EVALUATION - Marks and Spencer Picnic

I feel that during this brief I have really developed my illustrative skills. Before this, I had never experimented with creating characters or individuals through illustration. I have always found it quite difficult to draw figures, and have therefore steered clear of doing so. However, with the help of Jenna and through different forms of research, I was able to come up with something I was really happy with. I feel that the characters created for this brief were extremely effective and reflective of our theme. It allowed us to create a friendly and approachable tone of voice, as well as experiment with colour and shape. They became a main focal point of our products, allowing us to modernise our Scottish theme and create interaction within the composition. 

We also spent a lot of time researching existing products, packaging and illustration. When collaborating, it can be quite tricky putting two different design styles together; therefore we needed to look at a way in which we could both work. This gave us a solid idea in terms of visuals and aesthetics, allowing us to work together, inputting and giving feedback along the way. This is an approach we took to design development throughout. We made sure that whilst designing, we were with each other at all times. This way, we could work on the packaging at the same time, 'mini-critting' each aspect as we did so. By doing this, we were able to bounce ideas off of each other, coming up with strong design ideas. 

In terms of strengths, the crafting of our products was particularly strong during this brief. I felt that we had the time and patience to create something of a high standard, as it had to appeal to a particular target audience. I will continue to work to this quality of end product in the future, so that my outcomes look as neat and tidy as they possibly can.

In terms of weaknesses, due to lack of experience, we struggled when it came to photographing our work. We were given advice on certain aspects, however we were quite unsure on settings, lighting and angles. I don't feel that our final images do our products justice but I still feel that they are a lot more professional than if we had simply taken them in our studio. A strength within this however was our use of food within the photography. Although the photos didn't look as professional as hoped, I am glad we experimented with using real food and products during this process. It gave a context to the brief, and allowed us to show how it would work in a real environment. In the future, I hope to be able to get help from a photography student, or perhaps allow them to take my photos for me so that I am able to use them for my website or my portfolio.

PICNIC - collab evaluation

Evaluation:

I have never worked with Jenna therefore this brief gave us the opportunity to explore how our minds would come together to produce a range of products. 

We also spent a lot of time researching existing products, packaging and illustration. When collaborating, it can be quite tricky putting two different design styles together, therefore we needed to look at a way in which we could both work. This gave us a solid idea in terms of visuals and aesthetics, allowing us to work together, inputting and giving feedback along the way. This is an approach we took to design development throughout. We made sure that whilst designing, we were with each other at all times. This way, we could work on the packaging at the same time, 'mini-critting' each aspect as we did so. By doing this, we were able to bounce ideas off of each other, coming up with strong design ideas. 

Although we work within similar areas of design, our visual aesthetics are quite different. It was hard to split the brief up into our strengths also because the design was extremely focused on illustration. I feel that our illustrative skills were particularly strong, and I am extremely happy that I experimented with character illustration and explored colours that I wouldn't usually work with. This made me realise that I should consider working outside of my comfort zone sometimes, whilst still keeping my work consistent. 

Working with Jenna allowed me strengthen a range of skills that I wanted to work with throughout the year, including packaging, crafting and illustration. She is a very positive person, and therefore made me believe in myself in terms of my design. This was an extremely fun brief to work, and although it is not completely consistent with the rest of my work, I feel that it allowed me to explore different avenues, giving me the confidence to explore new possibilities in terms of crafting and photography. 

M&S - template development

Now that we had the templates, we could then go on to explore how each additional space would look. We felt that using the turquoise would enhance the illustrations, whilst also creating contrast to the type. Jenna was given the job of creating a possible decoration that could be applied to each of the separate boxes. To add detail, it was decided that we could use the small flowers that I had illustrated, to create a border or a floral pattern. Jenna stated "I started by using small ones and placing them on the edge of the frame. Dotted lines were also added as further decoration but I felt that these were a bit excessive, so instead the flowers were used around the cutout as a finishing touch." Jenna also experimented with making the flowers larger, creating an area of decoration in the corner of the boxes. However, we both decided that this wasn't as effective, and it didn't really work alongside the rest of the illustration. 

Once we had decided on the finalised border, this could then be applied to each of the template, using a copy and paste method. I believe that this will look successful on the packaging as it isn't too busy and it doesn't distract from the rest of the packaging.

As the packaging is for food, it is necessary that we include particular information on each box, this includes dietary information and ingredients. We wanted to use the same type from the rest of the design, carrying on the same hierarchy. Jenna experimented with a number of different colour variations, looking at how the information included could be separated and lay out. We went through each design and decided that it would be best to display the information using a white box so that it was legible and clearer to see. 

M&S - template development

Below is a final export of the packaging working as a set. The next step would be to split up each area into templates, as these are only the faces of five separate boxes. 

I used our initial measurements to create templates for each product, which can be seen below. As there shortbread and oatcake boxes were the same, this template was simply copied over. The window was included, however, developments needed to be made to these templates in terms of the tabs and how the lid would work.

Using the initial basic templates shown, we could then work out exactly how we wanted the final product to look and which way up everything needed to be. The tabs were moved around for example and the windows were also. The windows needed to be on a fold, so that the food item inside could be seen from the front and also from the top. These changes are dispalyed on the second images in each section.

