EVALUATION - Elmwood

Elmwood had been in to set us a brief titled 'brand the boring', where I was given the profession of a removal company. From this, I was lucky enough to be selected to go and pitch my final idea at the studio based in Leeds. Initially I was nervous, however when we arrived Steph was extremely accommodating and friendly which put me at ease. Before the presentations, we were given the opportunity to take a look around the studio to see the working environment, where a vast array of creatives were hard at work. The atmosphere was very inspiring and the surroundings were extremely motivational.

The pitch itself was quite casual and I felt confident in getting my concept across. It was great to get some feedback straight away, taking note on how I could build upon, expand and change my ideas. This experience really helped with my presentation skills, both in terms of speaking and visuals, which will become extremely useful when it comes to pitching my ideas to clients.

The brief itself wasn’t necessarily a brief I would have chosen to do, however it was a great opportunity and it allowed me to really start thinking much more conceptually, focusing on how this can make a brief stronger than the visuals. The visuals I created weren’t too my usual style, and therefore I initially struggled, however I felt that I had successfully branded a removal company to appear much more contemporary, updated and trustworthy. In terms of feedback from Elmwood regarding the practical work, they noted that the name ‘Shift It’ was extremely effective, as were the illustrations, yet they could be expanded on and played around with more in order to explore scale and application. 

EVALUATION - Dialogue

It was a great experience being a part of the Dialogue exhibition as it allowed for the opportunity to display my work to a wider audience, which meant that my design wasn't just restricted to it's usual environment. This then allowed for exposure and increased professional experience, which led to me gaining feedback from individuals outside of the course.

It was great to see how the prints had been combined, seeing how effectively two designs had been paired together to create one outcome. I was extremely proud of Eve and Nathan and all the hard work that they had put into the exhibition. It made me much more aware that I should be trying to find more opportunities like this one where I am able to get my designs out into the real world.

Although this brief was a quick turn around, I am pleased with how my design came out. For this brief, I was able to work with a subject matter that was relatable to my own current thoughts and interests, working with a humorous tone. This made the whole project a more personal experience, allowing me to reflect real life situations and people, whilst offering a memorable space for the chosen quote.

If I were to do it again however, I would have liked to have experimented more with hand written type and I would have developed it further, exploring new visuals. A lot of research was undertaken into designs that feature the maker’s own handwriting, and I am aware that my own skills aren’t quite there yet. However, it is something I want to keep practicing and incorporating into my work. I am still learning in this area, and I therefore want to build upon this in order to produce exciting and contemporary visuals that will work alongside my illustration. 

EVALUATION - Alternative Christmas

As the brief was lyric based, the most appropriate outcome was hand rendered type. Type itself can be just as effective as image as it can use form and shape to reflect feeling and emotion. The script-based type used suggests love and compassion, using red as an indicator of both this and the Christmas theme. This was appropriate to the tone of voice, whilst also been reflective of a greetings card. I feel that I have successfully reflected the chosen lyrics of the song, without creating a tacky or garish visual.

From doing this brief, one of the most important things that I have learned is that I want to involve myself in more projects that are purely for a good cause. It was great that Lizzie spent a lot of time and effort organising and printing to give all of the proceeds to a local charity, and it was great to see so many people on the course getting involved.

In terms of research, I explored the lyrics in the song in order to gain a better understanding of the message and the tone of voice. This then allowed me to explore hand drawn script type, both relevant to, and not relevant to the content and the theme. This helped to inform my design, seeing how type had the ability to reflect a feeling.

Although this brief was intended to have a quick turnaround of a day, I would have liked to have developed the type even further, possibly exploring a more illustrative style that included relevant imagery to strengthen the message.

EVALUATION - Champneys

I have worked with Steph in previous years, creating successful outcomes, and therefore we decided to undertake another brief this year. Mine and Steph's skill sets and interests differ quite drastically. She is used to working digitally with websites and apps and has quite a deep hatred for packaging, which is something that I love. However, we felt that this was in fact an ideal starting point, as it would also us to produce something varied - printed products supported by a website for example. I always learn new things when working with Steph. She is extremely competent on Photoshop, a programme that I had hardly used until now. She taught me a lot in terms of layout and shortcuts, and because of this, I have now been using it to produce the final boards for all of my briefs.

I also feel that I helped her strengthen her skills on Illustrator, working with digital scans and showing her how to add colour, using different brushes and tools. Whilst we were always together when working on this brief, we used our individual skill sets to produce something that we were really proud of. It gave us both the chance to work within areas that we wouldn't usually place ourselves, whilst also allowing us to show off our abilities, which is why I feel we work together extremely effectively and efficiently.

For the research side to this brief, I decided to undertake a large range of primary research, specifically focusing on packaging and existing Champney’s products. I felt that as I was most focused on this aspect of the design, I wanted to gain a strong understanding of what was needed to target a younger audience in order to inform my development and decisions. This also allowed me to see where improvements needed to be made to the Champney’s branding. From this, I was able to relay my findings to Steph and we could then collectively work on visuals. This research was paramount, as much more contemporary branding really stood out on the shelves, and certain aspects such as colour and illustration made it clear who the products were targeted at.

