UK GREETINGS - design development

As mentioned in my previous blog post, I wasn't happy with how the original design turned out. Things that needed changing were the colours, the layout and the format. I therefore decided to introduce a darker green, that would create contrast. The format was also changed, the overall size of the card was reduced, so that it was more square, and so that there wasn't too much white space that needed filled. Finally, I also began to move some of the shapes and illustrations around. 

Once I was happy with the final pattern, I could begin to fill in the blank space which would make up the bauble. As the card is quite pattern heavy, I wanted to balance it out with some type. The type I created was hand rendered, so that it complimented the rest of the design. 

I originally started to create type by hand using paint. This method was extremely tricky, and even with the thinnest paint brush it was impossible to get straight even lines. I therefore chose to hand write each word, which was then digitised using a graphics tablet. I could then simply convert these to live paint, and fill them with a block of painted colour. 

The two shades of green blended in too much with the rest of the design. They didn't particularly stand out, and this colour didn't create enough impact. 

I then started to experiment with different shades of orange, which was a much better contrast to the green heavy pattern. 

These shades of orange simply came from the original file for the orange berries. The colour has a really interesting gradient effect to it, which allows the text to flow better and look a lot more hand rendered. 

As I needed to create four cards, I decided to create a simple pattern design that reflected my original card. This way, they could work as part of a set, whilst giving me a starting point for the rest of my products (gift tags, wrap). I built up some simple individual illustrations using existing painted shapes. These were then repeated to create this layout. 

Another simple pattern design was created using existing shapes, to offer a more neutral greetings card. People who buy a pack of greetings cards, usually send them to a wide ranging audience, and therefore, I want my cards to target a number of different individuals. People usually take great care in deciding who gets what card when it comes to writing them ready to send. 

The final card evidently reflects the first, however the type has been changed in order to deliver a different type of message.