Saturday 25 May 2013

OUGD402 - Studio Brief Two (It's Upto You): Development


I think this brief is probably one of the most challenging we have been given all year. This is because we have to strongly consider the areas we find most interesting and apply this to our design to ensure that we are portraying ourselves in the most suitable way. I would like to create something which is highly representative of the way I like to work, so that I can illustrate the processes I use to create the final product, as well as how I try and link packaging into everything I do. Which is something I hadn't ever really considered greatly before starting the course, as I had the most experience with editorial work and a small amount of web design.

I found myself reading over the brief quite a few times before I started to think about the possible options. I then started to create a digital diagram, using the main pointers provided on the brief.


I then thought it would be beneficial to me to try and draw out as many ideas as possible before making a firm decision about what it is I am going to create. One of the main ideas I am currently thinking about, is creating something which represents me by using tree rings as a starting point. I thought I could illustrate myself by using the tree rings to represent each month over the past year and what I have learnt along the way. Looking at my research as inspiration, and using the illustrations I have found, I thought I could try and create a hand rendered drawing of a tree to represent 'a tree of life' which would be an indirect way of illustrating my life over the past year. I fear that this is too literal and I need to interpret the idea in a different way. However I am going to continue to come up with ideas using this concept as it will probably lead me to something more suitable. 

I quite like the idea of using a bottle and creating a label to be wrapped round and peeled away to reveal myself and my attributes. However there isn't much meaning behind the use of the bottle and I feel as though it is important that everything I produce strongly represents me personally. 

I also considered creating a jigsaw which could either form a word which represents me and my way of working, or alternatively creating a jigsaw which fits together to form my logo. So far, none of the ideas feel strong enough but I am happy with the progress I am making.


Out of the ideas below, I feel as though the strongest one with the most potential is probably the first one. Taking the idea of the tree rings and putting a slant on it, by designing a series of boxes at different sizes, seems much more relevant and appropriate. At the moment I am thinking a set of rounded boxes, however the actual shape is really quite irrelevant to a certain extent. The boxes would fit inside each other and the final one found in the centre would have my logo and details printed, allowing the recipient too essentially discover me themselves by removing each of the boxes individual to reveal the final, resolved package.

I have clearly annotated all of the other designs and the thought processes behind them, but I feel as though this is probably the most functional idea to take forward and develop further.


With this in mind I decided to develop some logo designs to represent myself. Having previously done this at art foundation level, I know how challenging it is and I probably won't be able to produce one I am completely happy with until the end of my degree, as I will hopefully develop so much in that time that many of my designs will become dated as not as well suited to current work as they could be. With this in mind, I tried not to put too much pressure on myself to create something which is immaculate, I simply want to try and create a logo which is functional and versatile, so that it will not only work with my product, but will also be suitable to apply to other mediums too. 

Below I have experimented with circular design (linking to the circular boxes), square designs (applicable to simple cube boxes) as well as a variety of other designs which also link back to my original idea of incorporating the tree somehow. I have also tried to subtly include small illustrations of the tree rings to make a more subtle connection to the deeper meaning.

Out of all of these designs I am probably most confident with the printed 'Laura Jane' idea, but feel it needs a lot more development. With many of these ideas I have taken inspiration from research, in particular my primary research of the Liz Earle packaging, as I have managed to develop it to work with my name and fit around a circle.

I have also tried to see whether I could incorporate a 3 dimensional aspect to my design, by taking the shape of a cube and using the edges and the vertices to create my initials as well as 'GD' to represent my profession. I am looking forward to developing my ideas digitally, as I feel the strongest design will become much clearer to me.



As an individual I feel as though I am very philosophical in the way that I personally think, and the majority of the time I try to incorporate this into my practice somehow. I therefore sat down for a good couple of hours trying to decide on the content of my 'pack'. I wanted it to be creative and deep to resemble me as an individual and a designer all in one.

I therefore tried to think of as many of my attributes as possible, relating them to my work as well. Each of the attributes will be assigned to a different box.


I then wrote down the final boxes I am going to create, numbering them so that they all link together to also demonstrate a developmental process too. I feel as though the words I have come up with need a quotation to back them up, which is why I have supplied each one with an additional sentence. I have also started to consider use of colour and how I am planning on showing development, by gradually building the amount of illustrations on each box. 


