Tuesday 23 April 2013

Design Practice 2: Bar Concept

Name: Meeting

Type: Cocktail bar

USP: Underground, only sells cocktails

Audience: Young working professionals

At this point we had immediately thought of prohibition and the 1920's art deco style and how people would come to meet at this hidden bars to socialise and dance. 

Things to Brand:

Signage
The name
Drinks
Napkins
Toilets
Walls
Uniforms

Meeting

affiar
assembly
audience
company
reunion
clash
collide
contact
greet

Opposites:

avoid
ignore
leave

Situations:

street
bus
underground
trains
pre-planned
checkout
cinema
school
uni
dating
dog walking
work
online

etc:

chance
face to face

Underground

rebel
alternative
experiemental
social radicals
non conformists

buried
covered
shady
concealed
hush hush
private
mysterious
unknown
obscure
blocked
below the surface

Opposites:

overground
visible
uncovered
obvious
lit
sky
public
loud
exposed
unblocked
define
clear
known

below / above - levels

What is underground?

rats
insects
drains

Concept work: 

1. underground prohibition cocktail bar based on the 20's
2. abandoned tube station like the vintage style
3. insect cocktails

We thought about the tube station concept

signage
different links
vintage feel of the original tube map
connective
network
tracks
constructed
lines run horizontally and vertically on 45 angle


Finalised idea:

Name: Meeting
USP: Underground cocktail bar
Location: London, Shoreditch
Audience: Young, working professionals
Concept: 
Vintage tube station
Networking of tube lines, networking of people
1930's spirits/drinks
Aesthetics: 
Old tube station signage and branding
brick and tile walls
painted lines on the walls
dim / low long hanging lights
old tube ads as artwork
exposed drain pipes (coloured like the tube map)
Branded products:
ticket master uniform
old train map for drinks menu
cocktails named after tube stations
corresponding coloured straws/stirrers
ticket as a loyalty card

Monday 22 April 2013

Design Practice 2: Concept Development

The concept of the exhibition:

For the opening night of the exhibition photographers will be invited to take photos of the party using the cameras provided in the exhibition. These will be the first lot of photos displayed at the beginning of the exhibition. 

Each day is a different analog camera

The gallery would provide a selection of analog cameras to customers of the exhibition and they will freely use the camera to take photos around the space which would hold other analog items such as old toys, sofas, books etc. These then will be processed and printed overnight and displayed the next day for the second day of the exhibition. 

This then will become a circle in which all the photos of one day will become the photos for the next. At the end of the week all the photos will be displayed together to show how much fun people have had using analog cameras and the photos will be up for sale. The users of the event will get a complimentary photo with there initial admission so they can keep there favourite photo from taking part and the others will be for sale for a small amount to show how valuable and popular the results of analog photography can be to them and others.

All the pictures will be stored online in a gallery with the results of the exhibition filed by day and then be available to order for print. This gives the social networking sites a chance to promote the results of each day where people can share what they took with what they took it with to enforce the fact it was produced by analog cameras.

In order to combine the two visual concepts to the exhibition where the audience is interactive I used the element of 'Snap!' as a flash on the front of the camera next to the lens. To make this a more playful and exciting tone, as mentioned in the crit, I decided to use a neon pink which is eye catching and colourful making the atheistic less dull and concentrates on the element of a flash which is a sudden bright motion.



I showed how this could be applied across a range of different formats focusing on the topic of promotion and packaging provided in the brief with a tie to branding and identity eg. of the exhibition. The logo would be screen printed to represent a bright spot colour. I considered using a metallic foil but felt that with the choice of colour this would appear quite tacky and matt would be much more attractive to the audience.

I still want to use dimensions of photo for formats to incorporate the good of an actual product of a photograph in the design.

I also did some primary research in Urban Outfitters as I found they had analog cameras and accessories in there stores in my secondary research. Here is a few examples of the type of things connected to analog that sell in store. These could be things sold at the exhibition shop and on the website.

