Studio Brief 1 - Reflective Practise: Live Brief - Hungry Sandwich Club

Hungry Sandwich Club 

We were given a talk from visiting professionals 'The Hungry Sandwich Club' it was a really great presentation as they are recent graduates of the course so it was a good insight as to how the course sets you up for life after graduation. They have set up their own design studio at Duke Studios in Leeds and have a quirky niche of predominantly animated illustration that features a really distinctive unique style that sets them apart from other studios. They gave us a presentation about their life after graduating from Leeds College of Art which was really informative, they also gave us some great advice for when we start graduating. They showed us the projects they have been working on so far and I was slightly surprised to see they have worked on arg scale national briefs for well known clients within their first year of setting up their studio. 

They then introduced a one day live brief to us which was to design a map for the 'North Leeds Cycling Trail' as part of the Leeds Independant food festival. I was excited for this brief as it was a chance to take part in a fun one day competition that could lead to more exposure within the industry as the winning designers would be credited alongside their work. We were put into our current collaborative work groups for Studio Brief 3 and were given all day to work on our design. 

We initially had some problems with idea generation so we asked the guys from the Hungry Sandwich Club and they gave us some great idea generation ideas that they use when they are stuck for ideas within their own practise. They told us about crazy eights which involved folding the paper into 8 sections and we each had 5 minutes to sketch 8 ideas. We found this was a great way to gain a range of simple concept quickly which we could then evaluate and see if we thought as a group one idea had the potential to be developed into our final concept. Another Idea generation method we used was word association where we gave ourself a topic and we then had 1 minute to write down as many words we could think of that was associated with the initial topic. This was a great way to expand our thinking and allowed us to consider a range of new topics or ways we approach the design.  We disagreed most of these ideas however we all agreed that one of the crazy out outcomes could work as a resolution to the brief. 

Crazy eights

Crazy eights

Word Association

We had decided the that the concept we were going to develop into our final resolution was a concept derived from the crazy eights activity which had the idea that the train was included within the frame of the bike, we felt this could work well as a relatively abstract approach to the brief. We all produced a range of basic sketched then started to develop this digitally. Hattie did a great job of recreating this initial sketch digitally which we would all then modify and tweak until we felt the design was successful. We played around with hand rendered type to appeal to the independent and artisanal nature of the food festival however later decided as a group that the design worked better with digitally produced type. 

We all developed some simple illustrations of typical foods served by each establishment, We felt this would make our design ore engaging and aesthetically pleasing.  We had a few different styles of illustrations however we decided to go with Megan's abstract style illustrations as we felt this appealed to the quirky nature of the 'indie' feel of the food festival, we therefore thought these illustration would be lost popular with the target audience. We felt Thea's mock ups had the most aesthetically pleasing colour schemes so decided to develop these designs further to create our final resolution.  We noticed that the map was the wrong way round for standard western reading (left to right). So we flipped the bike round to make it more legible. We experimented with bolder colours such as a darker orange however we felt this was too stark so decided to keep to a slightly more conservative colour scheme to not make the page too busy as it already contained text, illustrations and the vector of the bike overplayed with dots to depict the cycling trail. 

Final Resolution

I am happy with the final outcome of our concept, I feel it looks professional, engaging and aesthetically pleasing. I am pleased with the results of this one day brief as we initial found it challenging to work within a group as we all had individual ideas we wanted to push forward however we worked well as a group compromising and working together to develop a strong final resolution to the brief. Although we were not picked to win and feature in the Leeds Independant Food Festival catalogue I am still pleased with our final outcome and think we worked well to create this resolution in such a short space of time. 

Studio Brief 2 - Self Branding: Presentation

Presentation

I presented my self branding presentation to the entire course as well as a two tutors, I felt slightly apprehensive as some people hadn't seen my ongoing evaluation so this would be their first time seeing my self branding however when I presented I soon forgot about this. I felt I presented my self branding relatively well as I expanded on the points made in the presentation and tried to keep the presentation engaging my not lingering on each point for too long. I feel my presentation went well as I received some good quality feedback about my designs, one of the tutors also commented on the quality of my presentation saying that it was thorough and highlighted my whole design process. There were a few suggestions made by both students and lecturers on how I could improve the outcome which included embossing and making slight amendments but I feel that overall the majority of people felt my self branding was successful with tutor feedback saying it was a really good start towards a comprehensive branding identity. 

