Overview

The premise of this job was to continue the work of our recent branding project, in our design portfolio module, for the East Reading Federation. The client was so pleased with our pitch that they decided to expand the brief through the Real Jobs scheme. East Reading Federation is a newly formed governing body of two local schools: Alfred Sutton and Redlands Primary school. Their aim is to bring both schools together under one management team to deliver excellence across two different schools. After completing a brand identity for them, the client wanted to continue the partnership with The Department of Typography and Graphic Communication through the Real Jobs scheme and asked for the four of us directly. Although we knew we had a limited window of time to complete the job, we stayed together for the client and got involved in booking meetings with the client and our supervisor and, soon after, restating the brief.  

 

Restating the brief

Following initial meetings with both our clients and supervisor, we were able to create a restated brief that established the project’s details, such as the exact deliverables and their requested formats. We began by establishing our roles and responsibilities to manage our time efficiently and guarantee clear understanding of what was expected from us. The short project time was acknowledged by ensuring clear detail of desired outputs and member allocations of such. A weekly schedule was devised to make sure that each member and output would regularly progress to fulfil our close deadline at a manageable pace, without compromising quality. Our restated brief was quickly approved by our clients and supervisor, both describing it as ‘spot-on’. 

 

Deliverables and design identity

Due to the nature of the Job, we were working off our own brand guidelines, which made the design identity easy to follow and with little scope for creativity. Despite this, we could still experiment with various layouts and formats with the only constraints being colour, typography and use of logos.  

The deliverables for this project were: 

• Complete Website on WordPress 
• Email footers  
• Branded slide templates 
• Letterhead  
• Lanyard  

The client did not request photography as an extra deliverable but because this was added to the content of the other deliverables. It allowed us to go beyond the scope of the brief and deliver a folder of well-produced imagery of their lovely school buildings and areas for them to use as they desire. 

 

Research and collecting resources

We already had an extensive knowledge of what the East Reading Federation was and their visions and aims, due to our research in the Branding Project. However, more research was done through the form of meeting the client to discuss their aims for the deliverables, such as attending both schools to gain a better understanding of the buildings, the environment and the teachers. While at the schools, Olivia was able to photograph the buildings, playgrounds and equipment, as well as inside some of the classrooms and the corridors. This collection of photos not only gave us a better understanding of the schools but aided the development of the website.  

Photo examples: 

 

Development: 

Website 

As one of the hardest deliverables, the development of the website meant that we had to learn to navigate a new software: WordPress. It proved to be quite hard to understand and, although the photos below in the items delivered section show some development, we were unsuccessful in completing this deliverable. It was a decision made due to a conversation with the client regarding the successful completion of the website. The discussion with the client determined that in order to complete the website successfully within the timeframe, the job would have to be passed over to someone with more sufficient knowledge of WordPress. However, due to the relationship we had with the client, they decided to allow Olivia to continue to build the website outside of the project timeframe while learning and navigating WordPress and solidifying a new skill.  

The developments made on the website within the project timeframe can be seen in the images below. Olivia learnt the ability to create headers and footers which could then be applied consistently across the website. She applied some of the photos to the website as seen in some of the examples later on.  

 

Email footer 

The email footer design was refined through multiple layout experiments for the East Reading Federation. The use of red bricks was reduced to prevent the red from overpowering the federations colour palette. The type size was also adjusted to improve legibility, and the typography was refined for greater cohesion, resulting in a more polished and accessible design. 

Several versions were created to suit the two schools within the federation, Alfred Sutton and Redlands. The highlighted text and colour schemes were adapted to match each school’s identity, making the designs feel more personalised and thematically consistent. The designs were created using Canva to ensure ease of use for the client, allowing staff names and other details to be updated quickly and independently as needed.

 

Slides 

Multiple versions of the title slide, table of contents, and several internal pages were developed to accommodate a range of presentation needs for the East Reading Federation. To maintain consistency throughout, the federation’s logo was used as a running head on each page, alongside a cohesive used of typography, colour palette and the signature red brick motif. 