For each of the categories I have written down all of the things which I feel relate to them, giving me a range of possibilities to write about. I am planning on having the word printed on the outside of the box and then inside having a paragraph explaining what I mean.

I initially thought about creating this at a very large scale, starting the first box at A2 scale, however when bearing in mind printing costs I don't think this would be ideal, and I also think it would make more sense to create something which is a manageable size so that I could potentially send it off to a studio without it being too big and in the way. I have therefore decided to scale it down to A3.


I have started to develop some of my logos digitally. I am quite happy with all of them, but feel as though I could work with the second one the most. Especially when considering this brief, as I could use the same format and apply it to all of the headings for the boxes, using the lines to separate them from each other.





I then started to experiment with nets. I decided to buy a packaging template book online, as I always seem to get it from the library. This way I can use the templates as a basis and develop them myself. Below are the set of boxes I made first. Using a simple box net which doesn't need to be glued at all, I was able to create a set which successfully fit inside each other and I was able to fold them out to be flat without damaging them at all. This is ideal as I would like the recipient to be able to fold them out if necessary when they read the inside content.



I then printed on to cream stock and experimented with the closure. I designed my own closure which I felt was the most functional. It may need altering slightly further down the line but for now I am happy with it.


At this stage in time I am unsure about how complicated to make the boxes. I want to be able to show how passionate I am about packaging, but I am thinking I may not necessarily need to do this by making the packaging as complicated as possible, because after all, it needs to be as functional as possible. I have therefore decided to experiment further with different nets and possibly just use one more complicated net to be placed in the centre at the end to illustrate a refined, more complicated design. This could then have my business card printed inside, depending on the size of it.

I really like this net, and feel as though the closure is complicated enough to demonstrate my abilities. I am going to experiment further though before I make any decisions.



This is an example of how I want the text to look on the outside of each of the boxes, gradually building up to my logo in the centre, as they all follow the same format. I have also experimented with different stock here, using the grey paper instead to see whether it would work alongside the cream. I feel as though it would be a successful combination to use.

Initially, I thought about using contrasting colours all throughout, perhaps pastel colours. However I was unable to find the right shades in the stock that I found. I also thought this wouldn't be particularly representative of me, as I tend to use more neutral tones even when I do introduce a bit of colour. I think ideally, if I could show subtle changes with the use of stock along the way then this will indicate development and experimentation, with the final box demonstrating my preferred choice of stock and print.



I tried another net with a similar lid, but I didn't feel as though the closure was stable enough to hold shut all of the time, and the last thing I want is for the boxes to open themselves before the recipient has been able to do it themselves, as it defeats the purpose completely.



I decided to develop the previous box even further, and I wanted to see whether it would actually work if I was to use this net as the final box. It turns out that it did successfully fit inside one of the standard boxes, therefore giving me the confidence and reassurance to use it for my final design.




I quite liked this closure but feel as though it is a little bit too decorative and it doesn't really need to be too detailed as I don't necessarily want the box to detract from the important information printed on the inside of each one.




Here is another example of a closure alteration which I could possibly use on the final set of boxes. I think it is important to test as many options before completing final designs. I also try and make sure that any brief I fulfill is cost effective and therefore feel like I have made the right decision in using this paper and backing it on card if necessary, because it would be pointless to use a completely different medium when I am trying to show how I work in any possible way. 


This net didn't work out how I had initially expected, and because I had altered it slightly digitally, when printed, the closure wasn't successful, so I now know not to use this.



This pouch I made below isn't ideal to use as a potential box or container for the information, however it could be useful further down the line when I decide whether or not I need something to store added information in. I am therefore not going to cancel it out completely.


Although I was happy with the outcome of this box, it isn't ideal to use because parts of the box would have to be sealed, making it harder to access the information inside.


I had no idea how this net was going to turn out, and I actually quite like it, if I was to use it however I think I would have to print the text on the inside and I'm not sure how accessible it would be.



I like it because it changes form and can be held in a variety of different ways, making it quite versatile. I think it may be a little bit too flimsy and not sturdy enough for the final boxes though so I may need to discard this idea.


Below is a simplistic box which, if duplicated, could act as a box with a removable lid. This would work however I think I would rather make it so that nothing is removable, otherwise things may get lost and it each individual box wouldn't work as well individually.


