SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE

Brief: Produce a graphic response/ graphic product /piece of work that makes a statement, comment, observation or gives advice about your experience on your first year of this course. Work with any appropriate media or format and develop and identify the content will be entertaining, advisory or informative.

For this brief myself and Vicky have teamed up to make a perforated concertina for the new first years on the graphic design course. It will consist of do's and don'ts to provide guidance and avoid embaressment, from our own experiences. The tone of voice for concertina's will be light hearted and helpful.

PRESENTATION BOARDS FOR CRIT -

BRAIN STORM FOR OUR IDEA-

SPLITTING THE JOB LOAD - After our progress crit we realised our content wasn't going to be sufficient enough for the time we had or number or people we had in our group so we decided to add some things to our initial idea. 

We decided to make a motivational pack including

• 3 perforated concertina flyers that include the do's, dont's and manifesto style quotes of the first year. These can either be stuck up in their bedroom as a strip poster of can be torn apart and be hung in various places.

• A blog with all the content as a digital reference. 

• A instragram with all the quotes as a digital reference.

• Promotional posters to hang up in the studio or bedroom for decoration and links so the students to access our website.

• A Spotify playlist and physical CD of motivational songs to listen to whislt designing.

• A t.shirt with the logo or quote on to wear around university as money for clothes can be tight.

• A set of stickers to put in their bedroom, laptops ect.

• A package for all the physical content to fit into.

We will experiment with a range of print methods for the certain products in our pack. We will also find our colour choice and type faces as a pair which will enable our pack have a consistent design. We made a mind map so we could list the jobs and split them equally.

COLOUR CHOICES-

We wanted to find the right colours so they would be appropriate for both genders, and wanted the colours to be bright  for our motivational quotes. We used the pantone swatches to have a look what colours worked best.

We decided on purple orange and bright yellow/green we new all colours would work really nice with black an white text on.

TYPE CHOICE -  

After researching we decided on having three types. We found some nice quotes that used 2-3 typefacess. We needed a really legible one which would work for the body copy for our blog as well as our quotes. 

We chose Bebas as the staple font for the main content of the quotes because it's simple, bold and strong against the other fonts we would use.

We chose 'sullivan' because this type looks like its been hand rendered and gives more of a creative  and organic feel. We would use this for the main words in the quotes.

Similarly with the Wisdom font we would use this to highlight the main words and the font gives off an elegant and hand rendered feel.

BRAND NAME - 

We then had to choose our brand name for our motivational pack. This process was really hard to find a name that was orginal and fit what we was trying to communicate. We finally came up with the name 'The Key' as it suggested that we had the key to unlock the first years questions, worries and doubts to keep them motivated.

MANIFESTO QUOTES & MOCK UPS -

Vicky's role is to create the trio of concertina's, however we both brainstormed the quotes we wanted to be included. 

I came up with these few suggestions.

These were our intial final 18. However we looked back at our tone of voice and we wanted it to be lighthearted. So we decided to change the 'dont's' into 'just remember'.

We then split the selected quotes into sections of do's - just remeber's and manifesto.

After assigning our roles we then gave each other a tasks to complete for Sunday. For me these included:

- Research and thumbnails of packaging.
- Research and thumbnails of t.shirt and badges.
- Research blog design.
- Make a blog.
- Logo design.

LOGO DESIGN - For our logo we decided to both attempt designing a few idea's and decide which one felt fit best with our brand.

I started my designs by drawing a few thumbnails experiment with type, image and type and image just to see which ones worked.

I felt the type or type and image one's were the strongest from my designs.

From this I then started to create some digital outcomes to present to my partner. 

- Same Font

- Type + Image

- Juxtaposing font.

In our next crit we presented all our logo's to receive some feedback. 

A lot of people liked the juxtaposing type logo's as it went with the overall design of the brand.

In the end myself and vicky then decided upon having this logo because it was simple, easy to transfer across all of our media and tied in with the style of 'The Key'.

T.SHIRT DESIGN- 

One of my roles in the group was to create two t.shirt designs to fit into our packaging. From my research I wanted to create a typographic t.shirt that had one of our quotes or the logo name . I decided to go with the phrase 'design is the key' as it has both one of our quotes an brand name interlinked.

I started creating some front and back thumbnails of what the design could potentially look like following our design rules.

I then started experimenting with a few digital outcomes to see how I could manipulate type, colour, size and alignment.

Type + Colour -

Type + Image -

Due to some of our design containing a geometric pattern I decided to experiment with a few shapes. From one of the tops and posters I researched, I really liked how one design manipulated type with shapes and lines (design idea). I experimented with this idea but still keeping true to our discussed design.

I also posted some full rendered designs without a template and other experiments to my pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jnaes/speaking-from-experience/

After experimenting with these designs I felt that they didn't turn out the way I intended. One design I had done typographically stood out to me. I printed off the positive design for the print screen and then asked my peers for some critical feedback.

