OUGD503 YCN - The Grown Up Chocolate Company - Developing Ideas (Tray Design)

Developing Ideas:

Mystery:

Tray:

I began to start testing out making a pattern with the question marks, this is where the typeface would make a big difference on the style.

KBSticktolt:

The stroke width on this is too thick and the cartoon style might possibly look too gimmicky.

Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk Bold:

Moving the positioning of the question marks slightly has produced a more pleasing pattern. The consistent stroke width helps to provide order within the pattern.

Headline One HPLS:

The font that they use for product titles could work well as it would fit cohesively with the rest of the brand. I want to try and play around more with this typeface to see how it could work appropriately.

As it looked a bit cramped I decided to space them out a bit more and turn them into outlines so that it wasn't as bold and striking.

This worked a lot better, I think that it would work really well as a background pattern. I think that this will work well at the bottom of the tray.

I made the inside of the tray the pink colour that they use in their logo, then I made the question marks white.

I wanted to add some text to this background which would only be revealed when the chocolate bars are taken out of the tray. It helps to add a more personal feel.

I will need to test this out to see whether the sides cover the text up, if this happens I will need to adjust the font size to make sure it fits without cutting the text off.

OUGD503 Papyrus - Design and Final Submission

Design:
From my research I noticed that most colourings don't use text, I thought this would be interesting to work with, looking at calming words. If you're reading these words while colouring and drawing patterns on them it reinforces it into your head making you feel more relaxed.

I drew out the words in word cloud / collage style to make it appear more interesting and engaging.

To make my lines stand out and appear bolder I took my image into illustrator. 

Although I wish that I could have been more illustrative and interesting with the type to make it more engaging and suiting to an adult audience. I decided that I also wanted to test out doing an image as well to see which I preferred. While drinking a cup of tea I started to think about what relax's me and I realised I was already doing it. So I decided to draw a cup of tea in a surrounding which is peaceful.

Again I needed the lines to appear bolder so I took it into illustrator.

Feedback:
While showing my designs to a peer, they said that they really liked the type idea as it would be individual and it wasn't something they had seen done before. However to improve the design and make it more suitable for an adult audience, they recommended adding patterns onto the text so that it would become more engaging. This was something that I had considered, I had thought that people could even do their own patterns if I left it blank.

Their favourite idea however is my second design, due to it being more visually relaxing. I was concerned that there wasn't enough detail but they said that they thought that the white space actually made it more relaxing as too much pattern and detail can be too much.

From this feedback I am going to submit my second design as I think that this best portrays a relaxing and calming atmosphere which is what the brief wanted. I now need to decide what message to write in the bottom corner about what makes me calm.

'What makes you calm':
- Taking a step back, pausing, and embracing your surroundings.

Capriola:

Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk:

American Typewriter: 

Helvetica:

I have chosen to use American Typewriter as the slab serifs help to give the type more character and emotion, adding more meaning to the words.

Emailed submission:

OUGD505 Studio Brief 01 - Research Refinement and Peer Feedback

Research Refinement and Peer Feedback:
For tomorrows session we are to select three potential ideas that we might want to take forward further and gain some feedback and initial ideas.

Leeds West Indian Carnival

- Europe's longest running authentic Caribbean carnival parade.

- Started in the 1960's, as one man's remedy for West Indian homesickness.

- Costumes

- Music

- Food

- Entertainment

- Annually on the last Monday in August.

- Vibrant colour

- Parade

- Carnival Events

- Carnival Arts

- Carnival Workshops

- Brainchild of Arthur France, MBE, form St Kitts-Nevis. Still on the carnival committee to this day.

- The first ever West Indian carnival parade, organised by British Caribbeans and composed largely of black people in carnival costumes with their steel bands, took place in Leeds in 1967.

- Energy

- ‘Carnival also reminds us of our roots, the struggle our ancestors had to bear, the oppression of our leaders, and great role models, but not in vain, for while we continue to celebrate carnival their achievements will remain with us forever’.

- ‘Carnival is not just a legalized rave – lest we forget, millions lost their lives in pursuit of their liberty. Today, carnival best expresses the strategies that the people of the Caribbean and black British citizens have for speaking about themselves and their relationship with the world, their relationship with history, their relationship with tradition, their relationship with nature and their relationship with God. Carnival is the embodiment of their sense of being and purpose and its celebration is an essential and profoundly self-affirming gesture of a people’.

- Leeds is the the next largest english Caribbean-style carnival which attracts over 100,000 people.

