cakes, this was intricate and required patience and a steady hand. We then prepared the buttercream for the filling, when this was ready we placed buttercream and jam in the middle of the cake and placed the top layer of the cake forming the Victoria sandwich, we had some difficulty placing the layers of the cake together as cutting the intricate ampersand shape left the structure delicate and in danger of breaking, we achieved this by placing rows of string underneath the top layer of cake to then evenly lift it on top.

For finishing touches we dusted the top of the cake with icing sugar and placed chocolate dipped strawberries around the edge of the cake. I was extremely happy with our outcome, I think the finish was of a really high quality as the shape was representative of the ampersand and the cake looked a good golden brown colour. We then presented our cake in the completion, I think our cake looked good amongst the other entries, it also tasted really good, the cake was cooked well and I felt it was moist and rich. 

Studio Brief 1 - Final Critique

Studio Brief 1 - Design Processes, Frame Shape

Final Critique 

I framed my final pieces in order to demonstrate them in context I felt this was more appropriate than photoshopping my final designs into context as it would also help me with my presentation in the final critique. I presented my final set of designs to a group of students and staff in order to evaluate my performance during this brief. I explain the concept of my design and stated what influenced my design decisions. 

Overall the reaction to my outcomes was very positive. Students gave feedback such as 'I like how you've used your own pictures to make it personal', 'it looks minimalist and contemporary which I think works well' and 'I like the type as it works with the style of the images'. I was questioned about what type of shop I would sell my designs I felt the most suitable type of store would be a relatively upmarket homeware store for example Selfridges or looking at boutique stores with bespoke unique products. 

I am happy with my outcomes, I feel they work well as a set and looked aesthetically pleasing, the use of a contemporary imagery with sleek typography and the use of white space all worked in unison to create a range of successful designs. 

OUGD405 - Study Task 1

OUGD405 - Study Task 1 - Concepts 

In order to help us with this module we were given a workshop on concepts, this helped us to see how brands employ designers to create a concept that they can use for years to come giving them a consistent style within their products. We looked at the definition of a concept and talked about a range of case studies for example; Nike, Coca Cola and McDonalds. From this I had a clear understanding of why brands use concepts as it means they can create a broad range of advertisements and promotional materials from a single concept without having to come up with a totally new revolutionary idea each time. 

We were then split into groups of boys and girls and assigned a company to which we had to create a new concept for, there were two groups per company (a boy group and a girl group) meaning we would be competing against one another. We would then have to pitch our ideas to the rest of the group who would then pick the most appropriate outcome. 

I was placed in a group with 3 other boys and our company was Burflex (scaffolding) LTD. the first thing we did within our group was to research the company and found they marketing to be extremely out dated. The logo was extremely amateur and the website looked like it was from a previous decade. From this we the realised a total rebrand was needed to boost the companies profile. We looked through their website to see when they were founded looking to see if we could play of their history but as they were only established in 2003 this was not feasible. When looking through their portfolio I noticed that they do a lot of larger scale corporate work however it was emphasised that they still do a lot of one off domestic jobs. I then came up with the slogan 'Working around you' which the rest of the group really liked, this suggests that they can do any job big or small, it also suggests they offer a professional and personal service suggesting they can work around your individual needs and finally it literally suggests they work around the building because of the literal appearance of scaffolding. 

We took this forward as our concept as we felt it was an extremely strong and emotive concept. As the logo was so out of date we felt this was the first thing we should address. We came up with a range of ideas but our favourite was the design featured below. It uses a large B at the centre suggesting the companies identity with a range of abstract shapes working around the B to make a circle. We liked this idea as it reinforced out concept of 'working around you' it was also unique and innovative as the majority of other scaffolding companies we researched used straight lines and structured typefaces to try and reinforce the obvious scaffolding connotations. 

I then drew this logo out neatly using Futura as the typeface, we chose this typeface as it was geometric, minimal,  used structured curves and sleek lines. From this I then imported it into Photoshop to further manipulate the image. If we had longer for this task I would have made a vector in Illustrator however due to time constraints this was the quickest way to gain a professional result. 

