OUGD504. Design Production. What is Design for Print? logo breakdown session.

today we had a session with phil and lorraine for which we had to bring 5 examples of brand logo designs that we really liked. i brought an example of the Herschel logo, the JD logo, the Tate and Lyle logo, the Monster Paint logo, and the Nutella logo.

we were asked each to present our logo examples to the rest of the group. in our presentation we should talk about the aesthetic of the logo to the audience and in relation to the brand, the reasoning for the logo, what we liked about the logo, what we thought the logo did/should communicate, and any other historical or factual information.

my printed material

- tate and lyle - 

• blue type colour related to type of sugar (i.e. example was blue and yellow for castar sugar). colour/variety coordination is common in food branding. 
• block type face with extensions separate mimics form of sugar cane or sugar cube.
• stencil style font also mimics stamps - could relate to old when used to stamp sacks of sugar?
• simple and effective logo but still somewhat imperial/corporate - not in line with fairtrade 'ethos'

- nutella -

• lower case sans serif font reflects the brand - family oriented, inoffensive, modern, simple but pleasing.
• red and black somewhat harder to decipher reasoning - black 'n' brings attention to 'nut' but why rest of 'nut' not black? good colour combination but black (dark, scary, night) and red (danger, warning, sex) not really relatable to nutella.

- herschel - 

• caligraphic, script style font realtes to smart simplicity of the brand - quality, smart look, minimal. looks great aesthetically - slight bow of baseline looks good
• black and white colour simple, clear, readable - stands out but not overly.
• arrangement of subtext with line separation somewhat like old style victorian signage - looks neat and well composed - adds to name.

- monster - 

• really like the colour scheme - tonal blend of browns with grey - soft, smart, urban. professional but with style. 
• chisel tip serifs mimic stroke pen makes - looks like logo created with the marker - relevant to purpose and product.
• clear and legible while maintaining style and originality.

- JD - 

• black and gold one of many colour schemes used by jd - my favourite - classic, stylish, professional but cool - what jd try to encompass.
• simple sans serif, in capitals, basic letterform and no more - legible, recognisable, individual.
• minimal and not over done, trying to move away from 'chav' association and move more into fashion supply. 

wills printed material

- D&Ad - 

• colour and composition looks like a road sign - garish and unfriendly. 
• layout of letters we thought supposed to look like a square shape but the arrangement is off and the mix of upper and lower case is confusing and ugly and doesnt work with the aims.
• design and art direction - name reltes to aims of design but aesthetic and arrangement is off and so makes ineffective.

- Burger Factory - 

• fun and friendly, inoffensive, easy on the eye - relates to the family being the target audience.
• cogs and burgers and layers and rough aesthetic - relate to the name of the place and its methods and ethos almost. burger factory - handmade, production process, custom made - bespoke - for the individual customer. 
• rustic grainy look & handwritten style typeface both lend to the style of the restaurant - construction, hands on, organic.

- Southern Comfort - 

• western/french aesthetic because based in new orleans. smart and simple but warming and comfy - encompasses aura of drink itself. 
• soft maroony red on a creamy beige background have similar effects. sans serif type, tall and thin - in style of western/french and simple, legible, bold - represents strength and comfort of the brand.
• decoration around letters gives an almost regal look but not over the top

- Stussy -

• rushed, signature looking logo. messy and imperfect - skate company so relates to lifestyle and apects of sport.
• has that graffiti element - linked to skateboarding culture. 

- The Mule - 

• thin tall letters - height 

issys printed material

- smokeys fish house - 

• s like a fish
• ribs look like a grill 
•  simple/minimal - contrasts with what it is.

- down under steak - 

• looks like australia and steak
• dont know about blue - could be sea? brown for steak

- sea factor - 

• anchor relates to the name
• minimal but still smart - conveys assumed aura

- airport barber -

• really clever - so simple yet effective - easily understood, humorous and well executed concept
• is what it shows - completely relative to what its communicating

sams printed material

- Sony Vaio - 

• va represents analogue wave. io represents digital (binary) code - brand logo communicates the companies progression from the former to latter and also the synthesis between the two.
• simple but simultaneously complex - poor readability might create confusion but understanding of meaning resonates well.