Studio Brief 1 - Reflective Practise: Gallery Visit - The Tetley

Gallery Visit - The Tetley

The Tetley is a contemporary art gallery located in the art deco building of the former brewery  this gallery gave a feeling of heritage with a modern twist with contrasted the feel of the ultra modern Hepworth. One of the main features I found aesthetically pleasing about the curation of the Tetley was the decals on the walls with large bright backgrounds and white text to instantly stand out and make the information more accessible as it was eye-catching and made me want to look closer and read it. The galleries were all labeled with square glass plaques which I felt gave a very professional finish however feel this would not be relevant for our exhibition. I liked the way they displayed their work as this simple row of artwork  leaves plenty of white space and didn't overcomplicate the space, I feel we could definitely work with a similar model when deciding how to hang the artwork for the curation of our exhibition.

The Tetley to me was more a 'typical' gallery/museum type layout with multiple exhibitions housed in an old building. I was not particularly fond of the some work on exhibition at the Tetley and was not that excited by the overall experience such as the structure of the gallery. I feel the Tetley works well in modernising a once derelict space however it doesn't appeal to my tastes directly, I prefer a more contemporary setting with conceptual works. The Tetley felt as though I was being shepherded around with the vinyls on the staircases and systematic layout, which did not appeal to me.  

Studio Brief 1 - Reflective Practise: Gallery Visit - White Cloth Gallery

Gallery Visit - White Cloth Gallery 

The White Cloth gallery expresses its vision to support the artistic community of Leeds by encouraging creativity. This small gallery aids undiscovered artists and arts projects. The space is a great fusion between a bar and gallery space which serves a contemporary purpose in the centre of Leeds. It has regular exhibitions that range from photography to art and film. The gallery promotes a social awareness and a progressive approach to visual culture. It creates a strong sense of community and I feel it works well in creating an contemporary casual setting to display art with the city centre. 

I often find museums unexciting due to their connotations however the White Cloth gallery I feel succeeds in creating a strong relaxed atmosphere that is engaging and contemporary, I feel it is Leeds' response to incorporating a sense of art and visual culture into a new modern way of life. The bar functions normally and is open daily to the public and creates an artistic addition to the city. The exhibition on when I visited was a photography exhibition, I loved how they had used the space, they had created an extremely simple layout which let the work shine through. The work itself I found extremely engaging, I loved the detail within the shots highlighting urban decay. I have an appreciation for photography and like to incorporate it into my work, I feel this the White Cloth gallery was the perfect setting for this contemporary urban exhibition. 

Studio Brief 1 - Reflective Practise: Gallery Visit - The Hepworth

Gallery Visit - The Hepworth

The Hepworth is a contemporary art gallery located in Wakefield with 6 exhibition rooms comprising of contemporary artwork and sculptures mostly by renowned sculpture dame Barbara Hepworth. The architecture of the Hepworth was very impressive and inside featured modern spaces to exhibit the work filled with high ceilings, clean white walls and full length windows. This gave the gallery a very contemporary, I liked the curation of this gallery as it often gave the work room to breath and didn't feel cluttered. I particularly liked the vinyl decals within the gallery.  I thought the use of a simple floor plan was particularly inventive especially when the works were sculptures and had no idea place for a name tag. 

I liked the Hepworth gallery as it was contemporary and gave me a chance to view a different style of work I would not typically come into contact with practising Graphic Design. I like some of the sculptures within the exhibition as I felt they were abstract and engaging however some were too contextual for my taste. Amongst the sculptures there was also a range other art on exhibition that I would not typically come into contact with, I particularly liked the Jackson Pollock on display as I have alway been appreciative of his work however had never seen one physically. 

Studio Brief 2 - Self Branding: Presentation Grid

Presentation Grid

I wanted to keep my presentation grid incepting with a similar style to my business card and personal branding with a contemporary minimalism throughout. I chose a similar minimal colour scheme of black and white with effective use of white space. I have chosen justified text out of personal preference and incorporated my name and logo into the footer of each page. I used a two column grid as I felt this would be best for using large photographs within presentation it will also ensure my slides aren't too text heavy if I only have two columns. I have positioned my titles in the top left corner in my display typeface GT pressura bold and body copy in Karla as this creates consistency within the rest of my personal branding. 

