OUGD504 Module Evaluation

Overall, I feel that my work for this module has developed a lot since the last module in first year. I feel that my designs are informed more by further research, allowing me to create more relevant designs to the specific brief. Despite the noticeable development, I am still unsure whether I am happy with all of my responses; I definitely need to manage my time better allowing me to spread the workload evenly. I prefer some responses to others, and I feel like I could constantly make changes to all of my designs as there is always room for improvement.

I have enjoyed working on most of the briefs within this module; however the web brief was the most challenging. With the both the web brief and the augmented design brief having a longer period of time to develop the responses, I felt that this resulted in me loosing track of time within the working period, because they were extended for a matter of weeks, I feel like sometimes they were pushed aside knowing I had longer to complete them whereas the week long briefs were fast paced, therefore I ensured that a sufficient amount of work was produced. I feel that my strongest brief was in fact the first brief ‘my design process’ in terms of both research and development, however studio brief 4 ‘augmented design’ was another brief I enjoyed creating the work for. The work produced for studio brief four was probably the strongest out of the whole module, alongside studio brief 1, however my research approach to studio brief 4 was definitely not extensive enough. The research stage of studio brief 4 I feel has let me down, and reflecting on it now I wish I would have informed my design decisions more and carried more in-depth research, looking at my blog it is disappointing to see the lack of research shown and if I had more time I would definitely revisit this. Studio brief 2 is also lacking in the research side of things, however with this only being a week long brief I decided it was best to move on to the next brief and not get distracted by revisiting it and trying to complete to a better standard. Again if there was more time I would develop this brief.

Where final outcomes are considered, it is definitely important to take in to consideration the decisions I forgot about until last minute, for example choice of stock and printing methods. When printing my final responses, I encountered some problems last minute such as printing on the wrong stock. If these design decisions were to be made earlier on within the design process, it would make this process run smoother as there would be no last minute rushed decisions as to what stock to print on. This was proved when printing my beer mats for studio brief four, I only realised last minute that I had chosen an inappropriate stock to print on.

Studio brief one was one of my favourite briefs to complete, as the design was oriented around myself, I chose to create something I enjoy doing, and in my very own style. The research and developmental stages of this brief were thorough enough for me to create a final response that I am pleased with. I ended up spending slightly longer than the set week to complete this brief, as I really enjoyed the brief. I encountered no printing problems with this brief, as the majority was a hand rendered style I designed myself, the only printed element was the insert of the poster, which was an easy printing process as I used a thin stock and only needed to print one final indesign document, therefore the hand rendered illustrations were the main aspect of my design, which I enjoyed creating.

Studio brief 2 is not one of my strongest out of the module, however I felt like I received enough feedback and comments to complete this brief. With this brief also being completed within the time frame of a week, I felt like I carried out enough research in order for me to come up with a sufficient response for the brief. The clean minimal design represents the brands identity, therefore I feel my logo design is a success, if we had longer than a week to complete then I would definitely have developed this design.

Studio brief 3 was my least favourite brief, I am not pleased with my final designs and there is most definitely room for a significant amount of improvement. Despite not liking the work I produced, I felt like my developmental stages of the brief were quite successful, as I thoroughly examined existing web pages, in order to inform my decisions. My web page designs changed remarkably throughout the design process, even though I am not pleased with the designs, I do feel that they reflect my research well and what my website is trying to achieve.

Studio brief 4 was a brief that I enjoyed, even though I know I haven’t carried out enough research for this brief, I was pleased with the overall designs that I produced. The hand rendered style is definitely something I want to develop further in future modules as I feel that this has worked well for this specific brief, as it relates to the whole starting point for my website bespoke bottles, the more illustrative style of branding and packaging.

For this module I could have definitely improved my research, and analysis on my blog could have been much more thorough. This is something I will work on in the next module, and to try and manage my time better allowing me to have a concise blog and thoroughly informed designs.

Final Designs

Bottle labels
I have designed and created these bottle labels and had them printed on stickers. I am pleased with the overall outcome of the labels, however there are some minor change that I would make if we had more time. I intend to advertise the website in a bar, or local pub, where the flyer can go side by side with a bespoke candle made with the labels printed on. Hopefully this can encourage people to go on my website. 

Stickers printed and laser cut:

 

Label in context:

I decided to make my own candle that could be distributing in local pubs/bars with the packaging showcasing my label designs. On the label it includes the website, therefore the customer can then willingly decide whether to explore this website or not. However, once my labels were printed, because I made the labels on a much smaller scale than I produced on screen, the website is no longer legible, and there was not enough time to get them reprinted, this is definitely something to consider next time so I wont make this mistake again. I created this candle by filling an empty beer bottle with hot wax, then once this was completely dry the glass was then smashed off, leaving a candle the shape of the bottle. Apart from the text being far too small, I am really happy with the set of labels that I have designed, the colours have come out just as I intended, not to vibrant yet they still have some nice contrasting tones, I also like the quirky style of illustration to accompany the watercolour hops, both the female and male are drawn in the same style, therefore they work as a pair.