Feedback:

• Adjust the letters to make sure they are all aligned and readable.
• Experiment with a black t.shirt to make the font stand out.
• The 'd' and the 'n' don't look right together, try to simplify the design more.
• The colours don't really work together. Try and use one on a certain letter or for all the letters.

Printed positive version with varied layers for colour.

From the feedback I received I then decided to take on some of the comments and re-design the t.shirt and approaching the colour scheme differently. I asked my partner if they felt comfortable with the colour change and then continued to experiment.

Black t.shirt design -

I also posted some full rendered designs without a template and other experiments to my pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jnaes/speaking-from-experience/

For our final crit I presented two designs that I done to my peers for them to give me feedback on.

They suggested that the simpler design on the right would fit with the overall look of our brand and that it flowed better with the overall aesthetics. Me an Vicky then agreed with this design and I went ahead with the production.

Before printing my postivie design ready to be transfered to the screen for screen printing, I looked over what feed back I had received previously and made sure the text was aligned and kerned into place.

I brought 2 cotton black t-shirts that were a medium so it could fit a girl or boy. I again tested the printed positive on top of the t.shirt to see how it would potentially layout and I felt the type was just right.

I then booked a screen printing slot for monday at blenheim after selecting my screen the week before.

I cleaned the screen using the full equipment provided and had to wait for it to dry. 

After I exposed it using my positive print design.

Then i cleaned the screen again so that my design would show ready to be printed.

 I then taped the outside of the board using gum paper so the paint wouldn't spill over.

Next I pinned the t.shirts down so that they would stay in place ready for printing.

I then mixed a white emulsion ready for the printing.

I then set the boards down on top of the tshirts and pulled the paint overthem using a guards.

finally after printing I waited for the design to dry and pressed them for 2 minuetes each so that the writing would be durable through a wash.

I really enjoyed the process of making a t.shirt. I really like the whole screen printing side of design and I was happy to experiment with this in my final module.

STICKERS - For our motivational pack I was assigned to create some simple sticker designs that had our logo on.

I created these designs using Adobe Illustrator and creating two layers so that when they printed the adhesive would circle the words.

INSTAGRAM - I was also assigned to create the instagram for the students to follow and remind themselves of what to do, remeber and keep motivated.

      

I posted the quotes designs that Vicky created in a mixture of colours to show the variation of quotes.

To promote our instagram I posted our link on the LCA group Facebook page and tweeted a few people  I found that were applying to the course

We collated a few followers from a range of years on the graphic design course and people who attended LCA.

PLAYLIST - 

In our motivation pack we wanted to include a CD of motivational songs. To begin our primary research vicky asked a few people online what their favourite song was to listen to whilst working and I collected a physical list from people I asked around uni.

It was interesting to see the variation is musical tastes and was a good idea as there are so many genres for the students to choose from.

BLOG -

From my primary research I found that Tumblr was the most popular blog of choice before the 1st year students were introduced to Blogger at LCA.

I created an account and then researched into designs of what would fit the overall aesthetic of 'The Key'.

modernise designs

Me and Vicky agreed that a minimal white blog would work well against the colours of our content.

I then began creating seperate blog pages for each of our categories: 

Home: The designated first page of the blog

The Do's: What we encourage you to do in the first year through using simple quotes

The Dont's / Just Remeber: What we encourage you to avoid in the first year through using simple quotes

Manifesto: Small snippets of manifesto quotes and our own personal manifesto's overlooking our experiences of the first year

Inspiration: Designers and blogs to look at from what we have learnt.

Ask: A page where the students can message myself or Vicky with any questions they want help with if they can't get through to a tutor.

I then began coding the theme so that the pages would link together when they selected a certain link. I also created a header that replaced the original text that the blog theme had.

After finishing the home page design I systematically went through all the other pages making sure they had the same theme and relevant links to the page.

I then took the flyers that Vicky had created and separated them into individual images and made sure they were all aligned. 

 

I repeated this process for sets of quotes.

I then starting applying these quotes to the relevant pages.

The home page with the links.

The do's page with our quotes.

The dont's page with our quotes.

The manifesto page with our quotes.

The inspiration page with a link to download and play our spotify.

After posting these myself and vicky decided we could add more to make the blog look more interesting.

Firstly we experimented with ways to make the home page to look more engaging. We realised that we had nothing to tell the students what we were about.

Using the geometric pattern that we had on our flyers vicky created a design that I could post as the background.

But due to the style of the theme it wasn't legible.

We then decided that we could create a post that was still using our font to be placed in the centre of our home page.

This was our final design.

Next I changed the do's and don't page to become a complete page so that the students could compare the difference between them.

This was our final design

I then added more content to the inspirations page. We decided that Oscar Wilde quotes would be very inspiring to the first year students aside from our own. Vicky collected a few relevant quotes and I began posting them to the page.

We also thought that creating a list of our most helpful blogs would also help the first years as this was something I personally struggled with. 