- Zulu Safari - 

• looks like a nose and looks done by paint - relates to company and service. 
• white on black simple and effective - clear and popping

- more 4 rebrand -

• aimed at a younger audience - fresher, sleeker, more inviting and lively
• multiple triangles - imitates 4 shape and lots of in line with 'more' 4

- museum of london rebrand -

• lots of colour - no thought out colour schemes, colours dont work well together - too much. dont seem to relate to company except for red,white,blue - union jack. seems as though many colours included because targeting a younger audience
• composition of shapes and text poor- text placement not well considered over shapes 
• shapes meant to represent increasing size of london chronologically - not too clear - might be over peoples heads

- malen nach zahlen - 

• icon clover - encompasses three first letters of name.
• simple and minimal

rineshs printed material

- the hundreds -

• simple aesthetic but logo design quite complex - looks great, slanted perspective great addition, facial expression well captured by cartoon style.
• weight well varied - good inclusion of detail
• word logo simple block capitals - striking and eye capturing

- supreme - 

• bit pretentious but more because of brand association
• somewhat cliche - been done before
• striking and recognisable so does the job really

- fed ex -

• really strong brand logo - very simple, legible, recognisable
• arrow in ex so effective - when you realise it you cant stop seeing it, gives audience good feeling having recognised it, stays with them,  also relates well with delivery service
• logo colours interchangeable - good for company sector/service colour coding for brand

- GR -

• personal branding by a designer - very simple but looks good
• terminal of g and r mimic apostrophes - clever addition - subtle but effective - links with her being a designer 

- light box theatre - 

• very simple, minimal, doesnt look like much at first glance - just looks like an arrow - still neat and classy with black and white
• when you see it you cant unsee it - the perspective of the white arrow also works as the top and side of a light box - so clever and eye catching - so simple but effective - communicates place perfectly
• one of those designs thats almost a designer in joke

charlies printed material

- impericon - 

• metal clothing distributer - metalic, sharp typeface relates well to this. slab sans but with spikes on it promotes the metal aesthetic.
• lion roaring logo - masculine, dominance, power, strength - relate to style of music that is metal
• black and white relates well to metal - not much colour involved in the scene and also gives a simplicity to the design

- aldi -

• rectangular, rigid and structured typeface - block sans serif - strong, efficient, legible, simple - mimics what aldi is and their shop conduct
• colour combination is disgusting - way too many colours involved, dont complement each other, all too striking and clashing. 

- coca cola -

• spensarian script typeface - never been changed - one of the most recognised brands globally -hints class and quality of product.
• red and white colour combo - supposedly has psychological effect of making viewer thirsty - association with brand to drink and satisfaction of drinking it

- pauls boutique -

• heavy slab typeface - loud and bold - eye catching and attention grabbing - makes audience notice logo.
• gold on black a strong colour contrast - readable, clear cut, pleasing to the eye - relates to style and fashion - so clothing. could also be construed as trashy and cheap though.

- queenies -

• independent coffee shop - aesthetic illustrates this - the little guy, not big corporate, friendly, homely, welcoming.
• soft colours - beiges and browns - calming and inviting - relate to coffee/tea etc. 
• illustrative and slightly feminine - possibly to reach target market? cute and nice - inoffensive like the place itself
• coffe cup character nicely personified with crown - relates to name etc

adams printed material

- m & s - 

• good simple logo, a bit boring but easily readable, clean, clear, crisp - communicates to target market - older people. 
• green ampersand could relate to organic and natural - traits of m n s products and ethos. 
• logo overly associated with old people tho

- TY - 

• kind of tacky aesthetic but soft and curvy so relates well with kids and parents as target market
• red and white in this sense nice and calm colours - red not too true or strong so less in your face

- bbc radio 3 rebrand -

• classical music - 3 encompasses musical notation - clever symbol to glyph association, still legible and simple
• red on white good colour contrast - clear and there

- boots -

• never changed - another brand recognised well - long standing and founded 
• blue and white - medical - relates to pharmacy - clinical and clean colours - good for brand communication

- oak furniture land -

• horrible - so cliche and tacky and the name sucks too

i really enjoyed this session as im interested in logos and logo design and to have a session on the disambiguation of logos, getting into the deeper meanings and communicative strategies, has helped me understand a lot about the reasons behind successful logos, how a logo may be recieved by an audience, about the subconscious understanding of a logo and much more. it was good to talk about each of our logos trying to describe what we liked/disliked, thought worked/didnt, what we understood about the aims of the logo etc. i feel ive learned a lot from breaking down the concepts of different logos to better understand the meanings/messages.

