OUGD404 Study Task 02 - Colour Relativity

Today we had to pick a hue or tone of our least favourite colour, mine being brown. We then had to choose another colour that would work in combination with it, in the context of a children's book. The colour also had to work alongside black. 

These are my colour combinations:

The reason for my choice when choosing the brown is that I wanted a soft, pastel colour that is friendly and appealing. I usually connate brown to dirt, dark and garish I can't see it as very appealing in many contexts but i think this hue helps lighten it up and seems more friendly. I chose this pastel blue because on the colour wheel brown complements blue really well and I wanted this comfortable calming feel. I also feel that the brown helps to make the blue stand out which is where I would like to turn the attention to the blue and seem more intriguing and welcoming.

OUGD403 Study Task 03 - Drawing the Detectives

Today we were set the challenge of producing a graphic reinterpretation of a given Agatha Christie novel. I was given at random 'Death Comes as the End'.

Death Comes as the End

• Historical mystery novel
• Originally published - October 1944
• Publisher - Dodd, Mead and company
• A novel of anger, jealousy, betrayal and murder set in 2000BC
• Only one of Christie's novel not to be set in the 20th century and features no european characters.
• Notable for high number of deaths
• Based on some real letters
• One of four novels not to receive an adaptation of any kind.

After gathering these facts I began to look into the plot of the novel which I summarised in my own notes. I then began to look at visuals of what has already been done.

Pinterest was a really useful tool to use as I was able to gather lot's of visual stimuli. From this it became clear to me that within my design the setting of Egypt needs to be made very clear. 

Initial Ideas

• Borders - art deco inspired, Egyptian
• Hieroglyphics - Title - Used as background?
• Cliff
• Text - art deco Egyptian
• Title falling off cliff? 

I found a font on fontspace which uses Egyptian hieroglyphics and typed out the books title.
http://www.fontspace.com/barmee/hieroglify

I used this as a slightly transparent layer for the background. Next I went on to find an appropriate font. I found one suitable called DK Hofstad which resinates elegant art deco.
I then started to play around with designs.

This was initially my final idea but after looking around at other people's cover designs and looking at my design for a longer amount of time I didn't like it as much as it lack sophistication. I think the initial idea was good but I don't think I executed it very well. This led me to go back and think what else I could do and how I could change it to make it look more appealing.

I think this simplistic design is more engaging and seems to have a more cohesive design. I am a lot happier with this outcome and feel the text is bolder and more of the focus than the cliff in the other one. After I had finished my design I uploaded it to the Guardians website where they are celebrating Agatha Christie's 120th birthday.

OUGD404 Study Task 01 - Colour Theory

Today we had a brief introduction to colour theory which I found helped me remember and add to what I already know. For our task we got together in groups and selected 4 different genres of books from a list. We then using the Pantone colour guide located one dominant colour for each genre that would act as the background or title colour:

• one that is an expected choice of the genre
• one that is unexpected

FAIRYTALE:

Unexpected: We believe this could be an appropriate colour because fairytales originally can be quite scary and thrilling. The deep green helps reflect the heritage and makes it seem like a forest, it swallows you in.

Expected: We chose this pink because we feel that pastel colours are very modern and fairytales are now more soft and more femininely associated.

HORROR:

Unexpected: We thought that this yellow was striking and quite harsh on the eyes and when applied with a contrasting colour it could become quite bold. This would reflect a horror that is very in your face, shocking.

Expected: Naturally horrors use very dark colours and black seems to suck all the life out leaving a very eerie effect. 

MYSTERY:

Unexpected: Within this grey are lot's of hints of different colours which add to the mysterious effect it makes you want to look deeper and ask questions. It's ambiguous and chilling.

Pantone 441 U

Expected: Dark, mysterious depth that pulls you in. Subdued and deceptive.

THRILLER:

Unexpected: Bold and striking, immediately grabs attention. Also very compelling.