Pattern and packaging design was evidently my strong point during this brief, creating bold, fresh and exciting visuals that looked high end and unique but also affordable. I feel that the new packaging range was a really strong way to entice a younger market, whilst making them aware of the importance of staying healthy through the inclusion of informative leaflets.

In terms of weaknesses, I feel that the digital elements of the brief really let us down in terms of consistency. Although as a stand-alone outcome the blog and app are really effective ways of targeting a younger generation to engage with a brand, I feel that the design differs too much from the packaging, which really stands out. If we were to revisit this, I would want to try and incorporate more elements from the print based products into the digital outcomes.

EVALUATION - Cath Kidston

The main thing that I have learned during this brief is that it can be extremely difficult to emulate an existing brand aesthetic. Cath Kidston prints are so unique that I found that I initially struggled to design something that would effectively work alongside the brands existing products. It took quite a bit of experimentation to finally find a way of working that I felt suited the range of conversational designs, and unfortunately this slowed down the entire process of what should have initially being a short term brief.

I also learned the difficulties of working towards such a specific target audience. The brief had so many requirements in terms of whom the design should be aimed at, that it was hard to cater to every aspect. However, this did in fact help me gain a better understanding of the context and environment that the print would be found in, which in term aided my concept. 

For this brief, I was able to undertake quite a lot of primary research, as the theme was something that was personal to me as well as the brand itself. Living in the countryside meant that I was able to gather a range of photographs and sources that I could then use as a reference tool for my illustrations. For example, I was able to get a range of images of hens, cockerels, flowers and shrubbery. This allowed for a stronger connection to the brief, giving me a better understanding of the visuals and the personality of the brand.

As well as this, I was able to visit a Cath Kidston store, as well as other stores that stocked a range of products from the brand. By doing this, I was able to see the type of environment in which the print would be sold, evidently surrounded by similar products including vintage items and craft. By seeing the products in their context, I was able to apply the finished design to appropriate products, including women’s fashion and homeware.

In terms of strengths, I am actually pleased with how well the print fits alongside existing Cath Kidston designs. Although similar elements have been taken from other conversational prints, I feel that this shows I had the ability to replicate the brand aesthetics to create a unique and nostalgic design. This allowed me to explore different ways of working with illustration, applying my knowledge to a new approach.

In terms of weaknesses, I feel that I could have improved on my mock-ups. This is a skill that I have still not mastered, and I feel that the end product would have looked a lot more professional if I was able to apply the design more effectively to a range. Although I have picked appropriate areas to explore, such as technology and crockery, this is an area that I need to improve upon in the future in order to showcase my final prints.  

EVALUATION - Brabantia

I believe that I have started to really explore my illustrative skills. Instead of simply working with digital illustration, I got off the computer and decided to create something by hand. By doing this, I have been able to target my audience, and really relate to my content. This process was an enjoyable one, and it has allowed my products to work well as a unique range through the application of colour and pattern.

Initially, I struggled to mock-up professional looking prototypes. However, as I needed to show screen-based examples to show that they would work alongside other Brabantia products, I really had to build on these skills, and look into producing some effective mock-ups. A lot of this included the application of pattern, so I also had to work with clipping masks and defining patterns. I became much more confident with this, which allowed me to create a consistent range.

Throughout this brief, I made sure that during my research I didn't simply look at existing Brabantia products and pattern application on kitchenware. Initially, I looked at Brabantia as a brand, and the type of things they were doing, however they didn't really feature too much pattern design. I therefore pushed my research into digital and printed pattern that had been applied to a range of products, not just canisters. This allowed me to gain a better understanding of audience, colour, format and environment and how the product would interact with it's surrounding. Once a pattern was developed, my research then informed me of effective application and how to create a suitable range, balancing colour and composition. 

In terms of strengths, I believe that throughout, one of my main strengths has been my illustrative work. From this, I have enjoyed focusing my work more, and looking at different ways of using colour and line within it. During cries, my peers recognised my illustrations as a skill, describing them as a main focal point to my work. I will continue to experiment with and explore this in order to create appropriate and relevant designs. 

I feel that the products appropriate to the theme, creating a contemporary and updated version of the retro, floral Patrice print, that would work within its context. These products compliment each other, and application has been kept consistent throughout. Colour and pattern have been balanced out to create a set that is not over powering and will therefore appeal to an audience that is looking for high quality, contemporary designs. By working together effectively as a set, they will have shelf appeal, allowing the user to purchase a number of products that can be used together to create a complimentary kitchen environment.

In terms of weaknesses, this brief was initially intended to have a quick turnaround, as the brief only asked for a simple pattern design to be uploaded to their competition site. Although I am happy that I created an effective range of supporting items, I need to work on being content with short briefs. In the future, once a brief is complete, I will make sure to move on from it.