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having completed the session we were asked to look at one or two logos that we were interested in in further depth and detail. we should collect research and gain understanding of the meanings and messages behind the logo, the concept of the logo and its aims, what the designer intended, how it is recieved/understood, and any more information we want to include.

i decided to look further into the nutella logo.

Pietro Ferrero, who owned a bakery in Alba, in the Langhe district of Piedmont, an area known for the production of hazelnuts, sold an initial batch of 300 kilograms (660 lb) of "Pasta Gianduja" in 1946. This was originally a solid block, but Ferrero started to sell a creamy version in 1951 as "Supercrema".^[2]

In 1963, Ferrero's son Michele Ferrero revamped Supercrema with the intention of marketing it across Europe. Its composition was modified and it was renamed "Nutella". The first jar of Nutella left the Ferrero factory in Alba on 20 April 1964. The product was an instant success and remains widely popular.^[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutella

the aestheitc of nutella has changed dramatically from its establishment in the 1940's from a very illustrative and fancy look to a more modernist and Scandinavian look. 

OUGD504. Design Production. Design for Web. Session/Task 1 - Getting Started.

we had a session with phil and lorraine about web. we were asked to pair up so i went with sarah. as part of the task we were asked to answer 5 questions:

   What is your subject matter

from the summer brief and the research i gathered i decided to base my website around pens and drawing as this was the most interesting and personally/professionally relevant topic.

   What are you trying to communicate?

i am trying to communicate the promotion of pens and drawing and also prvide guidance and instruction on draweing and the use of different pens.

   Who will be / could be your audience or ‘end-user’?

the audience could differ depending on the specific aim and content of the website. it could be creative students seeking advice and information about pens and drawing. it could be older creatives or professionals seeking new information.

   What will be the most appropriate / effective form of content?

informative and useful but not overly detailed or dense and will an inviting and light hearted tone of voice/delivery. an understanding and patient layout and instruction for any interactive aspects of the website.

   What is the function & Purpose?

to inform and instruct the audience about pens and drawing and the different types and techniques involved. potentially as an interactive guide and lesson scenareo.

we were then asked to consider what sector/industry we would likely be designing for. 

due to the nature of it being informative and instructive/educational, my website would be appropriate in both the private and public sector as both professional and in education creatives should benefit from it. the industry i am designing for the the art/design industry, mainly graphic design, illustration, digital media design.

from these questions we were then asked to discuss our ideas so far with our partner and consider appropriate and flawed aspects of our proposals and where we could improve.

we were then asked to make some spider diagrams about our topic, content, and audience to visualise our thoughts and ideas.

PART 2

to gain a better understanding of design for web we were asked to gather a breadth of research about website design and what exists already. to gather a broad range of research and different types of research we were first asked to establish an understanding of the different types of research.

- Qualitative Research -

Qualitative research is a method of inquiry employed in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also inmarket research and further contexts.^[1] Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior. The qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, when. Hence, smaller but focused samples are more often used than large samples.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualitative_research

Focus groups, in-depth interviews, content analysis, ethnography, evaluation and semiotics are among the many approaches that are used, but qualitative research in its most basic form involves the analysis of any unstructured data, including: open-ended survey responses, literature reviews, audio recordings, pictures and web pages.

http://www.qsrinternational.com/what-is-qualitative-research.aspx

Qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them (Denzin 1994). Qualitative research is intended to penetrate to the deeper significance that the subject of the research ascribes to the topic being researched. It involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to its subject matter and gives priority to what the data contribute to important research questions or existing information.

http://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/cochrane/handbook500/chapter_20/20_2_1_definition_of_qualitative_research.htm

examples of qualitative research -

• observation - actually watching a subject and recording any findings. this allows the researcher to gather research about a subject that is undisturbed and unaffected; in its 'natural environment'.
• artefacts - when studying a specimen (e.g. bones or documents) the researcher learns things from it which can inform about other things linked to the topic of research.
• interviewing - asking people questions or getting them to give an account on something provides perspective research.
• focus groups - gathering a selection from a target market to give information and opinion about a research project provides relevant research.
• surveys - to gain impartial and large scale 

- Quantative Research -

In sociology, quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of social phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques.^[1] The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypothesespertaining to phenomena. The process of measurement is central to quantitative research because it provides the fundamental connection between empirical observation and mathematical expression of quantitative relationships. Quantitative data is any data that is in numerical form such as statistics, percentages, etc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantitative_research

Quantitative research — including surveys and customer questionnaires — can help small firms to improve their products and services by enabling them to make informed decisions

Quantitative research is about asking people for their opinions in a structured way so that you can produce hard facts and statistics to guide you. To get reliable statistical results, it’s important to survey people in fairly large numbers and to make sure they are a representative sample of your target market.

http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/market-research/what-is-quantitative-research-

from the session we were asked to look at 5 different websites and critically analyse them.