We chose a warm yellow and grey colour scheme as we felt yellow gave connotations of safety, hard hats and warning signs often associated with construction and grey as this naturally complimented this and also gave connotations of metal (like the scaffolding itself) and an industrial environment. To company this we also produced an invoice to show this re design in context, Similarly to the logo the invoice is sleek, user friendly and has a contemporary style which we felt worked well. 

We used time management we'll as whilst some of the group produced these physical outcomes the other assembled a presentation ready for the group pitch. I feel we managed our time effectively was we were finished with 10 minutes to spare in which we planned who would say what in the presentation. We delivered a succinct and informative presentation and we were voted the most appropriate concept over the other group which was a success as we all felt our concept was very strong. I feel we understood the task well and came up with an innovative concept of 'Working around you' which the company would continue to use for a number of years, the new logo is stylish and contemporary and could work well in both colour and monotone. Overall I think we succeeded with this study task which also demonstrated how much we could physically do in a short space of time as we came up with a unique concept, implemented this in both a new logo and invoice form and created a succinct presentation ready to pitch to an audience. Full presentation found below; 

file:///Volumes/RHYS%20USB/Untitled%20presentation.pdf

Studio Brief 1 - Print

Studio Brief 1 - Design Processes, Frame Shape

Print

In preparation for printing my final designs in the Digital Print facility I needed add bleed marks and place all three designs onto one document in order to reduce the print cost. I used photoshop to manually add bleed marks increasing the size of the canvas by 6mm respectively and scoring a line at 3mm from each side of the document. 

I did this for all three designs as it would allow me to accurately cut the designs when printed,  I then placed all three designs onto one document to save money when printing and also to reduce the amount of waste paper that would be discarded as offcuts. 

Studio Brief 1 - Development [3]

Studio Brief 1 - Design Processes, Frame Shape

Development [3]

For my final design I looked away from cities and chose a beach scene, I thought this would appeal to a larger audience as holidays often provide key family memories and of this beaches are one of the key symbols of a holiday. Again I used my own imagery and carefully manipulated it in Photoshop removing any imperfection, I adjusted the hue/saturation, straightened the image and used the patch tool to remove imperfections such as clouds, people and boards making the image more idyllic and picturesque. 

I then experimented with the placement of my pattern as I wanted it to look unique and not too similar to the Sydney design. I again used the same original pattern but in various positions. I then asked other students for feedback as to which design they preferred and I found that all but one preferred the second variation of the design.

Having decided on a final design I then filed the gaps in with additional triangles produced in illustrator and exported to photoshop this gave me my final design which I was extremely pleased with. Looking at all of my designs they are clearly identifiable as a set yet have individual characteristics making them unique. My next stage was to create the text in illustrator and import to onto my final designs. 

I used Seravek ExtraLight as the typography for my designs I felt this was an appropriate choice as like the designs themselves the typeface is fairly minimal, contemporary and classy. I chose the 3rd Design (Antigua beach) to be the biggest as I felt there was no iconic  feature like the other two so an audience might need to see the design on a bigger scale in order to relate to it. I chose the Sydney design as the middle sized design as it landscape proportions meant a small frame may have caused it to be less instantly recognisable. Finally I chose the NY design to be the smallest as the Statue of Liberty is the only thing in the image so is easy to see from a quick look where the picture is. With this decided I could then create the text with accompanying sizes in Illustrator and copied the text into the final photoshop publications as smart objects, below shows this process in relation to the Sydney design. 

I then copied this process for the two remaining designs giving me my final outcomes. I am happy with my outcomes as they work well individually as a set and individually. I think they look contemporary and high class, I could see these designs in a range of luxury stores such as John Lewis as well as boutique stores and contemporary fashion stores such as Urban Outfitters because of the use of the popular geometric designs. 