Oatcakes and Shortbread

Beef Sandwich

Haggis Crisps

Scotch Eggs

M&S - scene creation

Now we had all of our final measurements in place, we could begin to put a template together and also start to illustrate it. We wanted to include small curved 'windows' on each box, as this would allow the user to see what was inside. This was necessary as it is always important to be able to see the contents of something, and we also felt it added a sense of freshness to the products. The food items don't just want to be sat in cardboard packaging, therefore the window plays a number of different roles. 

Throughout the whole process, we made use of Dropbox. As this brief is collaborative, although we planned on doing most of the work whilst with each other, we wanted to make sure we had a way of sharing ideas and digital work. Dropbox allowed us to send files back and forth, and this would prove extremely beneficial throughout the entire process. 

The template

I drew up a quick template on illustrator that we could both work on in terms of adding illustration. The windows were included, as there was no need to create illustration on these areas as they would simply be cut away. It also gave us something to work around.  

Adding colour and illustration

We came up with an initial colour scheme that we felt was a modern reflection of Scotland, without incorporating traditionally Scottish shades, such as blue. Two shades of green were chosen as the images would include a lot of hills, foliage and plants as part of a Scottish back drop. The red/orange could then be used in contrast to this, whilst the grey acted as a balancing colour.

With our colour scheme in mind, we began to drop in the illustrations we had previously completed and started to build up a sort of background scene that we could work around. This included a lake, grass and a sky. By doing this, colour was applied throughout, and it made it a bit easier to work out where certain things needed to be placed. 

Whilst incorporating these different aspects, we began to play around with the colour slightly. We felt that the scheme we had chosen was too dull, and it made everything look a bit garish. There was nothing about the overall aesthetic that reflected our Scottish theme, and this definitely needed to be developed further. 

Changing the colour scheme

After playing around a bit, we finally came up with a group of colours that we were happy with. The chosen colours below were much more fresh and modern, whilst still being reflective of context and content. Any existing illustration was therefore removed, and we started to build up the scenary again. 

Using the chosen colours, we began to drop in simple shapes that represented mountains and streams. We made sure that these worked across a number of the products, so that they would all fit together within the picnic box, but still work as individual items. 

To expand on this, we wanted to start dropping in more detailed illustration. I drew up some foliage, flowers and trees that could be added to the backdrop. This started to give the packaging a bit more personality, and we could begin to work out what area of 'Scotland' each section would represent. 

These circular labels were added at this point so that we could start to consider how text would be incorporated into the packaging. As the background would be quite busy, we believed that by adding these little labels, we were creating separate sections where text could be added.

Adding type - handwritten

To develop our packaging further, we started to consider what the type should look like. With our illustrations being quite playful, we needed something that would compliment this aspect. Jenna drew up a number of different hand rendered type possibilities, and we decided on the one below. We felt that it was a fun and friendly type that represented our ideas well. Jenna wrote each title, and I then went on to scan these in, digitising them using the pen tool. 

The type was then added to each circular label. Although the type worked extremely well by itself, they didn't quite sit right on the template. They didn't compliment the illustrations in the way that I had imagined, and they looked slightly forced when placed in the shapes. We therefore needed to reconsider and re-look at how text could incorporated. 

Adding type - handwritten

In order to move on from the previous type included on the packaging, we felt that we would stick with the hand rendered aesthetic. This time, I drew out some possibilities using illustrator, and we decided to work with the type below. The red/orange was used to make it stand out from a very green-heavy background. 

This style was then applied to each title and was placed on the packaging. Initially, we kept it on a slight, to add a playful and energetic feel to the picnic. We struggled however to make this work on every single section. To move on from this, we changed the type to be on a horizontal level, whilst trying not to keep it to rigid or lined up. We also experimented with the possibility of including this type in the previous label. Again, this type worked extremely well by itself, but it just wasn't effective on the packaging and didn't give off the aesthetic that we had hoped. It looked too busy, and it didn't allow us to add extra information to the front. 

Changing the type - Haymaker and Jolly

After a lot of experimentation and searching around for appropriate typefaces, we finally found a typeface titled 'Haymaker' that we felt could work well alongside our illustrations. This would also allow us to use another typeface, that could be used for descriptions of the products. We kept the type in the orange as this was a great contrast to the green and made the titles stand out, attracting the customer. 

We played around with different layouts until we were happy with how it looked. We were extremely relieved to have finally found this type, as it meant we could continue working our illustrations around this. 

The final layout for the text can be seen below, a line has been used to break up the title of the product and it's description. At this stage, we also made some final decisions about what each section would include. 

Crisps - Princes Street Gardens

Berry Oatcakes - mountain scenery

Shortbreads - mountain scenery and Highland cow

Sandwich - Edinburgh castle

Scotch eggs - Lochness monster and lake

Throughout this process, myself and my partner consulted each other on all aspects of the design. We sat together and worked through the illustration, allowing changes to be made if necessary. Certain areas were split up, for example I illustrated the Castle and Jenna illustrated the arch for the gardens, however most of it was done on a shared basis. It slowly began to build up into a detailed and exciting scene. 

As we worked on the illustration together, it began to build up quickly, with changes being made as soon as they needed to. We continued to add to certain areas, making sure each section linked nicely and seamlessly. We didn't want to overcrowd, therefore made sure that we still kept areas of white space. Overall, we were extremely happy with how our designs developed throughout this process. We worked extremely well together, and by sitting and doing this, we had the opportunity to talk through each area, expanding on the designs and changing them when necessary. The initial designs started in such a different place to how they ended up, and there were a lot of positive changes made throughout.