OUGD502: Studio Brief 2 - Design Strategy Presentation: Revitalised Identity

OUGD502 Studio Brief 2 - Design Strategy Presentation

Revitalised Identity

Just as we outgrow clothes, trends and styles we as creatives also outgrow our personal branding. My exploration into self branding in level 4 challenged me to think about how I want to present myself within the industry and what type of designer I am. This gave me extensive research into branding and business card design, skills that will be transferable as  I grow and inevitably re-brand myself countless times. I feel I have outgrown the identity I created in Level 4 and want to create a new identity for myself that is more representative of me as a creative at present. 

LEVEL 4 IDENTITY 

Through this process of self reflection I started to think about what makes me unique as a person and a creative. I didn't want to use elements associated with personal image as this is subjective and will change very quickly. Thinking back to meeting new people starting university I identified that no-one knew how to pronounce my name from the spelling as it is the Welsh variation, furthermore no one can spell it correctly in England opting for the Reece spelling. This is quite a unique feature and although I initially thought of is a weakness could spin this into a quirky positive making me rememberable. 

Developing this concept digitally I experimented with the composition of the word, this playful arrangement initially seems illegible and adds to the sense of initially confusion surrounding my name. This will cause the recipient to actually think about the composition and what it means internally processing this information will lead to a better recall as they have had to go through a sense of problem solving and will be more likely to remember my identity.

Visually I initially experimented with an outlined stroke as it is contemporary and could be applied to a range of collateral very easily however when reproduced on smaller scales found the legibility and presence on the page was reduced making it less effective. Through further development I took a base font of brandon grotesque bold and individually hand placed the letters before liquifying the type to remove a sense of digital rigidity and add a subtle more humanist detailing to the logo which works well making a unique logotype arrangement that has presence with the thick stroke weight and personality with the minimal quirks in the type and playful arrangement. This logo reflects me individually and my practice at present, I feel this new identity will work well with my emerging style of work, I don't want to think too deeply about its lifespan and future implications as if I outgrow this style I will simple re-brand myself because who I am as a creative now definitely isn't where ill be in 5, 10, 15 years time and thats exciting. 

New Logo