I thought it may be interesting to have boxes which separated in two, with one side for the quote to be printed on and the other side to contain the information, again I am not sure whether this is practical and the closures may not be strong enough once they are pushed with the other boxes inside.



This net didn't work as well as I had hoped for, it was very complicated to construct and as I was making it I decided it wouldn't be used because they need to be functional.


As I incorporate illustrations into the majority of my work, I feel it is important that I am able to do the same with this brief, especially as it is essentially a brief to conclude the year and what I have learnt. I therefore decided to think of possible imagery for each of the boxes, building the amount of illustrations for each box as I went. The first box which will contain everything is going to be plain as it illustrates my 'sanctuary' and place of comfort and stability. Therefore indicating how at the start of the year I wouldn't have even considered illustrating because I lacked the confidence to do so.

This open box will be used for the interaction box, to illustrate how I like to try and make all of my work interactive in some way as I feel it makes it more unique and memorable.



This illustration of a clock is to represent me being punctual. There was no particular time I wanted to illustrate so I just decided to place the hands in any direction. 


The computer is to represent exploration, and the use of digital design throughout my development.


The hands here are to represent interaction, however I am not sure whether they will work very well visually when placed on to the nets of the boxes.


The Illustrator and InDesign logos are to represent the progression I have made over the past year, as I was unable to use either of them prior to starting the course. I used to use Photoshop for most things.



Pantone is to represent my exploration with colour, as I completed a whole brief (creating postcards) by using colour alone and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.


The pens and pencils below are to represent my exploration with hand rendered work. I seem to have grown in confidence dramatically over the past year, as I never would have thought to include illustrations in my work previously. This is something I will be working on in the coming years, and I am going to try and make more use of my tablet and wacom pen to create illustrations which are instantly linked to the computer, to become more efficient and to save time with scanning images in.




I decided to use the basic net I started off with, but adapt it slightly to elongate some of the tabs. Once I had sorted the basic net out I was then ready to start applying my drawings.


I decided to experiment with the clock to start with, and to come up with a general rule which could be applied to all of the boxes to ensure that they linked together. I feel that this is important, which is why I chose to use the font I have used a lot throughout the year, called Kozuka. I duplicated the illustration and placed it on each of the sides, but felt as though it was a bit repetitive, especially for one of the earlier boxes. 


I therefore reduced it down to one and decided to print if off and make a prototype to see whether I liked it or not. Once it was printed I felt as though it looked a bit flat and boring. I therefore took inspiration from the Liz Earle packaging, and I decided to stretch the image over several sides. 




I feel as though this gives much more of a dramatic effect and it also leaves room for people to wonder what the illustration actually is, leading them to look at the construction of the whole box.




Once it was constructed it looked like this. I am really pleased with the outcome of it and feel as though I am on the right track to creating some of the final designs for this brief.



Below is one of the initial nets I experimented with and tried to draw out. Once printed, with the rounded edges, it wasn't quite as functional, this is why I decided to revert back and make it as simple as possible.



I have included this to illustrate one of my initial ideas to include my logo on the outside of the first box, as I feared that it may be too simple. However I then had to stop myself and remind myself that the whole point of this is to discover me at the very last second, which is why I decided to delete it.




I then played with the layout of the exploration box, rotating images so that nothing was completely lined up, pushing the recipient to look closely at the illustrations and have some sort of understanding before reading the inside.


This is the net I am going to be using for the very final box of the whole set. It will be found inside the last standard achievement box and will have black tabs to give the lid an added dimension and unique feature, to allow it to stand out from the rest.


It will be found inside this design. I have incorporated all of the illustrations to portray everything I have achieved and learnt. I am really happy with the outcome.

This is what the progression box looks like once it is printed and constructed. I decided to have the logos enlarged quite a lot and feel it works well.








This is the interactions net with the inclusion of the hand illustration. I am not happy with the outcome of this and will develop it further, without this illustration and simply using the net.



I like how the illustrations overlap to the front on some of the boxes, so it doesn't make the net appear to be too plain and disjointed on one of the faces. 