From our primary research of blogs we asked people used and ones we used ourselves I put the direct links on the blog so it would direct them straight to the sights with a small description of what they were about.

Using the sticker design I created we decied to have this as our avatar pic so people could identify with the website.

Last of all for the manifesto blog I added mine and vickys manifesto's plus Brucw Mau and Dieter Rams as these one's we found were motivational to us personally.

For our instagram I then created a button code on 'addthis' so that when they were on our Tumblr then could simply click the icon and head straight to the page and follow us.

Add this Profile

Home page banner with icon

From our music research, we also created a playlist of motivational songs that students can listen to by doing their work. I set up a Spotify and Vicky burned a CD for them to have physically. We then decided that to make our blog more interesting by having an automatic playlist that went on the blog could be listened to.

I set up a hypester account and added all the songs to a playlist ready to be uploaded and enjoyed by our visitors.

After generating the code for the playlist I then transfered it into the html theme box.

The player works automatically on the page and through out the other pages when the where clicked onto. The process of creating the blog was sometimes challenging due to the restrictions the pre-made theme gave. However we overcame this by comming up with alternative designs and the process of creating the blog was enjoyable and I think it looks proffesional and engaging.

MANIFESTO - 

For our blogs myself and vicky decided to write our own manifesto about our experiences on the course. We agreed that 500-600 words would be perfect to explain are advice. I looked at the style from many designers on my research blog and came up with this as my final. I really enjoyed reflecting on my year in this way because it showed me how much I have learned on the course and about myself which I can share with the first years.

THE KEY TO THE FIRST YEAR.

The first year is a exciting year, a new city, new friends and new responsibilities. What I have learnt this year is,

Don't be intimidated by your peers.
Everyone is different. We all have our own personal experiences that have shaped who we are. Never loose yourself, your here for a reason.

To be a good designer you have to compromise. 
If your working in a group you have to consider everyone else's ideas. Don't be a dictator and also don't be a mouse.

The more mistakes you make the more you grow.
I have made so many errors this year, working all week on a brief and when it comes on printing the text or images are out of line. It's a harsh lesson but it is DEFFINATLEY learnt.

Treat every piece of your work as if it was your baby. Even if its ugly.
It's important to see we're you came from and where you going, looking back on what you have created shows you were you have been and were you want to go.

Design is all about the message. 
Sure you can create a beautiful piece of work but if it has no clear meaning what's the point? Think about your audience, the context and the design will follow.

Time is money. 
Leaving things to the last minute only ends in stress. If you have an amazing idea make sure you leave enough time to create it

Don't be affraid to get it wrong. 
Graphic design is all about experimenting, taking risks and creating what seems mundane into a visual masterpiece. Think big and then consider the reality.

Don't seek praise, seek criticism. 
If you are here to just be told how good your work is, your not learning. If you ask what's wrong you can make it right.

Completely immerse yourself in art and like minded creative people. 
Keeping up to date with what's going on in the graphic design world is going to benefit you signifcantly. Look at blogs, books and go to local events because it's a big world waiting to explored.

Have a break, or even a kit kat.
At times the course feels like the only thing on your mind. You have to be selfish once in a while and make sure you create time for yourself.

It's all about the experience and what you make of it.
You don't want to look back on your first year wishing on what you could have done. You only get one shot so make the right aim.

You reap what you sew. 
You can't think that by knowing a few tricks on illustrator or having the latest technology is going to get you by. Think beyond what is written on the brief and take it that one step further.

You laugh, you cry and sometimes you feel damn right insane. 
Expect to feel a full spectrum of emotions on the course it's completely normal. You are now moving onto a different path in your life and expect a few bumps on the way.

Take full advantage of your new found freedom.
You have now flown from the nest and it's time to stand on your own two feet, you've now evolved into an independent adult and it's your time to rule and conquer.

- J'nae Saunders: 1st Year Graphic Design

PACKAGING-

For the packing of the products vicky had created for the motivational pack we had to have something that was modern and fitted all the content in. Vicky took out a template book and began creating some mock ups.

 

I thought that the first prototype that she created didn't really fit into the style of our brand. So we selected this design as an alternative.

Vicky then made another protoype for this, but expressed that it quite diffcult to create and considering our time and workload we decided to find something more simple.

We then decied upon having a simplistic black mail box style package with our logo on the top. We printed and created this packaging and everthing fitted perfectly in it until we forgot about t.shirts. We attempted to fit them in but the box was too small so was had to create another design.

Vicky found an old paper bag template so we decied to draw round them and create a similar design but with our own spin on it. We took the handles of after hand making them and spray mounted our logo onto the front from our old packaging.

We then put two hole punches at the top of the bag an secured it with black ribbon to complete our final design.

FINAL + PHOTO'S

  

  

  

   

I really enjoyed this project with Vicky, I think we made some really engaging and modern designs to show what the first years can expect. I liked how we experimented with both print and digital design and put all of our own perspective into our work which made in personal and light hearted.