Expected: Evokes interest and has a fascinating allure about it.

I found it hard during this task to actually explain why we had chosen a certain colour.

OUGD403 Studio Brief 1 - Logotype

On Friday the 9th of October we were all briefed for our first studio task - logotype. We have to produce a series of logotypes for a re-brand of our chosen company. Experimenting with scale, stroke, spacing, contrast and alignment. 

I also need to consider:

• Who is the company?
• What do they do?
• Who is the target audience?
• Where will the logo appear?

I have chosen to re-brand 'The Perfume Shop'. It is 2nd in the UK as a perfume retailer and is growing larger as a company. This indicates to me that it needs to be branded so that it is iconic and no one will forget it. The current logo is too outdated and looks cheap, which does not reflect the high end brands it stocks. I also do not like the way in which it is stylised on the word 'Perfume' where it enlarges in the middle. I want to make a logo that is modern, iconic and reflects the brand well. 

Current logo.

About the company:

• UK founded in 1992
• Subsidiary of A.S. Watson Group 2005
• 2nd largest fragrance retailer in the UK
• Typically trades from smaller shops for better face to face interaction with their customers.
• Busiest period is Christmas
• Since 2010 - shop in shop concept at Superdrug stores which proved very successful.
• In 2011 they launched their own loyalty card scheme named 'Rewards Club'. Enables them to get to know their customers and monitor shopping habits so they could tailor for specific customers. Similar to other A.S. Watson companies.
• In The Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies To Work For in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
• Companies vision is to become the world's leading international health and beauty retailer.
• Aim is to exceed customer expectations in everything they do.
• Regular customer research
• Focus on "Price, service and range"

On Monday the 12th I went in to the shop in Leeds Trinity shopping centre, I was only allowed to take a picture of the outside of the shop. The reason I was not allowed to take a picture of the inside was because the brands they sell did not give their permission and neither do The Perfume Shop themselves. 

Things I noticed about the shop:

• Designer fragrances at affordable prices
• Professional advice - unbiased - individual tastes, needs and budget.
• Online website 
• Gift guide - catalogue
• Bright white lights
• Shiny
• Glass cabinets for ALL perfumes
• Split sections for men and women
• Red signs with white writing
• Clean
• BRIGHT
• Products on obvious display
• Minimal fuss - appeal to men 

These are my own photos of the shop in Leeds Trinity shopping centre, I wasn't allowed to take any others.

Staff + Uniform:

• Black top and trousers
• Girls black chiffon neck scarf with logo printed on
• Small black name badge
• Friendly
• Big smiles
• Really eager and happy to help

Competitors:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/08/Boots.svg/1280px-Boots.svg.png

BOOTS

• The UK's number one pharmacy-led health a beauty retailer
• Large destination health and beauty stores
• Purpose - To help customers look and feel better then they ever thought possible
• Boots UK is part of the Retail Pharmacy International Division of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc, the first global pharmacy-led health and well-being enterprise.
• There mission - "To be the first choice for pharmacy, health and beauty - caring for people, customers and communities everywhere".
• Established in Nottingham 1849 by John Boot 

Boots is primarily The Perfume Shop's major competitor as it is number one in the UK. Because of the heritage of Boots and how long it has been around, it is a trusted brand where customers may be more inclined to go. It visually has a strong brand identity because nearly everyone in the UK would recognise even just the blue oval without the text. The range and price at boots is similar to The Perfume Shops. However Boots usually have quite large stores which can be quite overwhelming for people who only specifically want to buy fragrances. This is where The Perfume Shop has the edge, with smaller shops specifically suited to work with the customers and make them feel in control of their purchase.

http://www.haymarketshoppingcentre.com/img/logos/fragrance-shop.png

THE FRAGRANCE SHOP

• Establish in 1995
• Privately owned, family run retailer with shops throughout the UK and online.
• Designer fragrances direct from fragrance houses, low prices and offers.