The layouts were intentionally kept open and adaptable, allowing clients to customise the content as needed. To further enhance usability, the final slide designs were converted into PowerPoint format, making it easier for the federation staff to edit and repurpose the templates independently. 

 

Letterhead 

In order to create a visual identity that represents both individual schools and is consistent with our branding, Alice’s role in this project was to create a letterhead for the federation required coming up with a visual identity that complemented the overall branding while representing the two separate institutions. The original idea was to combine the architectural features of each school’s watercolour paintings to create a single, coherent depiction. A change in strategy was necessary, nevertheless, because the initial attempts at applying watercolour effects did not match the federation logo’s brand look. The design was improved by matching the logo’s stroke width, and after multiple iterations, an asymmetrical pattern was selected because it felt dynamic and organic. To maintain uniformity and strengthen the brand identity, the same green on the tree and red bricks from the logo were used. 

 

Personal Reflection 

Olivia Moors 

Despite the quick turnaround of the project combined with all my other projects due at the same time, I am glad I was able to retain a relationship with the client and deliver new assets of the brand identity we created. I am upset that I wasn’t able to complete the website within the timeframe, but I am grateful the client has offered me the experience to learn a new skill and develop an impressive portfolio piece. The skills I learned during this project are expandable and will develop as I continue with the website. The fast pace of the project meant that organisation skills were a top priority, and the use of the Trello board was an important tool for project management, I made sure to make use of the all the features such as deadlines, check boxes and file uploading. As team leader I ensured that my team kept up to date with each section of the Trello.  

Alice To 

That the client liked our branding project concepts and chose us for this actual task made me very happy. Despite the somewhat hurried nature of this actual assignment, I’m delighted that my group members and I worked well together and submitted on time. Since the client expressed how much they enjoyed the watercolour artwork from the person’s school, I first had a lot of trouble deciding on the appropriate style for the letterheads. Using all of the colours seen in our federation logo, I was able to produce the final version after consulting with my group members and our supervisor. 

Vivien Lee 

It was a great honour to have the clients decide to use our pitched branding for their federation. Our group worked well to overcome the short time frame we had for this project and successfully produced outputs we’re proud of; we’ve learnt valuable time management and communication skills as a result. Reflecting on this project, our skills in using WordPress have room to improve, and this will greatly benefit us for future projects that require UI and UX design. This project has encouraged branding to be a possible sector for me to pursue professionally in the future. 

Aina Zain Azrin 

Working on the East Reading Federation project really pushed me to think beyond just aesthetics, I had to understand who we were designing for, what the federation stands for and how to communicate that through every detail. I learned how meaningful design can support identity and connection. It’s been challenging but rewarding experience that made me more confident in my ability to design with purpose.

 

Items delivered to the client

Website

 

Email footers

East Reading Federation

Alfred Sutton

Redlands

Slides

Letterhead

 

Lanyard

Background

The Craftsman’s House is a new small business which creates and renovates bespoke upholstery pieces. The brand is a sister company of an existing local furniture business, which produces items for the hospitality, office, and commercial sectors. The Craftsman’s House instead seeks to work directly with customers and offer the following services:

• Bespoke reupholstery of customers’ existing furniture items
• A range of second-hand items which the company has sourced and renovated
• The ability to create upholstered items to match customers’ furniture

The company want to produce custom, high-quality pieces that will last for years and can become family heirlooms. Each item will be handcrafted by experts with forty years of industry experience, to offer an exceptional finish and specialist guidance. Sustainability is a core focus within the business, as their services preserve existing or second-hand furniture items, in addition to using sustainable materials where possible.

 

Restated Brief

To support the new business, this Real Job involved creating a cohesive brand identity which conveyed their commitment to producing artisanal, sustainable, and high-quality furniture pieces.

Creating flexible brand assets was critical to the restated brief, as these would be applicable when launching The Craftsman’s House via an Etsy shop, and later an online store. Furthermore, the branding assets would ideally be applicable to other print and digital spaces as the business grows, such as social media posts, letterheads, etc.

The client expressed that they would also be interested in deliverables which help to promote the new business and create brand recognition over time. As each item they create is unique and designed to last for years, incorporating a way for customers to recognise their products was a priority.