1. http://www.wemakepdx.com/#ourstory 

i really like the visual compsition of this site as i think it offers a minimal layout that doesnt take =away from the background image. conversely the image doesnt hinder readability or navigation. i think the logo font is really suitable and works well as white on top orange. the navigation in the top left is predictable but useable and works well. the bottom right rollover flag is a nice addition that looks like a label for the page but also acts as a hyperlink.

2. http://serialthriller.com/

the layout for serialthriller i think is well considered and follows an undertandable and navigable grid system. each image acts as a link to the folio of it and the relevant artist which is a simple but clever way to organise the art showcased. its easy to follow and there are no confusing or offputting aspects to it.  

3. http://www.aestheticinvention.com/

simlilar to the above example this site uses a grid system to organise and separate the images they are also links to other pages. this site has considered the horisontal grid more so than the vertical and hence pushes a left to right view of the page as opposed to indicating a downward extension(even thogh there is one). i really like the simplicity of this site and the sans serif font involved mimics the minimal aesthetic of the site well.

4. https://kuler.adobe.com

i think the kuler website is a really well organised and useful site that offeres a great number of tools for colour exploration, understanding, application, and combinations. its simplicity allows for easily understood navigation between tools and houses everything in a clearly presented and useable way. because the tools can be used in conjunction most things are displayed on the same page. this allows for complete interactoion with tools and also cross referencing and use. becvause most things are pictoral or image based there is little confusion over language and written communicative aspects.

5. http://www.flatspot.com/

flat spot is a well considered and well designed websote that i think is a great example of a design that really considers its target audinece and tailors the site to them. the navigation at the top is categorised well and clearly enables the user to navigate through the different clothing and range categories. i like the simply aligned central image because it smarty levels the type to image ratio but is not overtly apparent. the fact that it is a changing image space is a good way to keep the site looking active and live

       

OUGD504. Design Production. Web Design Mac Room Session 3.

due to unforseen circumstances i was unable to attend simons 3rd web session but i looked over other peoples blogs to get the basic jist of what went on.

this session was on creating and coding hyperlinks between site pages.
when coding text is ordered in long lines and it can be hard to differenciate between what command correlates to what so to order each </div> command you make it and the one it correlates to one space further out than the previous command.


</div>1
    </div>2
         </div>3
         </div>3
    </div>2
</div>1

the code sequence for a new interactive button is
<div id="button">


this sequence enables the coding of a rollover image - when the curser is over it a change will occur - usually used to indicate a hyperlink.

the code for a link to another website - a hyperlink -

the hash means that there is no link currently allocated so you need to change this for the site destination you want -

in order to test the size application of your site layout its important to design box models which illustrate, specifically, how what will fit where. because separate aspects of the site have to be collated into one area, and the fact that this are changes depending on the platform hosting the site, it is important to test the working composition so that there is no misplacement of the sites components.

in order to place text boxes on the page corrdcvtly follow this code.

OUGD503. Responsive - Design Process 2. Studio Session - pitch and propose.

today we had a session with fred.
we were introduced to the ideas of pitching and propsing our ideas and how to competently form them. we were encouraged, from the session, to explore the briefs we were doing and to fully understand the meanings, aims, requirements and directions that our responses should take from what the brief communicates.

we then looked at project proposals and why/how we should be organising and writing them. ten main points -

1. set out my aims and objectives clearly

- aims - the changes my project will make to the status quo - social, political, publics opinion, individuals opinion.

- objectives - the methods and procedures with which i will achieve my aims - research, production, understanding, completion.

- overall aims - consider what the general requirements for the brief are in line with my own personal      aims. what will the imapct be?

- specific aims - consider, in detail, what i want to/think my brief should achieve. why will my response be successful in line with the brief? who/what will it imapct on?