The Fragrance shop seems to be mimicking what The Perfume Shop does in terms of price, range and presentation. But The Perfume Shop are more recognised and has more shops opened in UK. My personal view is that The Fragrance Shop isn't memorable and doesn't look like a trustworthy company that sells high end products.

Re-branding within the health and beauty market:


THE BODY SHOP

• Founded in 1976 in Brighton, England
• Acquired by L'Oreal in 2006
• Offering high-quality, naturally-inspired skincare, hair care and make-up produced ethically and sustainably. 
• The first international cosmetics company to introduce fair trade to the cosmetics and toiletries industry in 1987. 

The old body shop logo:

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/logopedia/images/1/1b/198838_logo_300.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110829150036

The new body shop logo, re-brand:

http://theretaildatabase.co.uk/images/Logo/bodyshop.jpg

Handsome was the company that designed the re-brand. There task was to revive the brand and make it more accessible to be applied on the various products. The re-brand was really successful as sales increased. I believe also that it is a really strong re-brand being functional and adaptable. The redesign is refreshingly modern that could be timeless as it has become iconic and easily recognisable. I think that keeping some of the ideas from the old design is really important when re-branding a well known and established company. When coming up with designs I may take this into consideration although I am unsure which parts of the current logo I would keep.

An inspiring designer:

HERB LUBALIN

https://petergithinji.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/herb_lubalin2.jpg

•  American graphic designer
• He designed the typeface ICT Avant Garde, seen in logos created in the 1990's to 2000's.
• Wide range of projects - poster and magazine design to packaging and identity solutions.
• Best known for his succession of magazines - Eros, Fact and Avant Garde.
• Offices internationally in Paris and London.
• Signature style of expressive typography. 

Some of his typographic logos:

http://www.designishistory.com/images/lubalin/logos.jpg

I find Herb Lubalin's work to be really inspiring how he pushed the boundaries of typographic design and became a pioneer for a new age of design. He rejected the rules of traditional typography and rigidity of modernism, creating more expressive type. The way in which he structures and lays out his typographic logos is compelling and interesting, they are all bespoke which adds an edge to the logos he has designed. He used a process called phototypesetting which was new at the time, where type is projected onto film for printing. This allowed an experimentation with unusual kerning and larger scales.

Initial Ideas:

These are some quick initial sketches to try and get my ideas flowing. I would say initially I did struggle to get some ideas, but I have decided to move on and look at it from a digital point of view with the few ideas I have.

First I tried out different typefaces and layouts in reference to my sketches.

My favourite was Futura BQ Regular. I chose this because I think futura is a timeless typeface and it is very versatile. I think BQ Regular gives it a bolder dynamic look that enhances the original typeface. I proceeded then to decide on the use of capitals.

I found that working all in uppercase my eye was repeatedly drawn to it, over the others it had more energy.

After recently learning about kerning I decided to play around with this a little, the picture above shows what I found to be most satisfying on the eye. It is closely kerned which I believe helps it become more punchy and sharp.

I wanted my logotype to have an extra element to make it bespoke to the brand so I came up with the idea of turning the 'O' into a perfume bottle. This proved a little difficult as I played around with different designs one of the problems was that it looked like a diamond ring. I think I managed to tackle that by putting 'liquid' and a line indicating the spray plunger. The second problem I faced is that the type no longer worked closely kerned, so I had to adjust the kerning between the words to allow for the design.

I then lastly experimented with a little bit of colour. I didn't really like the bright red that their logo already has, so I tried to steer clear of this and stick with a more sophisticated black and white theme. However on reflection I feel I probably should have experimented with colour more and kept all three original colours of the logo in my design as it makes the brand recognisable.

Final Design

This is my final design for the logotype to be used on bags, catalogues, signs, posters etc.