Therefore, we agreed on the following deliverables for the project:

• A branding system (including brand colours, typography, and a logo set)
• A business card to distribute to potential customers
• A fabric label to be applied to each piece of furniture

 

Research & Ideation

To develop a visual strategy for the deliverables, user personas were created to represent potential customers. This process identified how the deliverables could respond to customer needs, such as emphasising the range of different services offered, the company’s unique products, and conveying their longstanding industry expertise.

 

(Above) Three user personas developed to identify user needs

 

Conducting competitor analysis revealed that many existing upholstery companies overuse visual tropes such as sofas and armchairs in their logos, with often plain, sans serif typography. The logos struggle to separate themselves from one another and often convey corporate identities which creates distance from consumers. Conversely, the moodboard for The Craftsman’s House concentrated on curating a brand identity which highlighted their handcrafted products, and the personality of a small, artisanal business.

(Above) A selection of competitor logo designs , which often lack illustration or rely heavily on sofa and armchair imagery

 

(Above)  A moodboard reflecting the style and tone for the logo design and printed deliverables

 

To avoid the typical chair and sofa logos on the market, I created a mind map of different symbols that could reflect the industry and brand values of The Craftsman’s House.

(Above) A mind map of visuals relating to the company’s brand values

 

The initial sketches shown below expanded these concepts by experimenting with typographic combinations, vintage border styles, and hand-drawn illustrations. Some symbols referenced the eponymous ‘Craftsman’s House,’ through a house, door, door knockers, etc. Others included upholstery tools (scissors, tack hammer, etc) or signifiers of the business’ countryside location, such as deer and hares.

(Above) Initial sketches for the logo design

 

Design Development

When translating the designs into digital formats, typography was the first element to be developed. Various logotypes and monograms were made with script and serif typefaces, and combining both types helped to convey the handmade nature of the business, whilst also signalling quality.

(Above) Initial experiments with typographic combinations

 

(Above) Initial experiments with monograms

 

(Above) Initial experiments with vintage border styles

 

My supervisor suggested exploring classic British typefaces for the logo, which led me to setting the type in King’s Caslon, an Old-Style serif which originated in Britain in the 1700s. The supporting text was also set in Lamar Pen, a flowing script which references the handmade nature of the products from The Craftsman’s House.

(Above) The refined logo typography, featuring King’s Caslon and Lamar Pen

 

Matching the typography with an appropriate illustration proved more challenging, as vector logos (such as the deer and hare silhouettes below) proved too modern for the rustic style of the business. By contrast, my initial hand drawn illustrations of the door, lion door knocker, and upholstery scissors were too fine and presented legibility issues at small scales.

(Above) Initial vector logo designs

 

 

(Above) Initial hand-drawn logo designs 

 

From discussions with my supervisor, I was able to rework the illustrative component and focus on more abstract visuals to spur customers’ imagination, rather than obvious motifs which were repeated in the logo name (house, doors, etc.). I found that designs with the hares were more successful, as they depicted the countryside location of the business whilst evoking quality and elegance.

Revisiting the hare illustrations allow me to develop two distinct styles: one a looser, pen-like illustration (logo set 01), and the other a more traditional, line-based approach (logo set 02).  In addition to the main logo, I experimented with a complementary emblem. By using circular borders, the designs mimic leathermaking stamps, which are closely linked to upholstery practices and reflect craftsmanship.

(Above) Development of the first illustrative style

 

 

(Above) Development of the second illustrative style

 

(Above) Refined logo set 01

 

(Above) Refined logo set 02

 

The client expressed a preference for second logo set, commenting that it conveyed a sense of heritage and therefore felt the most suitable for the brand. I additionally noted that the second logo set offered more flexibility for variations, as the linear style was more legible at small scales, or when cut in half and combined with other elements. With this agreed, I developed the following final logo set, offering different logo options for print and digital applications. For example, the primary logo would be ideal as a letterhead, whilst the simplified logo mark would suit the business’ profile pictures on their social media and Etsy store.