I also went to saltaire mill bookshop and found loads of interesting books on photography. Books on analog photography and cameras could be sold at the exhibition and also online as well as things such as the 'Pretty Polaroid Notes' and stationary. 









With the shop element and idea of online promotion in the concept of the exhibition I saw the potential for the website. I started sketching ideas of how different elements would work and look as well how different camera actions could work across different functions to bring the analog and digital together.

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Responsive: Design Process 2 - Evaluation

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

I really feel this is one of my strongest models yet as I got to work with concepts and personal practice. The main skill that is evident in this module and is the ability to time manage as there numerous briefs to work on at the same time with different periods of time to work with. This with the other modules alongside means constant organisation and self-management in order to keep all the briefs at the right speed for the deadlines. I enjoyed developing this skill it allowed me to work on briefs in my time at my own pace and leisure which meant that I was able to enjoy them more. I think I applied this effectively as all briefs were finished on deadline completion and all submitted correctly as well as through the plan of action I created for the collaborative brief to make sure we achieved targets on time. I also feel that the presentation of my work in it's final digital stage and boards have come along away in this brief. Due to the fact that these were being submitted and judged by professions I really worked on presented my work effectively to try and give them the best chance. This meant I thought a lot more about what I said and the way I split and presented the designs appropriately. Looking back at boards from the past it is visually evident that they have improved a lot and I feel it has meant I am more proud and confident in showing my work as I feel and look more professional. Another skill that I learnt due to never doing it before was working collaboratively with one other person. This was an experience I enjoyed as I really value another persons view, opinion and critique in the process of designing. Using both our strengths and weaknesses to our advantage we balanced out each other flaws to create a strong concept and considered design that communicated.By managing and splitting our load effectively to our design aspirations and skills we applied ourselves to both our advantages. I concentrated on packaging as they are my aspirations and it allowed me to work closely with nets and formats. A very valuable skill that has been developed through this module was fulfilling brief requirements. A lot of the briefs had specifications of dimensions, formats and file types to submit in which meant I had to work to a set of varied requirements for each. This I feel improved my professional practice as I had to work to clients requests rather than creating the formats and dimensions myself. This skill can be particularly shown in the Batiste brief and the Penguin brief as both asked for the artwork to be to there templates provided.

What approaches to methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

The biggest method of design production I have developed is pushing a concept and design across product, range and distribution. The has allowed me to see the potential and opportunity of designs and how far they can go. The penguin brief was to simply design a book cover and I expanded this in to a range of up to date versions of classic childhood tales. This idea then got pushed further onto a whole range of interior decoration which promoted the concept of making the childhood classic story become an intregal part of childhood again as well as engaging with parents nostalgia. I feel this brief in particular showed the potential for a concept to be spread across a range of digital, print based and functioning products. This moves across to designing for specifications and requirements as the briefs were particular formats such Batiste can, Penguin book cover and ToDryFor screen printed tea towel. These different format meant the final resolution had to be designed particularly to it. The can had to fit the required information and demonstrate the branding on a relatively small front among a mass of other products with a strong shelf appeal. This meant the design had to impact instantly on the front in order to express it's purpose and brand identity. The same with Penguin and ToDryFor as they required particular colour palettes. Penguin had specific Pantone colour books to work to as it was a printed product as well a template size specification where the logo and barcode information had to be in a fixed position to match there other publications. ToDryFor also had colour restrictions due to it's production process, screen print. This meant that colour should be considered as it would cost more to produce with more colours. These brief specifications meant limitations,things to work around and consider as well as influence you when designing. They have developed my process as it meant considering these factors when designing and developing my concepts as it had to work to these factors. 
What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