- Its origins among the formally free, but still impoverished and angry Africans in the British Caribbean islands were shrouded in violence, amongst the participants, and against the colonial authorities.

- People from all cultures from all over the UK, Europe, America and the Caribbean, come to Chapeltown and Harehills to watch the parade from all over Leeds.



Leeds Waterfront Festival

- Canal Connections a social enterprise along Leeds waterfront - connecting people to the canal environment through arts, creativity and training and development opportunities.

- Developing partnerships alongside the water.

- Work with residents, businesses and organisations whose values match their own.

- Desire to develop and maintain the natural environment of the canal and rivers for all to enjoy.

- Running for 9 years

- Music

- Performance

- Arts

- Family fun

- Activities and creativity on the water, on boats and on dry land, stretching across 5 miles of Leeds waterfront.

- Food

- Locations include: Armley Industrial Museum, Thwaite Mills, Leeds Dock, Granary Wharf, The Calls, Brewery Wharf, Victoria Wharf and The Calls, The Tetley, which brought interactive art performances, hands-on workshops and artist talks to the festival.

- Knitted barge

- Water sports

- Gig barge

- Dragon boat racing

- Splash mobs

- Graffiti master-classes / live street art

- Junk boat building

- Art-runs

- Heritage trails

- Guided walks

Leeds Indie Food - A celebration of independent food and drink

- Celebration of independent food and drink.

- First festival in UK to celebrate independent scene

- 15,000 people

- 100 events taking place in more than 50 venues, with 100 businesses collaborating to entertain diners, drinkers, street food lovers and culture vultures.

- Tasting menus

- Dine-along film screenings

- Edible art exhibitions 

- Cookery workshops

- Craft beer tasting

- Restaurants

- Bars 

- Coffee shops

- Pocket sized passport gives festival-goers the chance to collect ink stamps and grab priority tickets, discounts, freebies and deals at all Leeds Indie Food venues.

- FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD sign

- Leeds Feast event

- At the heart of the city


I have chosen to look into three festivals further because of the energy and atmosphere they create. I really want to create and engaging design that captures the bright vibrancy of it all and I think these play a big part in making Leeds a great city.

Peer Feedback:
My feedback regarding Leeds West Indian Carnival was to focus on the vibrant colours that are prominent within the event. I could focus on the costumes or even create some sort of map of the parade route. I need to mainly communicate the diversity that the event brings to Leeds. Within the Waterfront festival I was told to focus on the activities that happen on the water so that it shows the clear link rather than just being a normal festival celebration. Lastly for the Indie Food Festival I could look at showing this independence and communicating it through type. I also mentioned the idea of doing a print of all the stamps from a food passport or even consider making my own, so it was suggested to look at what Pentagram did regarding manhole covers.

Overall the feedback wasn't that informative, but I think at this stage it was slightly hard to give feedback. Thinking about it further if I could find some more information about the food stamps I would be more inclined to take that idea further.

OUGD503 Studio Brief 02 - Fur For Animals - 22nd February

22nd February - Discussion of research / idea generation

Today we met up again to discuss through our research and to see if we could gleam any initial ideas. It was a really good discussion with all of the team contributing, but it was a very long discussion to try and pin point down a good idea. 

Ideas:

1. Lynx (the old brand name for Fur For Animals) had a t-shirt to promote the anti-fur campaign.

We thought about creating our own product of clothing such as a t-shirt, using a refreshed design to spark a social campaign online that makes the use of selfies and #tags, even doing a video where it appears in. This would be appropriate because of the strong link of fur and fashion, it was also mentioned that European fashion is important and it does have a global impact.

2. The design could be label focus creating a graphic diagram informing consumers of consequences of real fur. It was talked about how many fur products are miss labeled as well as not knowing which animal it is. There have also be instances of faux fur turning out to be real, this is a problem and we thought that we could help tackle this by informing how to check it is real. Consumers are then better informed on what they are buying and have the choice to reject real fur. This could extend further so that shops could display this label in their window to highlight they don't support real fur. That means the consumer is more aware and can make a better judgement. Unfortunately we were unsure how we could transfer this idea to online content as cohesively or how it would work as shareable content.

3. Create a petition, similar to what the NSPCC did.

4. Stickers, shareable (based on the research I had found about the WWF's Endangered Emoji)

From the research I had done looking at successful campaigns I came across the WWF's Endangered Emoji. This campaign uses emoji's which is a current trend, to spread awareness and help to raise money through a voluntary donation. We really liked this softer approach that didn't have such a doom and gloom aspect that makes people feel guilty. It would be something that people would want to have and use and bring positive awareness. In China they have completely different social media platforms than the West, as well as heavy censoring. To try and tackle this the stickers could have the potential to be used through their platforms which could help get the campaign recognised in that country.