Shop sign:

Website:

Self reflection and evaluation:

I believe that my logotype is bold and unique to the brand. It reflects a fragrance shop showing how it is contextually informed and people immediately engage, recognising exactly what that brand does. I think that it is a really cohesive aspect of the design that people when just seeing the logo as well as the name, that it is clear what it is. Although there may be a problem with scale, when applied at a smaller scale the perfume bottle might not be recognisable. I took inspiration from The Body Shop's re-brand and I think this is reflected within my final design. I found this a challenging task as I always struggle to come up with ideas for logos, I find it hard to try and represent a whole brand within one small piece of design. I have also realised through doing this brief that I do not experiment with my ideas enough and this proves to be very limiting. I really need to work on this, but hopefully I will try and focus on that for the next brief, really developing my ideas thoroughly.

In reference to the brief I believe that I did focus on the manipulation of original letter-forms and considered who the company are within my final design. However I should have considered looking to 'refresh' the brand as it already has a reasonably recognisable logo. And one of the major things within the brief that I did not do very successfully is experiment. Overall I think the design turned out well and does meet the brief but I would not say it was 100% successful as I need to make sure I do meet all the brief requirements.

Evaluation from others:

Do you think the logotype is appropriate for a back-lit shop sign and why?

• Overall yes
• Stands out, bold, simple, easily legible, eye-catching
• Experiment with different colours
• Experiment with various kerning techniques

It is appropriate for the brand and why?

• Overall yes
• Clear what it is selling by the symbol
• Upmarket feel
• Not too formal
• Reminds them of the body shop

What target audience is this re-brand aimed at?

• Women
• High end, upmarket audience
• 20+
• Maybe name change?

Can the logotype be used in multiple contexts and why?

• Overall yes
• Simplicity
• The 'O' will not translate well at a smaller scale
• Versatile and easily recognisable 

How do you feel the brand has changed in terms of direction (upmarket etc.) and why?

• Simplicity of the type and accurate kerning created a more high end brand
• Would look more high-end if the writing wasn't as bold and more effective without the full stop.
• A more professional approach 
• Classy and stylish

Do you feel I chose the appropriate typeface (Futura BQ Regular) and why?

• Overall yes
• Bold, eye-catching sans-serif type face, easier to read
• Friendly feel
• Modern, versatile, legible, clean - uppercase correct design decision
• Make it less bold
• Full stop not needed

Would you have chosen a different initial design?

• Unsure of final design for the perfume bottle 'O' looks cluttered
• Try variations
• Need to work with scale
• White on black for the final logo is effective
• Think about shape - dimension/scale
• Perfume bottle element not sure if it works or if it is necessary

Would you visit the shop and why?

• No, looks too expensive
• Don't buy perfume but looks appealing

I wanted to modernise and bring a more sophisticated feel that looks less cheap and more upmarket. Do you feel I have achieved that and why?

• Yes, symbol of perfume in the 'O' works well and creates a playful welcoming feel while still being simple and sophisticated with the sans serif font.
• Should try and incorporate the red into it
• Nice and clear use of perfume symbol - bold
• Isn't gender specific which shows its for men too
• The top of the perfume bottle looks like it is floating - try and revise the 'O' in another way to look like perfume.

Conclusion:

From the feedback I have received it is clear that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to my logo to work well as a cohesive, transferable, modern and ageless piece of design. The main issues seem to be with scale and whether the perfume bottle design was appropriate or needed. I have found this really useful because if I was to take this design forward and work further on this I feel I can address some of these problems and make more informed design decisions.

OUGD403 Blogging Lecture / Workshop

Today with Simon we looked at how to appropriately blog and evaluate our work instead of just listing the things we did. From this I now know for the Logotype brief the relevant research to do - In depth about the company, competitors, rebrands within sectors and typographic/branding designers.

We got together and looked at blogs to create a glossary of terms we can use in our own work. I found this invaluable as I really struggle with using terminology, so hopefully this will help me improve my writing when evaluating.