Studio Brief 1 - Development [2]

Studio Brief 1 - Design Processes, Frame Shape

Development [2]

Having fully developed my concept into a successful solution I found it relatively easy to extend this across a set of 3 designs, the basis of my concept meant I could keep a similar style, incorporating the geometric triangle pattern, whilst using new imagery to create a set of designs that work well together but are individually strong unique designs. 

I started by looking through my holiday photos to determine what other cities I could use as imagery for my other designs, Having already experimented with a landscape of Sydney I thought it would be appropriate to experiment with it within my new concept. Having already manipulated the image to remove imperfections my original image of Sydney including the Opera House and Harbour Bridge was ready to be manipulated further into my geometric pattern. 

I then used the magic wand selection tool to highlight the shapes and deleted it away from the rest of the image leaving my innovative and creative triangle pattern. I have used the original pattern from the New York design and simply rotated it and added a small amount of additional triangles to fill ensure there were no erratic gaps. I then pasted this into a new document and resized it to fill the page. 

Studio Brief 1 - Development [1]

Studio Brief 1 - Design Processes, Frame Shape

Development [1]

When developing my initial idea I used imagery from a family holiday to Australia, this brought back memories of the time we spend there and inspired me to change my concept to resemble memories as opposed to the initial idea of maps and geography. I think this will work better as a sophisticated concept as it is more personal however can be generalised with the use of landmarks and relatively generic imagery or which I make sure they are original images. I also feel this concept will be more relatable and is more appropriate as photo frames by nature often store memories. 

From this I then thought of other memories I had especially from holidays, I then looked through my photo library for inspiration and found photos from a sixth form trip to New York, this created a lot of personal memories for me and I felt it would be a great start to work from. I looked for iconic imagery I had taken of New York and found pictures from a visit to the statue of liberty, I felt this would be a great image to use as it is instantly recognisable and stereotypical of NYC. 

I started by manipulating the image as we went in march so the weather wasn't great. Using photoshop I adjusted the bas ground using the select and fill tools to give the image a picturesque blue sky. I also used the Hue/Saturation tools to make the colours more vibrant and stand out, this was essential as my design should stand out against the other photo frames on the shelf. 

Original Image

Manipulated Image 

I then thought how I could turn this image into a creative and innovative solution to the brief and thought of using my initial map made up of abstract triangles as I liked the design and thought it worked well, it would also ensure that I used shape within my design as this was directly stated within the brief.  I then considered how memories are never complete and come back in small shards of information and snippets never remembering the full scene or story, This then lead to my decision to break the image up using the my map design to create this innovate design using the broken image showing parts of the full picture that are ultimately remembered, like a memory. 

I then further developed this concept by adding minor changes, as the triangle design was no longer used to represent a map and geographical location I added more triangles to expand the image down the full right hand side. I also added the essential text, I feel my typography choice was appropriate I have used Seravek ExtraLight as it is sleek, modern and fairly minimal much like the design of this concept. I will ask other students for feedback on this during studio development sessions however I am happy with the typographic choice. 

I am very happy with the development of this concept, I feel the design has evolved into a successful outcome to the brief, I like the modern design and abundance of negative space creative an innovative design. I feel customers could relate to the design due to the generic imagery re-interpreted in a creative manner that would sell in a range of environments from upmarket boutique stores to popular high street retailers such as Urban Outfitters. Now I have developed this concept I feel it will be relatively easy to expand this design across the other two designs needed for submission, I will look at other famous cities and memories I have that can follow this concept, I feel it will work well to produce a strong set of outcomes that work well with one another. 

Studio Brief 1 - Development

Studio Brief 1 - Design Processes, Frame Shape

Development

Based on the feedback from my interim critique I started to develop my strongest idea into a developed design concept. I chose to develop the map idea as it received the best feedback from staff and other students. I started by creating a vector of my hand drawn map in illustrator to ensure the image would be of sufficient quality to experiment with. 