5. Thinking further about the potentials of technology and how we could utilise them, we looked at virtual realities, having a walk through of what an environment is like for an animal in the fur trade. I then even mentioned the potential of games that could help to drive awareness. However as none of us have any skills or knowledge into these areas, these could just be hypothetical developments.

It was hard finding something solid and that didn't have so many drawbacks. Referring back to the brief we began discussing what actually makes something shareable?

- Funny

- Strong message

- Short attention spans online

- Relatable (people want to be able to connect with the idea or opinion, this way they can better understand it and it's effects)

- Refutable (people love arguing, if you created something that people disagree with it gets people discussing it and start talking about it and passing the message on in effect)

It was then mentioned to try and reign in the ideas and give a bit more direction, by discussing the format that would be most appropriate to get the message out there. After watching the NSPCC video I had found, 'Flaw in the Law' it inspired us to create our own video. With the rise of videos on social media, facebook particularly, we thought that would be the best approach for shareable content.

Short videos of about 30 seconds long, grab your attention immediately and should be able to play with or without sound. This is because of people generally scrolling down their timelines seeing a video but not clicking and opening it properly. High impact visuals help you to remember the message/information a lot better. We particularly liked the hand drawn illustrations used in the animation. It helps to make the tone softer but still get the message across clearly.

We began discussing the basis of what would be in the video:

- Life cycle of an animal in the fur trade.

- Playing on the freedom of choice (although could be to closely linked in with animal rights, so could diminish original message).

- Comparison of normal animal life with fur trade life (shown side by side)

- Consumer perspective - looking at a tap, can see an animal trapped in a cage.

- Sketched / moving infographics

- Voiceover 

Having more of a general idea of what we were going to do and produce we decided the tone of voice needed to be quite light to make it accessible to a wider audience.

Initial idea focus is on looking a the life cycle of an animal in the fur trade and an animal in the wild, showing it's journey and the different effects on the life. Myself and Ed were going to focus on trying to come up with a strong narrative for the basis of the animation, while Kieran starts to think about story boarding and drawing different animal ideas.

We also made an arrangement to meet on Saturday 4th of March as me and Ed are going on the trip to Berlin and we believe that this would be the most appropriate time.

OUGD503 Studio Brief 02 - Fur For Animals - Research (Website)

Research (Website):

The website for Fur for Animals helped as a starting point with research regarding the fur trade.

- More department and high street stores have adopted ‘fur free’ policies such as the Fur Free Retailer programme and the wearing of fur is no longer seen as acceptable.

- Effective political campaigns run by Respect for Animals have led to fur farming being banned throughout the United Kingdom for over 10 years. 

- The leg-hold trap, the device most commonly used to catch animals in the wild, is deemed so cruel that its use has been banned in this country for over 50 years and in the EU for over 20 years.

- The trade in cat and dog fur is illegal in the EU and it is unlawful to trade in the products of cruel seal hunts throughout the EU.

- Animals killed for their fur are either trapped in the wild or reared in fur factory farms in tiny, barren wire cages.

- They campaign peacefully but effectively and have a good record of achievement, securing a ban on fur factory farming throughout the UK and have been at the forefront of the consumer campaign in the UK that has led to the closure of most fur outlets here.

- Respect for Animals is working to persuade consumers not to buy fur and lobbies for legislation to make the selling of fur illegal. 

- Many countries including the UK already ban the main methods of producing fur and so they stand accused of hypocrisy by allowing the trade in and sale of fur items.

The website has a wealth of information that I could refer back to if I need more specific details.

OUGD503 Studio Brief 02 - Fur For Animals - Research (Fur & Fashion)

Fur For Animals - Research (Individual):

I printed off the brief that my collaboration group have chosen to work on which is the D&AD Fur For Animals. I read it through and I have highlighted certain things that stick out to me.

Highlighted areas:
- Russia and China seem to be the worst countries for using real fur.
- We are creating ONLINE CONTENT (video or image).
- Shareable 
- Social
- Awareness
- Spark conversations
- Making a difference
- Persuade
- Big impact
- Audience behaviour
- Making it relevant
- What effectively prompts behaviour change?
- Don't alienate
- Something that people want to watch and share
- Different social platforms
- Video formats
- Mobile and social mindset
- Worldwide

These are all things that we need to take into consideration within our project. We divided up certain aspects of the research so that we would come with different aspects instead of looking at the same things.