 

(Above) Final logo set

 

To support the logo set, various colour palettes were tested. The final colour palette includes mainly rich neutral brown shades, which convey a premium, classic brand, as opposed to a trend-led business. Moreover, the two subtle green tones in the palette reflect the brand’s focus on sustainability. Each colour in the final palette has sufficient contrast with black or white and can be combined with one another to offer additional flexibility.

(Above) Brand colour palette experiments

 

(Above) Final brand colour palette

 

Further Deliverables

The above assets were combined to develop the brand’s business card and fabric label designs. In the initial restated brief, the client had asked for a ‘thank you’ card to be supplied with each customer purchase. However, due to the brand only just launching, we agreed that a business card could be more appropriate to generate interest in the brand at this early stage.

With this amendment in mind, the client expressed an interest in the business card and fabric label using a variety of assets, as opposed to the same design over and over. Therefore, the initial business cards experimented with various combinations of assets, typography, and brand colours.

(Above) Initial business card designs

 

Despite the colours reinforcing the brand identity, the consistent colour on the front and back of the cards lacked contrast. Consequently, the revised designs incorporated a different background colour on the front and back to create more visual interest. This allowed the client to select the final design, which featured inverted green and cream shades on either side. The final deliverable also combined the primary, secondary, and emblem logo assets to add detail without appearing repetitive.

 

(Above) Business card design iterations

 

(Above) Final business card design

 

In contrast to the business card, the fabric label needed to adopt a much more minimal design. This was due to the fact that it would be applied to each furniture item, so ensuring that the label wouldn’t clash with any surrounding fabrics was a priority. Hence, the simple primary logo (design 01) felt the most appropriate solution, as an easy way to allow customers to recognise a furniture piece from the company.

 

(Above) Fabric label design options

 

(Above) Final fabric label design

 

Final Designs

In summary, each of the assets fits into a broader design system which can be combined in different ways as the brand grows. To support the client when using the assets, a set of brand guidelines were developed. Each component of the design system is referenced, with both a justification and suggested applications. Mock-ups were also incorporated to help the client visualise the final products (business card, fabric label, digital assets) in practice.

 

(Above) Final brand assets

 

(Above) Sample spreads from ‘The Craftsman’s House’ brand guidelines

 

(Above) Mockup of final business card

 

(Above) Mockup of final fabric label

 

(Above) Mockup of brand assets being used on the Etsy store

 

Reflection

In summary, I found this Real Job to be a highly valuable experience. As this was my first official branding project, it was a fantastic opportunity to learn and follow the appropriate processes to build a brand identity from scratch. I found creating each of the assets particularly rewarding and appreciated being able to start with a completely blank canvas on this project. Whilst this required some research on my part and many attempts and revisions to the illustrations, I believe that we have reached an outcome which is cohesive, appropriate, and avoids the overdone sofa logo of many competitors.

The feedback from both my supervisor and client were integral to the process, and it required me to be adaptable in accommodating changes to meet all stakeholder needs. Furthermore, this project allowed me to appreciate the importance of designing for different applications, from clear, minimal fabric labels which support brand recognition, to a more dynamic business card which seeks to draw in customers. As a result, this Real Job has produced design assets which support an artisanal, high-quality, and sustainably-focused small business as it launches and grows in the future.

Background on the project

KateMustSew is a self-made quilting business based in Reading, specialising in workshops, trunk shows and quilted artwork. Kate required a profile-raising rebrand and website design to elevate her business and reputation as an artist from a hobby quilter to a more professional level.

Restated brief

In our initial meeting with the client, it was clear that she wanted a rebrand but was unsure of what deliverables to ask for. Together we ran through her business model, noting the platforms she primarily operated on and the ways in which she communicates with her customers. This offered us insight into her business and allowed us to suggest deliverables which would suit her specific business style. Our main aim with this process is to ensure our deliverables help Kate to achieve her goals through the rebrand.