 

 Close up of label as packaging:

 

Beer mats:



For a simple yet unique design, I have used the existing logo to create a beer mat. The style differs slightly from the developed bottle label illustration therefor once I had finished the set of augmented designs I came to the conclusion that if I had more time, I would perhaps alter the style of the logo so that it is more suited to the newer illustrative styled illustrations. I encountered a problem when printing these mats, as I intended to print straight on to a very thick mount board stock, so that they were the perfect weight to use, however, the stock did not print the colour very well, they came out almost black and white which resulted in me having to submit an unfinished version of the mat, which was printed on normal stock then mounted on to a thicker stock. If I had more time for this I would get them printed on to stickers then stick them on to mount board as this would give me a perfectly rounded edge.

Mount board prints:

 Prints on normal stock:

Final mat:



 

Flyer:

To link all my pieces together I felt the need to ensure that the audience understand what I am advertising, therefore creating a small leaflet sized a5 with some brief information about my website and what it is about would be necessary. I used the existing hop design I already created for the main design, I lowered the opacity of this and duplicated it. This small flyer is intended to be placed alongside the candles, giving the audience the opportunity to read a little about the website.

 

 

 

 

 

Study task 13: Print finishes

The type of print finish you choose, can have a major impact on the effectiveness of the final printed material. Along with the standard digital printing method, other examples of some printing finishes include spot varnish, embossing, thermography, foil blocking, die cuts and lamination. The type of paper and finish can have a dramatic effect on your printed material. 

Blind emboss:
This is the process of raising letters or designs on card or tough paper where no printed image has been added. Blind embossing is a raised surface, whilst blind debossing gives a depressed surface in the paper. 

Emboss:
The technique of raising up some of the printed page to create a shadow and adding dimension to a design. This requires a special dye and accurate registration. Putting a texture on the paper is also a form of embossing. Referring to heavily textured paper as “embossed” paper is simply a way to explain that the paper isn’t smooth and has a noticeable texture. 

Die cut:
This used to create packaging from a regular sheet but can also be used in brochure design. An irregular shaped cut-out can be used in a leaflet or brochure to create an unusual cover, or to knockout a hole for an image to show through. The cutter can be combined with scoring to create folds in the paper. These can have a significant cost and are usually only used when a budget permits or for short, high-quality runs. 

Foil blocking:
Metallic foil is applied to a page using heat and pressure to create a reflective area. The effect is more eye catching than a metallic ink given the foil’s greater reflective properties as it sits on top of the paper, whereas ink is partially absorbed. There are also matt foils that can be applied to gloss or reflective materials. White foil is ideal for use on dark coloured materials. 

Blocking:
To impress or stamp a design on a cover. The design can be blocked in colour inks, gold leaf or metal foil. This is most commonly used on case bound book covers. 

Coating:
A special water based coating – usually sealer, gloss, matt or silk is applied to protect printed items from ink smudges, finger marks or to enhance the appearance. Coatings are most commonly used on coated matt or silk paper, which are more prone to smudging than gloss paper. Coatings dry faster than varnishes, resulting in a quicker turn around of jobs, tend to be more scuff resistant than varnishes and there is less risk of yellowing paper. 

Thermography (heat embossing):
Thermographic printing is a powder and heat process. The powder becomes liquid when heated and quickly dries hard when it cools. The end result is a raised surface on the paper. This is often used on business cards but can create interesting textures for invites and postcards.

UV:
UV is a special varnish which has undergone an accelerated drying process using ultra violet. A gloss UV varnish gives a very shiny effect, especially when used on printed matter with a matt laminate. With both gloss and matt finishes available, UV varnish gives a similar effect to lamination (although the process is more akin to printing a spot colour). The advantage is that it can be printed onto specific sections of a page to enhance a logo or image. 

Varnishes:
Varnishes are applied to protect printed literature from ink smudging, finger marks or to enhance the appearance. There are five main types – machine, gloss, matt, silk and UV. Varnishes are commonly used on matt or silk coated paper as these are more prone to smudging than gloss coated paper. Applying varnish to the whole document as a seal is an ‘overall varnish’ whilst applying it to specific areas for effect is a ‘spot varnish’. However, this is more costly as the job is taken off the press and allowed to dry, before the varnish is applied on the press at a later date. The gloss varnish is a more subtle version of the gloss UV varnish.