The role of fur in fashion:

History of fur in fashion

'Animal pelts, or fur and leather, have been used by humankind as clothing since the earliest times to protect their bodies from climatic conditions and harm. Furs and leather have remained popular over the ages because of their warmth, durability, and their status symbol.

In certain early societies animal pelts and their by-products took on mystical or spiritual powers when worn by hunters or the ruling classes. 

In European societies luxury furs became associated with social stratification. In the last two centuries, the growing middle classes in Western Europe and in North America have developed a love for fashion furs as a way of expressing their social status, or to give themselves an ultra-modern look. 

Since the 1980s questions have been raised about the ethics of using animal products as entire species may have been wiped out by fashion (Lee, 2003, p. 254).'

(http://www.fashionintime.org/history-fur-fashion-introduction/)

- In early societies hunters believed the animal would transfer its strength, power, courage, skills, prowess, and fertility 

- Particular animal skins or furs were reserved for the ruling and elite classes.

- Laws stopped certain classes of people from wearing certain furs.

- Since the 19th Century, new machines have been invented to transform animal pelts at much lesser costs than in the past centuries.

- Advancements in technologies allowed fur to be available for the masses.

- Present day designers are still featuring luxury furs and leather in their collections, notably: Michael Kors, Fall Winter, 2012; Marc Jacobs, Fall 2011; Hugo Boss Women’s, Fall 2011; Jean Paul Gaultier, Spring/Summer, 2011; Vera Wang, Fall 2011, and others.

Why is fur back in fashion?

- Top models who once posed for ads with slogans like “We’d rather go naked than wear fur” have gone on to model fur.

- Fashion designers who were “afraid to touch it” 15 or 20 years ago have also “gotten past that taboo,”

- Many people now seem to regard wearing fur as a matter of individual choice.

- It turns up now in all seasons and on throw pillows, purses, high heels, key chains, sweatshirts, scarves, furniture, and lampshades. There are camouflage-pattern fur coats, tie-dyed fur coats, and fur coats in an optical illusion M. C. Escher box pattern. There’s even a fur pom-pom that’s a Karl Lagerfeld Mini-Me, created by the designer in his own image and dubbed Karlito.

- New restrictions in the 1970s ended the use of endangered species in fashion.

- The leading fur auction houses began bringing in designers and design students at the height of the antifur movement. The ambition was for all designers to have “flirted with the material” early in their careers, said Julie Maria Iversen of Kopenhagen Fur. The aim has always been to move beyond furrier shops and fur departments, and make fur just another fine fabric, available wherever clothes are sold.

- Producing fur in whatever colour, new sewing techniques and affordability.

- “We start with the young consumer buying a fur key ring, then maybe a little later she has more money for a fur bag,” she said. “Eventually she buys a full coat.” It’s “all part of the agenda, to inspire the upcoming generation of women.”

- Many fur farmers manage to provide humane care on a large scale, but others can’t or won’t.

-  A WelFur visit requires about six hours to inspect a 120-cage sample for 22 features. 

(http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/09/skin-trade-fur-fashion/)

Fur represents luxury, an object of desire which became a defining quality of popular culture. It represented a dream of a better life. But it also can be worn for many years - it has longevity. In public opinion research conducted by the Fur Council of Canada, the majority of women who wore fur said that it was primarily for warmth.

Animals used for clothing:
- Silk worms
- Seals
- Rabbits
- Foxes
- Sheep
- Lambs
- Chiru
- Minks
- Beavers
- Dogs
- Cats
- Cows
- Raccoons
- Chinchillas
- Snakes
- Bears
- Lizards
- Crocodiles
etc

Faux fur:
Fake fur is a type of textile fabric fashioned to simulate genuine animal fur. It is known as a pile fabric and is typically made from polymeric fibers that are processed, dyed, and cut to match a specific fur texture and color. First introduced in 1929, advances in polymer technology have tremendously improved fake fur quality. Today's fake furs can be nearly indistinguishable from the natural furs they imitate.

(http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Fake-Fur.html#ixzz4Z9g5j8bL)

As the demand for faux fur has gone up, products have been mislabelled and might actually be real fur.