I feel my presentation grid works well in effectively articulating the information within a contemporary and aesthetically pleasing format, the text is clearly legible and and white space gives a well designed aesthetic that I feel will work effectively on all presentations.

Studio Brief 2 - Self Branding: Social Media

Social Media

During my interim critique with the module leader John we talked about the importance of a digital presence particularly Linked In and Behance as these platforms are directs toward creatives. John strongly urged me to create these profiles as a way to promote myself as he told me its a great way for students to get in touch with companies regarding placements. I created a Linked In profile and Bechance page to push my online presence. I managed to reconnect with previous employers through Linked In which is great incase I ever wanted to pursue some more experience with their company. I created a Bechance profile as a platform to share my online portfolio, I felt this was the most appropriate format as being a student with high workload didn't feel it would be feasible to produce and keep up to date a live website. 

I have included the same summaries, pictures and usernames for both profiles so that it is easier to find me, I think this will help me to be more accessible to potential clients/employers. I will ensure my profiles are always up to date with work, contact information and experience to show that I am an active practitioner. As well as these forms of online presence I have also used my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to become more visible following, retweeting and asking questions to notable studio and designers to put my ideas out there and be recognised. I think if I am consistently engaging with the industry I will have a better understanding of graphic design and wider creative disciplines. 

Linked In Profile

Behance Profile

Interacting with designers via social media

Studio Brief 1 - Reflective Practise: Lost Art x Nike SB collaboration

Lost Art x Nike SB collaboration

I have an appreciation for skate board brands and their clothing, I love the designs they come up with and appreciate the culture even though I don't actively take part in it personally. A skate shop that is fairly local to my home town is Lost Art situated in Liverpool city centre. I have visited this store over the years as they stock a range of products that I find aesthetically pleasing from their own graphic T-shirts to larger brands that are otherwise only accessible via the internet. When I heard that they had collaborated with the NIKE SB franchise I was happy that their relatively small shop had been chosen to collaborate with international franchise NIKE SB. I went to the opening launch of this collaboration which was two pairs of custom made nike shoes. There was a really good atmosphere within the shop with live DJ's, press documenting the event, the results of the collaboration displayed all around and a range of nicely branded collateral to tie the launch together.  

Nike SB x Lost Art 'BA' Shoe

Nike SB x Lost Art 'Bruin' Shoe

Dave Mackey, lost art founder describes the direction that they took in creating this collaboration which takes direct influence from the Liverpool skate scene. 

The direction, in terms of design, was old and new. This is the reason why the two silhouettes were chosen. The Bruin for the old and the Project BA for the new. Both coloured up in ways that are suitable for their styles, taking elements from past and present. The docks are mostly derelict now, just moving recycled metal from boat to ship, so the BA takes its colours from the elements that surround them, the water, brick and concrete of the docklands. The Bruin takes its colourway and materials from the guard’s uniforms and the LOR (Liverpool Overhead Railway, a rail system that used to service Liverpool’s iconic docklands. Once known as The Docker’s Umbrella) itself. Black pigskin upper with two woolen swooshes coloured to represent the faded numbers on the front of the trains. The Wool being used is also a nod to the main import to the docks at the time and the term Woolybacks being given to the dockers who unloaded the ships.

As time went on it became more and more apparent to me that the route the old overhead railway line had taken was where we would mostly skate from late 80’s until the present day, where the vast majority of skate spots are, so the route itself has become the final piece that has brought the whole project together and back to skateboarding.

The collatoral adhered well to the concept of the design as well creating continuity across the whole campaign, there were stickers and coasters that followed the design inspiration of the shoe design highlighting the famous Liverpool docklands with the iconic river mersey typeset consistently throughout.  

Other designs featured a simple illustration that combined various elements of the design, the life preserver ring anchoring the text reflects the influence of the docklands whereas the inner illustration denotes the overhead railway which was another main influence within this collaboration. I think this design worked extremely well in highlighting the inspiration behind the design of the collaboration and worked well in branding the event/collaboration to a high standard. 

There was also a zine at the launch even that showed the progression of skateboard culture in Liverpool and highlighted Lost Art's continuing presence amongst the Liverpool and national skate scene. I thought this was a nice touch as it shows how much they have grown over the years and also acts as another milestone in their history. 