- objectives - think about what my outcome should involve/include in order to make it the most appropriate to the brief. consider what design tools i should use to successfully communicate my message. how will you make an imapct?

2. be smart

- specific - establish exactly what needs to be done

- measurable - consider what would make my outcomes successful and measure my proposal in line with that criteria

- achievable - are the materials, equipment, time scales, and any other input to my outcome available and am i capable?

- realistic - honestly consider whether i think i will be able to achieve my aims.

- time bound - clearly define the time scales, constraints and requirements for each aspect of my response and the brief deadline. will i be able to stick to these?

3. use words from the brief

- scan the brief for important words relating to what its asking of you, who its for, why/how it should exist, what its trying to achieve.

- think about these words and their definitions and use to inform my development.

4. justify the need for your proposal

- make sure i depict and explain the research i have undergone and how/why it has informed my design development and proposed outcome.

- who needs it? why? what evidence of this is there?

- dont make any empty statements -back things up!

5. who are 'they'?

- specifically define my target audience in line with the briefs requirements and my aims and objectives for my response.

- demographic, location, lifestyle.

- are they involved in a (relevant?) industry? what are their values? why would they engage with my response?

6. describe your motivations

- think about why i want to do the brief. work out what my vested interest is and how i want to respond to the brief.

- consider what my targets and aspirations are then establish how i will recognise their success and completion.

- what are my values? - political, social, economic, environmental.

7. dont be vague

- words to avoid -
Unique, nice, special, normal, bland, sleek, definitely, awesome, basically, essentially, totally, interesting, utilize, like, get, got, I, chance, actually, really, truly, amazing, everyone, never, always, things, life, a lot, good, bad, cool, whatever, went, boring, trendy, stylish, maybe, individual

8. consider the viewer

- remember that my propsal is explaining and promoting my response to the brief and so needs to be clearly understood by its audience.

- design should be saved for the response - there is no need for an overly aesthetically driven porpsal. consider a professional layout.

- use a tone of voice appropriate to the propsal audience - say what you need to say and dont use overly flowery vocabulary or pad it out unneccessarily.

- get other people to check spelling and grammer before submitting.

9. visualise the ending

- begin with what i want to achieve in mind.

10. assume nothing

- to assume makes an ass out of u and me


question everything, accept nothing.

for the second part of the session we were asked to bring our chosen brief as the 'main' one for the responsive brief one. with it we had to bring our answered questions for the brief, our concept form, our re-written crit and 5 reasons why my resolution will win.

we got into groups and each presented our dvelopment so far and what we'd brought. from presenting our work we each gave feedback based on what we had gone over in the presentation.

from my propsal the group advised me:

1. research each indivdual event listed in the brief to gain a better understanding and be able to make a more informed decisiion on which to pick.
2. look more into the emotive aspect of each event and try to understand its impact on the audinence as opposed to looking at the face value of the events.
3. consider my own personal interpretations of each event in order to involve my own take.
4. try to find a theme or connection between my chosen events to supply some continuity or ocnectivity in the design. if there is no theme; consider what makes each one individual.
5. look into potential audineces outside the assued target audience. why might they benefit from my design? could they offer a different perspective to inform my development?
6. look at the history of XL records - what it was, what it is now, what it sees itself as.
7. consider the record companies target market.
8. generate an aestheitc from an informed understanding of the events and their deeper meanings/impact.

this feedback was really useful in giving me a better undertsnaind of where i was and what i needed to do.

OUGD503. Responsive - Design Process 2. Task 2 & Studio Session

can possibly go back and look at d&ad or ycn. by next session we need to have applied everything in the two sessions to the chosen brief.

first we got into little groups and presented each of our chosen briefs and discussed how we might go about tackling them. we decided to have a look at the newly released d&ad briefs and becuase their scope and type reflect the ones we looked at in the previous sessions so much more than the ones i found i decided to change my pick for task 2 to one from the d&ad selection.

http://www.dandad.org/awards/new-blood/2014/categories/16/xl-recordings

 we were asked to consider

- what is the problem? -
that there is a need for an illustrative design solution for the history of XL recordings.

- what is the brief asking us to do? -
to design illustrative depictions of selected historic events from XL's recording history.

- what is it trying to achieve? -
a promotional recognition of the company's history and recording achevements.