OUGD505 Studio Brief 01 - Research

Research:

Past events / public spaces in Leeds:
- Leeds Church Institute
- The Whip
- Temple Works
- Brodrick's Building
- Town Hall
- Corn Exchange
- Leeds Civic Court
- The Tetley
- Belgrave
- Headrow House
- Leeds Market
- Museums - Leeds City, Thackray Medical, Royal Armouries, Leeds Industrial
- Art galleries - Leeds Art, Munro House, The Stanley and Audrey Burton
- Headingley Carnegie Stadium 
- Elland Road
- Kirkstall Abbey
- Northern Ballet
- Opera North
- Leeds Grand Theatre 
- Leeds City Varieties 
- West Yorkshire Playhouse
- First Direct Arena
- Anti Trump Protest
- Parks - Roundhay, Hyde Park, Woodhouse Moor, Golden Acre
- Leeds LGBT Pride
- The Headingley Festival of Ideas
- Leeds Waterfront Festival
- Kirkstall Festival
- Live at Leeds
- Leeds Festival
- Leeds Indie Food Festival
- Oktoberfest Leeds
- Light Night
- Thought Bubble
- Leeds International Film Festival

Further Research:

Edible Public Space:

Edible Public Space is an experimental project of urban food growing in public space in Leeds. Based on providing resources for cheap and healthy food allocation within disadvantaged neighbourhoods; bringing back an essential element in life of the growing of food; reducing food miles to improve urban sustainability and helping to tackle climate change. It also is redefining the criteria for urban aesthetics and the social functions of public space.

http://www.foodurbanism.org/edible-public-space/

https://sites.google.com/site/ediblepublicspace/home

This could be something that would be interesting to research further, I also really like what this project is trying to do regarding sustainability. If I was to produce a print based on this it would also help to advertise what they are trying to do which could help give them a stronger voice. However I want to try and get as much information as I can and there doesn't seem to be a lot online or its just hard to find.

Children's Day - Roundhay Park - 1922

The annual Children’s Day, which started in 1922, was one the biggest festivals celebrating childhood anywhere across Britain. Youngsters from all over the city gathered for dancing, displays and sport in Roundhay Park. There was a Children's Day Queen and attendants, a fancy dress parade and a bonny baby competition. 

This sounds like a really positive event that made children in Leeds feel more part of their community. This could be something interesting to explore and highlight considering todays youth are usually shown in a bad light.

Leeds West Indian Carnival - 1967- present

Leeds West Indian Carnival is Europe’s longest running authentic Caribbean carnival parade. Held annually on the last Monday in August, every year the anticipation for this stunning display of colour and sheer joy that winds its way through the streets of Leeds, builds with events that present the best of carnival culture.

This would be something that would produce vibrant and colourful visuals as well as having a real buzz and energy around it. There is also lots of information and pictures to work from, which will help me to generate my own visual.

Nelson Mandela made an honorary freeman of Leeds - 2001 

Tributes have been paid to the former South African President Nelson Mandela, who was made an honorary freeman of Leeds during a visit to the city in 2001. Thousands turned out to Millennium Square to cheer the former South African president on his first official visit to the north of England. He was to receive the Freedom of the City. He was to formally open Millennium Square. He was to re-dedicate Mandela Gardens, named after him in 1983 as a gesture of support as he spent his 16th year in prison on Robben Island. 

This was a big moment for the city and seems an important part of Leeds history.

Leeds Waterfront Festival

Canal Connections is a social enterprise based along Leeds waterfront, they try to connect people to the canal environment through arts, creativity and training and development opportunities. Canal Connections' work is delivered through engaging the use of canal boats and developing partnerships alongside the water. 

The festival is celebrating it's 9th year, in 2014 Canal Connections took the lead in the festivals delivery and has since developed it further to ensure it has a sustainable future.

Leeds Waterfront Festival brings the City’s waterways alive each year by hosting a fantastic, eclectic mix of music, performance, arts and fun for all the family. The festival is always jam-packed with activities and creativity on the water, on boats and on dry land, stretching across five miles of Leeds waterfront.

This sounds like an event that will have lot's of good pictures to work from, and I really like what the event stands for.

http://www.leedswaterfrontfestival.com/whats-on-at-the-festival/

Leeds Indie Food - A celebration of independent food and drink

Leeds Indie Food was the first festival in the UK to celebrate the independent scene in all its glory bringing 15,000 people into Leeds to explore the city and celebrate food and drink. Supporting of Leeds’ thriving independent business community and blooming food and drink scene. Different tasty events take place across the city centre from tasting menus to edible art exhibitions, cookery classes and brewery takeover.

Venues include: The Tetley, The Northern Quarter, Headrow House, Belgrave Music Hall and North Brewing Co.

The style of branding that the festival has gone for could make an interesting print.