I then imported this vector into photoshop to experiment with different effects and filters I could apply, this was the bulk of my experimentation as I had no clear end goal but was eager to create my own unique interesting results. I started with block fill for both the background and the map however found this to be too illustrative and didn't make the most of photoshops unique features. I then experimented with adding photography to the image, I feel this worked well especially when playing around with opacity however felt the image lacked a general direction with no clear theme being visible. 

In an attempt to implement a clear theme I created another map, this time of Australia. I used the same technique of sketching the map out by hand then imported it into illustrator creating a vector before adding it to photoshop. I then used a photograph of Sydney's famous harbour including the Opera House and Harbour bridge. The image is an original photograph taken when I was on holiday so no copyright would be infringed. I feel I have successfully manipulated the image using the clone stamp tool to remove part of the boat (lower right corner) and the blend and blur tools to remove the sun flair, as well as straighten, crop and adjusting the hour/saturation. I feel there is a clearer theme to this idea, it can be used as a tourist style souvenir or just to reflect the national identity of the country, I could develop this across a range of countries using each countries landmass developed into an innovative triangle pattern juxtaposed with a manipulated image of the country. I feel this would appeal to a range of audience and could see it in a range of stores from contemporary boutiques to popular high street chains. 

Studio Brief 1 - Interim Critique

Studio Brief 1 - Design Processes, Frame Shape

Interim Critique 

I presented my initial concepts to a range of staff members and students in order to get feedback on my initial ideas and also for them to help me choose a concept to develop into a final solution. I found that people reacted best to my map concept, comments included 'I love the effect' and 'I think the concept is strong and will translate well into photoshop' I was given a range of suggestions such as 'I think the triangles would look great if they were made up of neon colours so its really bright and colourful' another student also suggested I could include 'photos of places, for example put a picture of a house where you live' I liked the idea of using photography within the design as this would make it more relevant to photoshop as I can manipulate the images. 

Following this critique I have decided to develop my map concept as it was by far the best received concept with people giving me great feedback and suggestions as to how I will develop the concept into a final solution.

After the critique one of the staff members present came up to me and gave me a website to look at, he thought it would help me when designing as the he felt the styles were similar and I would take elements from this website and apply it to my own designs.

Studio Brief 1 - Initial Ideas [3]

Studio Brief 1 - Design Processes, Frame Shape

Initial Ideas [3]

I then looked at geography and mapping, considering how I could implement shape within to this. I found city maps created all sorts of innovative shapes that interconnected I also experimented with placing triangles within countries such as the UK. I feel this worked well particularly using triangles to make up continents, I think the outcome looks urban, contemporary and innovative. This is my favourite concept so far and will be my main talking point in my interim critique although I will also present my other initial ideas incase others can see creative solutions to improve the designs. 

Studio Brief 1 - Initial Ideas [2]

Studio Brief 1 - Design Processes, Frame Shape

Initial Ideas [2]

Unsatisfied that I still not had an idea that I felt would fully resolve the brief, I continued with my initial ideas in a slightly more hands on manner. I purchased some flowers to see if I could create some interesting concepts with patterns and textures. I trimmed the leaves from the stalks and layered them over one another creating a dense layered texture. I then put this into photoshop and experimented with colour, filters and other effects. I produced some pretty interesting results but felt they were wrong for a photo frame backing paper. 

I also experimented with the petals seeing if I could create any interesting shapes or concepts from layering them into shapes that could be combined with other mediums  when developed such as watercolours and drawings however I felt the concept was too vague and weak to be produces across a set of 3 images. 

Another idea that I experimented with was the use of shape combined with a physical medium, I used acrylic paint and cut shapes from sponge as I thought the physical production of this would be more effective than trying to reproduce it digitally. I then placed these into photoshop and used filters and effects before experimenting with the placement of the concepts. 

As an extension of using physical paint I created another concept taking inspiration from Jackson Pollock, I created a similar paint splattered effect to his famous works then manipulated this on photoshop adding a brilliant white background, adjusting the hue/saturation of the paint and adding a box in the middle of the piece to house the required text. I think this concept works well but am unsure how I would develop this across a set of 3 designs.