Metallic inks:
These are spot printed onto a page and can add another dimension to literature as they have a reflective quality due to their metallic components. Available in a variety of Pantone colours, they are best used simply and sparingly, due to the viscosity of the ink. They can be prone to rubbing off if not coated or sealed. 

Offset Lithography:
A printing process by which the inked image to be printed is transferred (offset) first to a rubber layer before contact with the paper, which takes up the inked areas. Higher quality than digital and can be used to print CMYK, specials or a mix of the two. 

Scoring:
Scoring creates a line or depression in the paper to help the paper fold easily. Folding paper without scoring it first can look unprofessional and the paper may crack. A reverse score – where the outside of a printed item is scored and then folded back on itself – is sometimes used on glossy or plastic coated papers. Duplex and any paper that cracks when folded can be reverse scored. 

Writing a project rationale:

Task:

A project rationale should outline the problem and justify why a project should take place. As you are producing a campaign for your own website it is vital that you outline the requirements of the project just as a client would. 
Write a project rationale for your campaign outlining all the necessary requirements of the project just as a client would.

Purpose/reason for campaign:

• identify that there are a wide range of bespoke label and packaging designs
• should advertise the website as a respected source of information and help
• advertises where to find the specific information

Audience:

• young designers interested in the more illustrative area of design work
• people looking for an informative website that showcases other examples of work

Research and development

Researching into craft beers and breweries, the beer/bottle label is a perfect way of distributing information about the specific brand or company. The unique imagery creates a story telling the audience a little about the brand. I want to advertise my website through creating a bespoke bottle label that is instantly recognisable, the label could be accompanied by a leaflet or a flyer with further information about my website. They could be distributed to local bars and pubs, alongside a beer mat that includes my logo. As I have no intention of creating my own brew, the bottle labels could be a unique label/packaging for something that is commonly seen in a bar, something that could be part of the décor, or something that is available to purchase. The idea of hand rendering illustration for packaging design is of interest to me, the label could be a packaging on a specific item to be sold in a bar or pub.

Bottle label/packaging:
This pioneer label design has a very distinct style, the style reminds me of vintage signage.

 

This is another set of designs that I found on behance with a similar style of illustration to the pioneer branding above. This beautiful typographic quality really gives the label a bespoke image, illustration and type would be one route to choose, however I wouldn't be able to produce something so refined as this, therefore I want to try and concentrate simply on the illustrative side of design for this specific brief.

 



 

 

This illustrative logo design uses a nice colour palette. The symmetrical banner works well with the central floral design, this is something to consideration when designing my own label. This label has been used as packaging for a honey jar, but is still versatile as the label can be used on anything. I will stay away from the use of heavy block colours, as my logo uses variations of soft watercolours therefore there needs to be a clear correlation between the designs.

 

 

 

Beer Mats:

These examples of beer mats are a nice selection to look at, their designs aren't too fussy and their colour palettes are kept rather simple. Squared or circular, a beer mat would be a nice piece to produce as I can use my existing logo, which would perfectly suit a circular shaped beer mat. This is a subtle way to advertise my website, however as the design is rather unique it would be noticed more than a standard branded beer mat.

 

 

 

 

Initial Sketches for bottle label:

My idea to use two different characters initially started form this quick doodle in my notebook, so I decided to play with the idea of creating a similar old fashioned style illustration that I created for my logo, however for the bottle labels, create some slightly more refined styles based upon that idea. 

 

First sketches:

 

Scanned and refined drawings:

Sketches of hops:

Hops are always seen on some of the more decorative bottle labels, I think creating a background out of some hand rendered hops will fit nicely with my illustrations.

 

Sketch with watercolour:

Refining my sketches:

Used a colour for the stroke of each character picked from the purple tones within the hops, the images will remain line drawings and I have thickened the stroke weight so the illustrations are more prominent.

 

Use of watercolour, then refined with a fine liner for definition:

Initial Research

In order to complete this brief successfully, it is necessary to conduct some research on existing advertising campaigns and how they promote their business. Interactive elements are always beneficial within marketing and advertising, as interactive marketing can cast a net over a much wider audience at a much lower cost than traditional advertising. Within web design, creative and interactive advertising gets their users and viewers involved, which was one of my reasons for including a 'do it yourself' page on my website from the previous brief. Interactive elements allow the customer to become involved in a companies advertising campaign, instead of reading information that may not be taken in properly, or listening to a commercial/advert and not really making sense of it. I want my camping to tale a light hearted approach, something that is a bit more on the fun side. Which supports my idea to create something pub/bar related considering my whole website is about the individual bottle label designs.

Examples of existing interactive advertising campaigns;

 

Other advertising campaigns:

This advertising campaign is elegant and simple. The simple colour palette compliments the clean, sleek logo design and the way the brand promotes is business is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The packaging idea can be used for my advertising campaign, as this project is also advertising for the beverage market.