- who will it benefit? -
the company from the promotional aspect of the brief aim and any fans of the music or recording comapny.

- what is the message? -
that XL has a broad number or recording achevements and has helped a variet of artists in recording their music.

- who is the audience? -
Music fans and fans of the recording company XL

- how will the message be deliviered? -
in an aesthetically interesting and aspirational way with praise for the music and XL

- can you see a problem with this? -
that people might not be aware of the company or its recording achievements or the music produced.

-why have you chosen the brief?
because i have an interest in the music produced by artists signed to XL recording and also enjoy and am pursuaded by illustrative design.

-what do you want to get out of the brief?
a chance to improve my design skills, in particular my illustrative side with a hope to improve the synthesis between my hand rendered and digital design.

-what do you want to do/make/propose in response to the brief?
an interesting rendition of a few key and personally significant historic events that involves a mix and/or use of both mechanical and digital graphic production.

-what do you need to do/make/propose?
an illustriative depiction of one or multiple hitoric events from XL's history that involves both print and digital elements.

-what problems can you for see when working on this brief?
that i will have to develop a strong concept for my designs and then be able to successfully translate this into a meaningful and creatively stimulating visual depiction of my chosen events.

the we had to go over the brief we presented to our group and decide on 

-5 words that we thought were the most important in the brief - 

illustrate.
celebrate.
context.
concept.
engages.

- 5 things that we need to consider -  

which moments to illustrate
what aesthetic to follow
what i want to communicate about XL and the events
what form my printed and digital resolutions should be in
how my audience will receive my design solutions

- 5 products related to your brief - 

cds
mp3
stereos
clothing
cars

- 5 places related to your brief -
london
usa
amazon
england
scotland

- who is the audience -
music fans and fans of XL recordings

- who should the audience be -

music fans and people with a steak in the company.

- who could the audience be - 

anybody with an interest in music or the events being illustrated.

- what do they do (audience) - 

work. socialise. listen to music. study. go out. use technology. drink alcohol. smoke. eat. immerse their selves in cultural events. 

- where do they go - 

to nights. to events. to the cinema. to gigs. to theatre. to bars. to oubs. to work. to college. to uni. to town. to play sports. clothes shopping. festivals. 

- what do they buy - 

drinks. clothes. technology. shoes. alcohol. tobacco. food. music. tickets. cars. bikes. rent.

- whats wrong with quiche - 

nothing

- who do they live with - 

other like minded peers. partners. spouse. kids. mates. alone. with parents. 

one of the first things to determine by myself is who is the audience and what specifically do i think they are and do. if a brief specifys the audience they jave a more in depth understanding of what they want of the designer and for the brief. consider whether they have even thought about the audience i have come up with and whether or not they want to include and target this audience because involving other audiences might make my work stand out more or make my communication more successful.

so from that determining the audience etc:

- what can i do? - 

i can try to appease both the younger and older generations included in my demographic through my design and aesthetic and message.
i can try to communicate my concept and what i want to communicate as strongly as possible so that my design solutions are fully understood.

- what am i going to do? - 

design an appropriate and stylised illustration of one or more events from XL's history that through type and image communicates the events, the reactions to the events, how the wider public recieved the events, what the effects of the events where on the uk/usa music inductries. 

- what could i do? - 

i could do a poster design and webpage layout. i could do an interactive leaflet timeline and minicing digital design. i could do a printed and digital infogrpahic on the events.

from this we were each given a rationale to fill in

1. what are you going to do?

design a visually interesting, informative, and influential graphic resolution based on historic events within the history of XL rocords.

2. why are you going to do it?

because i want to explore my illustrative design skills and have a go at promoting music that i like and am interested in in a clever and stimulating way.

3. who are you doing it for?

people with an interest in the music and record company

we were then asked to rewrite the brief into our own so that it would be more tailored to our aims and understabnding. 

we were also asked to consider 5 reasons why we thought our design solutions would win.

1. because i have a long standing interest in a lot of the music and events in the brief. 

2. because i am really interested in and spend most my time doing illustrative design.

3. because i like story telling through design and have a vested interest in the brief.

