screens for brief 3

I have prepared my screens for my 3rd brief - the range of gift stuff - and im going to do the printing this week. On these screens are:

A calendar
Boxes - 2 sizes
Bag (for chocolates)
Stickers
Round and rectangular Badges
Greeting cards
A packet for the greeting cards
Gift tags
Key rings
Fridge magnets
Wrapping paper

I have also sent off for a mousemat and 2 mugs. i think i'm going a bit mental but the bigger the range of stuff, the stronger it will be in my opinion.
I realise that all this stuff is pretty ambitious because i have to make up all the stuff once its printed and i need to remember that i don't have much time left and i've got another brief to do, which i've pretty much neglected because this one is so fun :) i think i'm getting on with this one quite quick though and i think i'm quite good at time management so i'm pretty confident i will have everything done.
I want to have the printing all done after thursday evenings drop in session and then i want to make all the stuff on fiday and over the weekend. Next week i want to take photos of all the stuff and make up my boards by wednesday so i can concentrate on PJ smoothies.

brief 3

This is my third brief which has changed from one about signage for an exhibition, to a continuation of brief 2, the screen printed book. This is becasue i was a bit confused about the exhibition brief and i had already made a few greeting cards with the book so i decided to make them a separate brief. I will enjoy doing this more than the brief i was going to do and it will strengthen the idea of the book.



click to make larger

interim evaluation

Put this on a bit late so some of it might not be relevant anymore...

Interim Evaluation.

I am focusing on illustration and it is process led because I wanted to practice and learn about different printing processes like screenprint and digital print. I haven't really investigated this area in much depth so I need to do more research
My research is mostly on my blog and there isn't very much of it. I'm having problems knowing what is relevant to research for my projects. There doesn't seem like I’ve done much work for either brief but I know how long it has taken to produce – especially the book - to draw, print then screen print, then bind the book and it was quite a long process. I think the processes I have used are worth developing further because I didn't really experiment with book binding or screenprinting very much – I just chose perfect binding which didn't really challenge me or allow me to learn something new. My audience seems to be people who like collecting things.
I feel like there isn't enough time to do everything I want to do because I've spent too long on the first briefs. I need to work quicker because I've got 4 weeks left to do 2 more briefs and finish off the first 2. Because I am doing a work placement from the 15th of Dec, I will have to submit a week earlier so I will have to plan my time extra mega good.
I need to re-look at my 3rd brief and clarify what it is about because I'm a bit confused about it. I'd like it to be a quick one because I don't want to sacrifice the competition brief.
I am using my blog to document the progression of projects – changes in briefs and decisions that I have made – I update it whenever we have a crit.
Problems I have identified are that I don't have a consistent message/audience/area of focus apart from print. My intention is to continue doing print work and image making but I want it to have a purpose: I have moved on from my initial starting point because I made both the briefs more commercial – imagining them in an appropriate context and how they would be sold etc.
I need to research printing processes/techniques more. I was thinking of using screen print again for the competition brief I'm doing but I think this will have to be a matter of how much time I have. I would like to develop my knowledge of digital print and colour and also editorial illustration (although this might be pointless because I don't think I want to be an illustrator as my main job – at least not straight out of uni).

contextual research

I took a trip to Paperchase yesterday to see what kind of paper products and general nice stuff was being sold so i could start a list of things i want to make for my 4th brief - (continuation of book brief.) There were lots of good greeting cards there, i was hoping to find some illustrations/designs that were across a range of products but they didn't have much variety.




juicylucydesigns.com
This is an illustrator with a business team who produce a wide range of products all based around fairies. As well as cards, they make stationery, magnetic products, magical message notes and even babywear. I think they would be good people to ask for advice if I were to sell my stuff.\







knit & purl - felt design. I cant find anything about the makers of these on the internet but they were my favourite. They were all photographed knitted objects and reminded me of violent veg.



Vimrod
These designs called vimrod are created by lastlemon productions ltd and are very well-known. They have over 4600 different designs and a wide range of products including books, cards, mousemats, coasters and mugs. Illustrations like this always appeal to me where there isn't much detail or drawing skill but something witty is said.



Weenicons
Weenicons created by urban graphic, are a set of cards which show characters from popular culture in a really simplified way but you can instantly tell who they are meant to be from certain features/objects and signifying characteristics. I like these because it feels personal to get someone a card with a character that they particularly like. I think with my cards I will make a few different ones with different food and drink on to give people a choice, or i will propose to make custom made ones from a list of loves and hates.









I think the best thing about these cards is that you get a free sticker with it - im going to copy off this and include badges and stickers or maybe make a little gift set. This has also reminded me that i need to consider designing the back of the cards.