As mentioned in my evaluation of my skills, time management is something I've vastly improved on just because of the extent that this module pushed it. I was prepared and had no rushed submission for competitions which made the process a lot more enjoyable. I managed to do  varied amount of time framed briefs from long briefs spread over a few months (Penguin) and briefs which were completed in an afternoon (Uk Greetings). However I feel this didn't comprise the actual concept or production work even though there was a short frame time, if anything I think I actually worked well or better under it. This will benefit me in the future on the course but also in industry as the time frame of briefs varies depending on clients and projects. This strength is something key to working in industry and will benefit me next year when independent study is the focus. Something this brief has really shown is my ability to pick out what I liked and want to do in design. As I was going through briefs and choosing myself what it was I wanted to do due to either the client, the outcome or potential prize, it really showed me what I liked and what I aspired for in my practice. A lot of my briefs were packaging design and I can now capitalise on this as I can use these briefs as portfolio potential which will show my vast response to briefs but also the focus on a sector on the industry to studios in similar fields. I feel strength of mine is concepts and this is also something I want to focus on in the future. The varied briefs I chose allowed me to come up with different concepts and put them into practice and strengthen my ability in coming up with ideas in different time frames. Through different means I was inspired and this allowed me to respond effectively to briefs answering and communicating what they asked. This strength will strength my portfolio because not only is there a focus on packaging design but also the concepts behind them are thought through and considered. I plan on improving on this skill further particularly in 505.

What weaknesses can you identify in your and work and how will you address these in the future?

The main weakness I can identify in my work is going from digital to practical products. The only brief that I produced something for was the collaborative as it was a packaging based concept which needed testing and demonstrating. Although the net I made worked and folded correctly the quality of the finished product wasn't as I had hoped. This is really something I am going to improve on for the rest of the year as the main way of seeing a design work is in practice and in it's context. Although my mock up and proposal skills have improved this has limited me from producing the actual product through lack of success in the past and there being enough of a representation through digital illustration. I'm going to address this by at least attempting in my next brief and learn from the failings I make if it doesn't succeed as hoped. I think another weakness is limiting my text on my boards, I feel have to explain a lot when submitting presentation boards to make known my thoughts and this leads to a lot information which actually might come to disadvantage me. In the future I am going to limit myself to one block of text and express myself articulately in a confined manner and let the design communicate itself. Another weakness I haven't pursued but had the opportunity to in this module is different media and processes. As I haven't produced much practical work I haven't explored different choices of media or processes such as letterpress or screen print which are skills I really want to try gain at least a knowledge in. As I design for print a lot I want to produce the pieces in the future to gain more knowledge of how the design translates across screen to an actual form. This will allow me to design appropriately and more effectively in the future.

Identify 5 things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from these?


Produce practical pieces
I am going to gain knowledge and understanding of print in practice not theory as well as gain confidence in my work and production ability skills.
Find live briefs
I am going to try and find briefs across courses where the actual designs become active and used so I can use them in my portfolio and show a real experience with working with people.
Try processes
Although I did try embossing in this module a lot more processes could be explored and defiantly more practiced as the embossing didn't go entirely to plan.
Limit writing on boards
As mentioned above I am learning to articulate myself a lot better which is something I have struggled with in the past but I can also improve further on this by defining exactly what needs to be said in presentations.
Work collaboratively with different people
I have worked in groups and in a pair now and found both experiences entirely different. I would like to work collaboratively with different people on the course and see how we can benefit each other in balancing strengths and weaknesses.

Attendance - 5
Punctuality - 5
Motivation - 4
Commitment - 4
Quantity or work produced - 4
Quality of work produced - 4
Contribution to the group - 5


Responsive: Design Process 2 - Presentation Boards

Submission Boards






Responsive Boards:



Design Practice 2: Crit

The group liked the idea of concept 3 where people took part and took pictures and how that became the exhibition.