4. because i have a considerable understanding of print and mechanical design.\

5. because i am interested in digital design and want to improve my abilities in it.

the idea of questioning a brtief is central to our development as designers. particularly wiuthin comp briefs because with multiple entries its important to analyse the brief in terms of other entrants and the clients need but then further to consider whats likely to come from other competitors and how i as a designer can be appropriately different and leading. its all integral to our crative practice.

i should be applying all these questions to all the briefs i consider.

we were asked to go away and re write the brief that im goin to work on - see yellow brief sheet. consider propsitions 

over the next two weeks rewrite the new brief into my brief and start working on it. develop it and work on it. bring 5 reasons why my response to the brief will win. 

looking at how i prpose something and how i produce something. 

see my individual practice post in design practice blog for development.

OUGD504. Design Production. Design for Print. Creative suite Session 4.

today we had the 4th session with mike in which we were asked to get into groups of 3 around one computer.

we were given a spread in indesign to look at and try and find the 9 errors involved in the setup, colour, and images on the file.

5 ink job.
9 errors -
use the links pallete to check information on images and placed files.


1. one of the swatches was in rgb mode - changed to cmyk //
2. more colour swatches in pallette than needed - got rid of them. //
3. certain photo files jpeg format - woman with cow and bucket, 1st page.  acceptable format in tiff and     psd. // would have to resave it in photoshop as tiff n then relink in indesign so jpeg image is exchanged for tiff file.
4. one image is in rgb - crowd top right corner. // - right click > edit original (alt+double click on image) then go to mode>cmyk in photoshop.
5. over high ppi for one image - 600ppi - strolling cows logo 3rd page. // change in photoshop.
6. one image is low at 200ppi - pink girl with hat and cow, 3rd page.
7. scaled down image - 12.9% - cow with flower neck tie. // can scale up in photoshop but still will be low quality so better to get larger image sent and reattach to indesign file.
8. top ten logo - scaled up to 233.4% - means effective res is 129 dpi, too low for print. // alt+double click - open in photoshop then look at image size.
9. 3rd page website text in registration black - means its on every plate so all inks are printed on top and will look too thick and muddy brown black - ave to change the colour to the K black.

is harder to spot mistakes in a file that someone else has designed as opposed to your own work. when sending to the printer youve got to include all aspects of the file inc. images, fonts, any other placements etc. package duplicates the doccument inc. all images and fonts and packages them together. before it does this there is a summary to the doccument comes up - this shows most of the mistakes that are involved in the doccument. there is a quicker way to check for mistakes - file > package. 



in pdf use press quality to get the best print quality. high quality is appropriate for proofs. smallest file size is great for on screen proofing.

OUGD504.Design Production. Design for Print and Web. Brief Introduction.

today we were introduced to the thrid brief from the design production module; design for print and web. this brief is intended to pull together the two previous brief to offer a more synthesid final brief with new learning opportunities.

we get a set of brief from which we can choose one to ursue.
- we were advised to choose a focus of either print or web but still maintiain consideration for the            other.    
- think of areas involved in each one.
- there is a greater need for technical understanding to be evidenced from our outcomes.
-  it is important to really think about our intended audience.
- think about production methods, costs, stock, relevance to the brief.
- show what a designer needs to do and do something that i want to design for.

from this introduction to the new brief we were asked to go off and look at the briefs offered on estudio and pick three that we thought looked interesting and appropriate we were to consider a bsic idea for each brief, print the briefs off for next session and bring in any propsals.

Your content should demonstrate an understanding of design for print and web, which includes but is not restricted to font selection, colour selection, layouts, usability, content / content management and designing for your audience.

Your finished product should show an understanding of the role of a graphic designer in design for cross media delivery, as well as demonstrating industry standard requirements.

You will need to demonstrate an understanding of:

• Production Methods.
• Stock considerations
• Colour systems
• Commercial costings

Your content should demonstrate an understanding of the audience, context, functions and uses of Graphic Design within the international graphic design indistries and broader creative industries.

having read the introductions and brief requirements on the pdfs i then started looking through the individual briefs. initially i just looked over them to get a feel of what each one was about/required. then i went over each one in more depth, considering what exactuly it was asking, whether i would enjoy desiging around that topic, what i might design for that topic, and what learning experiences i might take from it. having gained a basic understadning of each brief i then went on to select 5 ones that i thought i might like to do:

• '75rpm - mp3' - this brief is based around the typographic interpretation and representation of songs from the 20th century (2009 brief).
• 'TypeFactory' - this brief is based around the design of visual identity for a type museum (2009 brief).
• 'Channel X' - this brief is based around the design of a visual identity for a new tv channel (2010 brief).
• 'Not Just Felurons' - this brief is based around the typographic interpretation and representation of plants (2011 brief).
• 'Imbalance' - this brief is based around the typographic interpretation and representation of the concept of imbalance as defined by me (2010 brief).

i then revised each of these briefs in more depth paying particular attention to the target audiences and project requirements because these help set the tone for understanding the brief. having critically analysed each one i decided upon the three main brief i thought i would like to work on.