Studio Brief 2 - Self Branding: Business Card

Business Card

I felt a business card was in integral part of my self branding as it would often be a clients first interaction with me and my personal brand. Therefor I felt my business card needed to make a good first impression that reflected me and the high quality of my practice. I wanted to amalgamate all the features I have create thus far into one business card design. I established that it needed to be simple and contemporary with ample amounts of white space similar to the Artvvork branding I was inspired by during my research.  I aim to use the display logo I created on the front of my business card design as I feel it is more engaging with the use of bight colours and creative textures that will appeal to an audience. This would then contrast the reverse design featuring my name slogan and contact information, I want to create an effective aesthetic simplicity to the reverse of my business card that also uses vast amount of white space creating a sense of continuity between the front and back of the card. 

Final Front Design

I started by developing the front of my business card design. I placed the display logo central and a clean minimalistic white background as I felt this would be affective in drawing the eye into the business card and also avoiding making it too garish with the use of a background colour. I then experimented with a range of placement settings for my name and slogan however after receiving feedback from tutors and students I found that the most effective design was using the simplicity of the logo by itself with no text. Students thought that the logo was engaging enough to stand alone and felt text overcomplicated the balance of the design. I agreed with the feedback and thought the use of the logo in isolation created an engaging enigma for the audience and felt ensured their full attention is directed to the contemporary display logo.

Final type alignment

I then started to typeset my name and slogan in a sophisticated format that could be used together for letterheads, business cards and social media. I wanted the typeface to compliment one another and work well as a set between the body copy and display type. I started by firstly experimenting with  range of ideas and found that lower case worked better fro the slogan as it looked more sophisticated and less harsh on the eye. I then started typesetting this with more detail aligning the slogan with my last name and adjusting the kerning accordingly so they both worked well together without compromising there legibility. Finally I experimented with the slogan's ascenders cutting into the titles descenders to create a tighter more customised design however from feedback students found this too close together and opted for the design with the ascenders of the slogan starting at the terminal of the 'Y'. I agree with their observation as in retrospect I think the overlapping of ascenders/descenders could affect legibly if reproduced in a small point size.

When experimenting with the composition of my back design  I had an idea of the style I wanted my outcome to have in my head. Taking inspiration from the Business card analysis I did as part of my research I found that the information needs to be clear legible and not overcrowded.  I wanted to keep the consistency of ample white space and a clean contemporary design that I had applied the the other elements of my self branding to create a consistent contemporary aesthetic to my design. I started by placing my newly formed type alignment with the ascenders of the title in line with the centre of the card I felt placing the type just below half of the page would be effective as it is in clear line of sight. I then placed my logo within the design to create consistency with the front design. I then aligned this with the x-height of the title and the start of the information as this gave it room to breath so that the design did not look too compact/cluttered. 

Final Back Design

When printing out mock ups some members of students evaluating my design felt that the logo on the back design was too small to see at a glance. reflecting on this I felt they had a valid point so decided to increase the size of my logo to fit within the x-height of the title and the baseline of the slogan this made the logo clearly visible and coincidentally made the weight similar to that of the title which  I felt worked well. To make this re-sized logo hanse with the other aspects of the back design I realigned it with the start of the contact information which I feel balances the whole design nicely. Finally I changed to contact information to include a Behance account as opposed to a tumblr profile, I felt that a bechance account would be a more professional way to present my work to clients as tumblr has more social connotations whereas bechance is perceived as more professional.  I feel as though bechance is the most appropriate way to present my work at this point in time as due to the high volume of college I feel as though I would not have time to build and maintain a professional website. 

Final Business Card Design

I feel that overall the design of my business card works well as the front displays the bright eye-catching design of my logo variation, that is aesthetically pleasing with an engaging texture from the brusho ink that I feel will make the audience want to look closer and engage with the card rather than putting it straight in their wallet/pocket.The reverse design is minimal and contemporary with my name in bold the bold display face supported by the creative slogan that reflects my diverse practise. In the bottom right corner is the key contact information and link to my online portfolio. I have kept the design minimal and have efficiently used white space consistently over both faces of the card to create a contemporary business card that I feel would impress a potential client and reflects myself and my practise consistently.