Other items of stationery and printed products in Paperchase were things like badges, letter writing kits, packs of thank you cards and paper bags. I would like to try and make a bag like this edward monkton one. I think it would be pretty easy. Now i need to make a list of things i want to make, do more ink drawing which will work on each format (I want to change and add to the collection of drawings) and then do more screen printing onto these paper products. i will have to send away for mouse mats and mugs.

lovely books

I went to the royal Armouries last Friday and in the gift shop I saw these lovely books. They were guides for soldiers from various wars, reprinted on brown old looking paper. The covers were very simple and looked hand printed. They were covered with paper rather than buckram, which i used, and they were very nice to touch, the brown one was especially nice. They almost looked like ration books or something from the second world war. I would like to copy this sometime because it seems very easy and looks really good especially when there's a set of them.

finishing 2 briefs

I have just about finished the first 2 briefs now - the postcards and the book. Originally I was going to do a competition brief and then one about some sort of signage for an exhibition but i am now going to make the book one brief and then with the valentines cards i made, make a new brief to develop the 'i love/ i hate' thing across a range of products and paper stuff. Im going to do badges and more different cards as well as some badges and stuff.




For the final postcard packs I made them the same shape and size as the postcards and made them more like envelopes rather than boxes. This would make it easier to be something you put in your pocket when your on the go, as my target audience is professionals and people who travel lots. I also changed the magnifying glass to handcuffs on the crime packet because it was agreed that this would suggest crime more.





I kept the square box packets and thought they could be for if you want to subscribe to get them sent to you, more as items to collect. For these I made large square postcards which I think work well especially when the image on the front sits in the middle of the frame.

The main things i would do differently now are:

- I should have used the pantone books earlier on and made sure i specified the spot colours on the computer but i forgot to do this as i was in a rush to finish it.
- I should have maybe included tints in the images to make them more interesting and give them a range of tones. I didn't do this for the same reason as above.
- I didn't research very much design for packaging/postcards which could have helped me.





Final screen printed book. It is black and white throughout and is hard back and section stitched. This will form the basis for the next brief where I will apply the printing technique and content to other formats.

Things i would do differently:

-I would experiment more with different binding techniques and forms of the book
-I would make a copy of the book with colour in it

Greteman group

I researched the companies which featured on my last post about envelope design and my favourite was Greteman Group which is situated in Kansas, USA. They were my favourite because they had a really organic feel to their work and they use lovely colours in their print work and use a lot of illustration and imagery. I also liked them because of their clients - this is usually what attracts me most to designers or companies - and also their environmental design.

Environmental -

Oklahoma City Zoo






I have got quite interested in exhibition design recently and i might be doing design for environment for my third brief. I love the zoo because it looks engaging and fun as well as informative.

Print work


Book


This is a book they have done called nuts for nature which gives you a guide to getting animals and nature into your own garden. I like the subject matter and the imagery suits it perfectly. Again it looks like it was hand printed with silkscreen or even a sponge! but i dont think it is. i love the different textures they have achieved and the colours are very sophisticated for a book that could have easily looked too childish. you can buy it off amazon so i think i might have to do just that.

condom and lube kit



this condom and lube kit, cleverly disguised as a box of matches looks amazing and is a really good idea. I think i might just love it because i have a thing for brown paper and the yellow black and red printed on top looks really bold. the information on the inside is in-keeping with the whole package and they've obviously thought a lot about the audience and format. I would like to print on brown paper in the future and try to get some really bright colours , maybe through screen printing.

Cigar case



this box is also another of their designs i like. they seem to have a way of making colours really stand out and it instantly says south america through these colours, the illustration and the typography.

These print items were all under the category of 'fun' on the website so i dont think its their main work thast they make money from, more like side projects. I would love to produce work like this as a job because it uses print, looks organic and hand made and the colours and textures are lovely.

Envelope and folder Design

I have been looking at some envelope and folder designs to help me with making the envelopes for my postcards. I think I am going to keep mine pretty simple in form and in looks but i like looking at printed stuff.




These press kit folders were designed by Greteman Group for Bombardier Aerospace for the Paris Airshow in 2003. The four different folders represent the four different planes that were in the Bombardier line. They have used metallic inks and a curved folder flap to give an aerodynamic feeling to the designs. Apparently, to achieve a rich, deep black sheen, ink densities were doubled using a dry-trap process (which i think is to print over dry ink). What is particularly interesting to me for my brief is the way they look like a set. The colours go really well together and the simple drawings, although they look quite insignificant by themselves, look great as a set as you can see the slight differences in detail of the planes.




I love these folders for the Baltic in Newcastle , designed by Blue River Design. The card looks organic and neutral and the type design is bold but not interfering. I love the way there is several different formats for mailing photos, letters or bulkier items. One of them is flat but is scored along the sides so it can be turned into a 3D mail box. I think i am going to make different formats of my envelopes too - one flat and one 3D.




This pitch folder is designed by Bluelounge Design in USA for Zoe Design Associates - an industrial design and product development company. The stock is heavy weight to convey a sense of industrial and more and more information is revealed as the piece unfolds. Inside there is product brochure showcasing the company's best projects. One of the flaps encloses a business card and letterhead. For continuity, the folder is printed in Zoe's spot colours and features a series of square and round edges to go with their business card. I like this because its fun but its got function at the same time - they havent just done things for the sake of it. I could possibly do something like this where there is information on the inside of the envelope like the headlines that are contained inside? Although i think id like to keep them quite minimal and i dont want to be doing stuff for the sake of it.