The interaction box has two longer tabs as it is going to have two closures to make it more 'interactive'. I felt as though this was a subtle change to make and didn't want to make it too different to the other nets. When printed, the stroke of the illustration was slightly too bold in comparison to the text, this is why I decided to duplicate the images even more and see whether this has a stronger impact, and it turned out that I much preferred the change.





Below I have started to experiment with the final box design. I didn't want to leave it until the last minute and wanted to have time to make any necessary adjustments to it. The first one I produced didn't work at all, as I hadn't considered where the text would end up once it was constructed. As a result, the logo overlapped too much and was illegible.




I decided to not over complicate matters and instead maintain the continuity by printing the logo on the side of the box.



I then printed the achievement box out on to the stock I am using and altered the size of the decorative box so that it will fit inside, before printing it out on the necessary stock in college.




Before printing the final nets I had to ensure that the sizes of them were completely accurate, otherwise I would have to reprint them. Using Illustrator I increased the size of each net by the same amount and then placed them inside each other digitally. This gave me an impression of what it would look like once printed.



Now that all of my net designs are complete I am ready to work on the inside of my boxes. I want to take a thorough amount of time on this to make sure that I include all of the necessary information. I have started this process by opening all of the correctly sized files and drawing the guide lines on so that I can drag the correct side of the bottom of each box on to a new document, to allow me to insert text at the right size.







Using the boxes I typed up all of the information. I made linking sentences at the end of each paragraph so that they flowed as well as possible. I included the following information for each box...

SANCTUARY
I have a tendency to work with cream and black. This 
is because I feel most comfortable using these 
colours. I make use of them by trying to create classic, 
stylish designs. Although I am happy with the 
outcome of the work I produce I feel it is important to 
be able to work with other colours to demonstrate 
versatility. This is something I have learnt throughout 
the past year. 
Precision is also an element of design I feel strongly 
about. Having always been a perfectionist, I like this to 
be portrayed within my work. I feel as though this year 
has helped me to value the importance of this 
attribute, as it is crucial that a piece of design looks 
finished. With a positive attitude and successful time 
management I strive to achieve the best possible 
outcomes in a given time schedule.

COMMITMENT
I am dedicated, enthusiastic and committed to my
work. I have always believed in the importance of
punctuality, which I feel comes hand in hand with
success. I strive to achieve highly on the course
and have gained an extensive amount of
knowledge over the past year, and I am eager to
progress further throughout the following years
of my education. By maintaining motivation and
working towards a career goal, I have been able
to make educated decisions, making mistakes
along the way which I have greatly benefited
from and learnt from. I believe that if I maintain
this mind set I will be able to progress and fulfill
my goals in the industry.

PROGRESSION
Over the past year I have grown as a designer
as well as an individual. My ability to use
software such as Adobe Illustrator as well as
InDesign has progressed considerably. I am
now much more confident in using them to
create my final outcomes. Through applying
what I have learnt about grids and layout I am
now able to use InDesign efficiently and
productively. Whilst at the same time using
Illustrator to improve my illustration skills.
This has enabled me to develop a personal
way of working and has allowed me to
value the importance of exploring with design.

EXPLORATION
Exploring, drawing and developing an idea
is crucial to me, to be able to produce a
strong piece of work. Through trying out
different stock, colour and mediums I am
able to make constructive decisions which
lead to the end result. I have developed a
strong passion for hand rendered work and
try to incorporate illustrations within most
of my designs. A highly influential designer,
Fabien Barral, has inspired me to extend
past my comfort zone and experiment,
allowing me to be more creative.

INTERACTION
I value the importance of memorable,
striking design. This has led me to
develop a strong passion for creating
packaging. Recently I have tried to
incorporate packaging into my work
when completing a brief and feel as
though this is something I would
strongly consider developing and
specialising in over the next few years.
Experimenting and refining designs
is of great importance to me.

ACHIEVEMENT
Feeling proud of the outcome
gives me a sense of achievement,
without this feeling I would not
be satisfied with anything I have
produced. Leaving my comfort
zone and being committed and
prepared to progress and explore
has led me to reach a stage where
I feel extremely happy with the 
work I have produced.



Before printing my final nets I decided to make some colour swatches so that I could decide how I wanted the colours to gradually change to the grey and cream at the end. I had two possibilities for the fourth box but decided that I would keep it cream on the outside because I wouldn't have been able to use my preferred brown stock at that scale.












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