I then went on to a design blog called 'The Dieline' which focuses on packaging and branding, defining and promoting the best from a range of designers. I found a blog post on branding for a beer company and decided to evaluate their design.

MacLeod Ale Brewing Co.
Designed by Jeremiah McNulty Design

Pictures taken from http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2015/10/11/macleod-ale-brewing-co

The MacLeod logo is boldly highlighted as the main focus on the packaging design, it is clear and would stand out amongst other brands. I can easily see this as an iconic logo for there company and it is functional to use in other contexts. I like the hand-rendered stylise as it reflects the craftsmanship of the beer itself. It is unique and really enhances the brand as a new competitor in the ale market. Although I am not entirely sure of the design of the hat, as it has a bulge coming out of it which I feel ruins the fluidity of the design. Overall I think this is a bespoke piece of design and it will achieve the aim of becoming a recognisable design.

OUGD403 Whitney Museum of American Art Graphic Identity 2013

http://whitney.org/image_columns/0044/7662/screen-shot-2013-05-15-at-1.37.jpg

Today we looked into the Experimental Jetset identity rebrand of the Whitney Museum of American Art. We discussed within a group our own views on the design and collectively summarised our opinions on the design.

As a group, we believe the Whitney visual identity is contextually informed as it reflects the structure/architecture of the new museum exterior. This enhances the identity through its bespoke concept and considered visual language. Also, the interchangeability of the design allows for ease in terms of reproduction and adaptation. Contrary to this view, we feel that on a practical level the identity is restrictive, dominating and rigid in it's communication visually. Although the designers produced the identity with a "need to be signed or filled", the visuals functionality is limited when presented as a stand-alone image. 


These images below show the logo design working in context and I think this shows the versatility of the design which adapts well to the different forms of presentation.

http://www.experimentaljetset.nl/archive/whitney-museum-identity

http://whitney.org/

Although I do not believe it works all the time as it has an inconsistent layout and shape which leads to amateurish design that seems awkwardly placed. It's major flaw is that is doesn't work well as a stand-alone image as the eye is drawn to the other visuals rather than the actual symbol.

http://www.experimentaljetset.nl/archive/whitney-museum-identity

One thing I do really like about this graphic identity rebrand is how the website turned out. I think it is cohesive and modern it has an ageless design. I believe it really engages with the viewer the stark black and white helps the legibility.

Screenshot of website.

OUGD403 Study Task 02 - Symbol

Within this short brief we had to design a symbol that represents a brand-mark for Yorkshire Sculpture Park. It needs to be able to work at a range of scales and become iconic, easily recognisable. I began my research by actually going to the YSP (Yorkshire Sculpture Park). This was really useful because I had no idea what to expect, the range and diversity within the sculptures was intriguing but made it hard to pinpoint what could be used as a symbol to represent the whole park. I took photos of sculptures that the YSP own and have been there for years.

A few photos from the YSP I took:

Using the images that I had collected I decided to start coming up with ideas from them:

Design idea 1:

I like the simplicity of this but I am unsure whether it needs something added to it, to make it look like a signature, iconic symbol.

Design idea 2:

Initially I do like this idea although I do not know if the statue is recognisable enough to use.

Design idea 3:

I am unsure how this could work at different scales with the detail of what the sculpture is being lost.

Design idea 4:

I chose design idea 4 to be my final design because I think it is simple, effective and clean. It can be applied with or without text and features an iconic sculpture from the park. This design also works well at different scales so can be applied onto different medias such as signs and leaflets. I decided to keep all of my designs black and white because I think it is easier to apply and work with but also the contrast helps to make a bold statement. I found this task challenging to create a symbol that represents the whole park, maybe if I was to work with this further I could have looked at the shape of the grounds of the park. I created these within photoshop which was slightly challenging and seemed time consuming, having now a little more knowledge in illustrator it probably would have been easier to create it in there.