Changes to briefs and crit feedback

The latest changes and decisions i have made with my first 2 briefs are:

Postcards:
I have made them part of the Guardian newspaper and have used their colours and fonts etc.
I have changed the requirements to 5 postcards for each category because 8 was unachievable in the time I have.
I am considering context more and where they would go and for what audience
The postcards use 2 colours each - black and the colour for the category.


Book:
I have made some greetings cards as well as a book and will make some badges to have more of a set of things.
I am considering them as a commerial product and thinking where they could be sold etc. i am going to pursue this in real life and try to sell them.
I have given it a name - Spam and Spaghetti


In the crit today I got lots of feedback which was really helpful. Here are my questions and the answers i got:

Postcards:
1. Do you think the postcard packs would work better if they were a pull-out in the Guardian at the end of the month or at train stations/ airports for free for people who have been away and missed the smaller news stories?
Airports/train stations.
They would work better if the packets were tighter - fits the inside postcards. Possibly a postcard book in a stand to keep them all in and they could rip out.
I think they would work better as a sort of subscription thing that people sign up for and form a collection to remind them of important events.

2. Do the images on the front communicate what they're supposed to?
maybe not the magnifying glass as it says science to me. Something more obvious like handcuffs or a poilicemen's hat might work better.
I did get the magnifying glass but it isn't as obvious as the others.
U.S. and health - yes, crime and business - not so much. Images should be more cliche.

Book:
1. Do you think i should keep going with a collection of products like make some badges or just leave it?
Yes, this could be ongoing. This could be used as your own brand - 'i love'
Maybe a couple of products, take photos grouped together.
Perhaps try card and badge as a gift set because the celophane has a nice finish to it.

2. Should i be bothering to contextualise it or is it something completely personal that should not be allowed to go in a shop?
I think the style lends itself to being sold. The cards are funny and i can imagine buying certain ones (vodka and coke for example)
I think its ok to make the idea into products because the style really works for cards etc. I just think you have to do less 'likes' or 'hates' per product so people can choose what they want.
Either way works well - it reflects your personal side but definitely try to contextualise e.g. brand name - maybe your own brand as a vehicle for illustration and cash :)


3. Hows about my moonpig idea? shall i include it in my boards or is it silly?
Yes this is a good idea. i like the fact that it is interactive.
Moonpig would be a good way of gettingpromotion becasue it is a big site, but perhaps online is not the way to go as it seems less crafty and tactile/nice.
It is good that you've explored this as an idea but probably best not to put it on your boards becasue moonpig site looks terrible.

4. Do you understand the pea card?
Is it like a reference to peas on Earth? (no but i wish it was!) Or maybe to seem like it is promoting peace, but is actually anti-peas?
Yes
Not sure but have some theories.


To conclude, the best responses i have got from this crit and what i will be changing/developing are:

Postcards:
Packets wrong size for postcards or postcards wrong size for packet - cant slip in pocket.
Need to do some context images
Need to change the magnifying glass and possibly the briefcase image.

Book:
Internet to impersonal for the style. Try and get a craft stall to sell them personally and tell people to write the things they love and hate and i will make them badges/cards/a book. Do some images explaining this idea on board.
Need to make badges.

Steven Harrington

Steven Harrington works in Los Angeles where he owns and operates National Forest Design with Justin Krietemeyer. As well as doing illustrative designs for skateboards and shop interiors for clients like Burton Snowboards and Sixpack, he does a lot of personal projects which I have chosen to look at because my book was themed around a collection of drawings and a lot of his work involves big collections of images. Also he uses the process of screenprinting a lot in his work and using this process was the main reason for doing my book brief.





Badges are good for having big collections :) I think the pages from my book would make good badges. Im going to make some if I have time.




He produces these screenprints which i think are beautiful because I love the dirty looking paper and bright colours. I think if I am going to do more screenprinting I want to do really colourful things like this because my book is only black and white and I didn't experiment with colour very much. He says the most playful and exciting thing in this process is mistakes which I like because a lot of my better work comes from mistakes (happy ones).









He uses interesting processes and experiments with media a lot. These are done by painting on top of polaroids.

Final look of postcards

I have decided on the final look of my guardian postcards. They will each be 2 colour - black and the colour which their packet is. This will ensure there is continuity and they will look like they're meant to be together. Also from a print perspective it would probably be cheaper than four colour process, although with four packets that means if i were to use spot colours there would be four colours plus black so i dont actually know if it would be cheaper. but it makes them simple and therefore hopefully easier to understand as a communication.
I produced the images by drawing (ok tracing) the objects i wanted in the image, then i scanned them in and vectorised them so i could then live paint them. i had created one of them initially on illustrator to see what it looked like but it didn't look fluid enough, this is why i chose to do it this way.