Ideas:
photographers would take photos and then print and sell them
people then do the same

the first lot of people take photos and show next day
there photos become the exhibition for the second lot of people 
and so on

gallery of the results online so people can see there result if they don't go see it in the gallery
share online
promote itself by saying 'look at my photo'

like the name 'snap' 
combine with the circle atheistic but make it more fun and playful than professional


Design Practice 2: Concepts for Crit


I drew some rough sketches of how the logo and different processes I had considered and looked at could work across different formats appropriate to the exhibition. Things like die cut and metallic vinyl could be used for the logo to represent the parts of the camera they represent and create an interactive side to the format. Stocks such as acetate and tracing paper could be used to represent film negatives and the separating of photo albums. These techniques alongside the dimensions of photographs would all promote the good of the actual photograph formed from analog cameras.

I finalised these sketches for the crit.


For the second concept of the fair I thought of taking the fair literally and using the atheistic of the funfair as a way of making it exciting, colourful and fun. The candy strip being applied alongside circus typefaces and phrases such as 'roll up roll up' (like winding film) would all combine the camera fair and the funfair together. Formats that would be used is posters which would be plastered everywhere and on lampposts, tickets for submission and balloons.


The third concept I came up with was using the noise 'snap!' as the name of the exhibition as they will be taking photos. Because of this make I thought of using a comic strip atheistic with speech bubbles, explosion bubbles and comic strip boxes to show how the exhibition would work. Using bright colours it would be made exciting and interesting.

Finalised sketches of 2 & 3 for crit

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Design Process 2: Project Report

Design Practice 2: Concept Workshop

Concept

What is a concept:

- idea
- basis
- implementations
- unique
- backbone
- outline

Definition


con·cept  

Noun
  1. An abstract idea; a general notion.
  2. A plan or intention; a conception.
Synonyms
notion - idea - conception - thought - intention
Perspective - A link

Example of concepts:
'i' for apple eg. iphone, ipad
you can do it - B&Q
take a break - KitKat


Ampersand Hotel:

We had to list different things are in a hotel

Do not not disturb sign
menu
toilets
note pad and pen
bible
room numbers
duvet covers
keycard
towels
mini shampoo / soap
way finding
napkins
coasters
table cloth
uniform
name tags
dinner plates
tourist booklets
elevators
picture frames
dressing gowns
complementary mint
mini bar

We then had to apply the concept of the hotel to some of these things

Elevators - down & up
Towel - wrap & roll
Bible - kneel & pray
Key card - in & out
Coasters - sip & ahhh
Duvets - rough & tumble
Mini bar - mini & strong

Saturday 6 April 2013

Design Practice 2: Initial Ideas

I sketched out some ideas of how this concept could be visualised. I looked at the form of analog cameras and shapes that features in there design as inspiration. I wanted something simple and minimal drawn from cameras or photography for this exhibition. The circle of the lens and its shutter was what I focused on most.

I did some digital mock ups of my sketches to see how they would look. They didn't work like I had hoped. The shutter closing over the lens taken from the canon snappy looked more like the road sign than the camera. 


I quite like the idea of using the 'o' of original for the camera lense
I tried adding the text to the circle imagery using different typefaces but struggle to make it work.
I went with the stripped back circle outline as I wanted the logo to be simple. I tried arranging the title in different ways instead of just underneath. I arranged it to the top right like the viewfinder on the front of the camera.

Friday 5 April 2013

Responsive: Design Process 2 - Submission

Our submission boards:



In hindsight looking at the boards there is quite a lot of text but I am happy with our entry because although there isn't practical pieces shown I feel the concept is strong and answers the brief. If I could do anything different it would be to spread the information across more boards so that it's separated and less cluttered as well as reduce the text. Also I would of made more time to make a practical representation of the packaging and photographed it against grey or black in order to get the definition. 

Thursday 4 April 2013

Responsive: Design Process 2 - Final Packaging


Using the embossing cut out and the laser machine I created a final mock up of the packaging with a few complications. For some reason the edges get ripping even though I had only kiss cut the paper like I had originally. This caused it to not look as sleek as we had hoped for the final piece. Emily took a few photos of the result but when choosing the boards we chose not to put any on as we thought it was a misrepresentation of the packaging and just used a close up of the embossing to demonstrate that feature.