1. 78rpm – mp3 . . . 

A celebration of popular song lyrics of the 20th century

The invention of audio-recording media in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the development of mass-media entertainment through radio, and eventually television, led to an explosion of creative songwriting that has scarcely abated to this day. From Tin Pan Alley to Abbey Road, from 78rpm to mp3, the lyricist’s art has informed and influenced contemporary culture at every level. Each decade of the 20th century has its share of iconic tunes and charismatic writers and performers – we want you to celebrate their art in typographic form.

The Brief

Investigate the lyrics of at least two songs selected from different decades of the 20th century. Take the opportunity to express the essence and spirit of your chosen songs in a typographic ‘tour de force’. You may wish to compare or contrast, consider period, context, locations, include biographical or historical sub-texts, or simply celebrate the emotions that are aroused by great words. 

Think laterally, develop high quality research, 

intellectual rigour and well-considered typography. You may wish to consider the juxtaposition of your chosen pieces – do they have anything in common? Do they address similar issues/themes? Are they polar opposites? You decide! The possibilities 

are endless . . . .

A screen-based submission could be an interactive piece or an animated sequence – again you are encouraged to be innovative 

and exploratory. The use of sound, motion, interaction etc. offer many opportunities in respect of the design, but do bear in mind 

that the submission should be typographic in essence and this requires careful consideration. 

The challenge is to interpret the lyrics typographically. We would discourage overt 

use of imagery (eg photographs of performing artists) and suggest a subtle and sensitive approach to the inclusion of any illustrative content. 

A list of artists to start you off: Noel Coward, 

Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim, Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein, Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Marc Bolan, Joe Strummer, Joey Ramone, Madonna, M&M, Oasis, K T Tunstall, The Scissor Sisters, Coldplay, Black-Eyed Peas etc.

Target Market

Design students, discerning designers, 

and music enthusiasts.

Requirements

• Research and Development

• Strategy 

• Specifications/Grid(s) 

• Dummy/Prototype(s) 

• Presentation 

Cross-reference this project brief with the ‘Assessment Criteria’ sheet.

Submissions will only be accepted 

in one robust portfolio no larger than a2.

2. TYPE FACTORY

The Type Factory is a new museum and gallery space being developed in a location of your choice. Offering an exciting resource and experience for designers, school-children and discerning tourists, its mission is simple: it aims 

to inform and enthuse its visitors about all aspects of type and to promote all things typographic. The factory will house a range 

of artefacts and displays that demonstrate 

the history of type and typographic design, while the gallery space will host temporary exhibitions of contemporary type design and typography and offer a venue for talks by some 

of the leading advocates of design as well as emerging talent.

The factory will also house a café and book-store which will encourage visitors to meet, share their thoughts and aspirations.

The Brief

Design a visual identity and range of promo-tional materials. You may use Type Factory as 

the name or create an alternative.

The identity must capture the essence of the experience that the visitor will have. You should express its use across an appropriate range of applications and show how it will work across media. Rather than specify the uses, we want you to consider the best range of uses – signage, web pages, display panels, ambient media . . . the choice is also an opportunity 

for an innovative approach to presentation.

Promotional material for print submissions should include a booklet that will be used 

to promote the venue. This should include treatments for cover, venue information page(s) and at least three spreads. Local outdoor advertising requires a poster – at least 4 sheet 

size (present a scaled-down version with images 

of its use in possible locations).

Screen-based submissions could be a website which would include the identity, appropriate information, examples of promotional events and merchandise and equate with the volume 

of print requirements.

Target Market

Designers, school-children, tourists

Requirements

• Research and Development

• Strategy 

• Specifications/Grid(s) 

• Dummy/Prototype(s) 

• Presentation 

Cross-reference this project brief with the ‘Assessment Criteria’ sheet.

Submissions will only be accepted 

in one robust portfolio no larger 

than a2

3.