The agreed deliverables were:

1. 1. Three logo designs (One portrait, one landscape and one circular)
      The range of logo options offers the client flexibility across platforms whilst maintaining the house style.
   2. Business cards
      Designed for the client to hand out at open houses, workshops, trunk shows.
   3. Introduction sequence for her videos
      Visually aesthetic introduction sequence to be used on YouTube tutorials and online workshops.
   4. Website pages (gallery, home page and contact page)
      Simplistic and clean website pages to emphasise Kate’s professionality to potential galleries and trunk show bookers, as well as customers looking to book classes.

Research

Before we began the ideation process, we spent time researching Kate’s business and competitors to ensure we could fully understand her user’s needs and how we could support these through the deliverables. We were particularly interested in how similar individual artists presented their brands, especially on their websites. We analysed how these artists chose to present themselves; looking at the website styles, colour schemes and imagery/ illustrations used across the brand. Through this process, we discovered that many artists within the same field as Kate chose sleek and clean website layouts. We also noticed that a lot of quilting artists logos felt cliche and passive.

Some of the examples we analysed include:

• Heidi Parkes
• Pauline Burbidge
• Alexandra Kingswell
• Sarah Payne

After looking through these online presences, I compiled a list of features that we found appealing and believe to enhance the presentation of these businesses.

• White backgrounds and simple layouts – these help draw the user’s focus to the artwork which is the artist’s primary goal.
• Large images and scrolling image carousels on the home page – show a range of the artists different works and styles with minimal user effort.
• Well lit images shot from above with white / removed backgrounds – high quality images ensure the detail is maintained and white backgrounds make the product the main focus.
• Personal ‘About’ pages – this offers artists a way to add a personal touch and convey their motivations and passion for their work. This also creates a parasocial relationship between the customer and the artist in which they understand their passion, likely encouraging customers to purchase more to support the artist.

Audience

The client’s audience is primarily over 50s and with the inclusion of a professional website, it will broaden to art galleries and exhibitions that wish to include her work. It is important that Kate’s work also appeals to a younger target audience as Kate hopes to expand her audience and recognition as an artist through this rebrand.

 

Design Development

Logo

For Kate’s logo, our aim was to create a visually impactful design which represented her quilting work in a simple yet sophisticated manner.

With our initial sketches, we explored a range of different approaches with some typographic and others more shape and pattern focussed. The client’s response made our next steps clear; she liked bright, bold colours with a playful edge—but not too much—as she wants her business to appear serious. She also emphasised that she dislikes the abbreviation ‘KMS’, cursive/ threadlike typefaces and cliché sewing iconography (such as thread spools). Furthermore, it felt important to capture the client’s love for 70’s typography and the colour hot pink in my future developments.

 

 

Our supervisor helped us to narrow down and alter the logos above before presenting ideas to our client. For my designs, our supervisor suggested to focus on executing the typography better which I agreed with. She saw potential in C2, however commented that the overlapping type became too much with the organic shapes of the lettering. C4 was a favourite amongst us and the idea of adding ‘stitching’ to link to the business was suggested, however I was unsure whether the client would see it as too cliché considering her previous comment.

The client rejected Ben’s geometric ideas as she felt they looked too corporate and therefore not representative of her values and business. However, she was very keen on my square ideas (C5–7). As I predicted, she disliked the stitching around the edge but liked the large block of pink and the organic feel of the rounded corners and slightly wonky text, which are representative of the handmade nature of her work. We agreed that the next steps would be to experiment further with typefaces and colours, using C5 as the base design.

 

I offered the client a variety of typefaces inspired by 70s typography which she mentioned in our initial meeting, however after deliberation she selected the original typeface, in its original form. Although this resulted in no change, the process was insightful as it allowed comparison and highlighted how effective my original design was.

Of the colour options I offered the client, she was most keen on those including the original hot pink colour that she favoured. We discussed creating an additional black and white version of the logo for monochrome print-outs, however since the majority of Kate’s branding appears digitally, she decided that there was no need, especially as the bright colour is part of what makes the logo so appealing. Kate liked the colours on the top row and asked for white text with a coloured full stop, to emphasise the imperative ‘Kate must sew.’

Both the client and I am really happy with the final logo and variations. I feel that the typeface represents the quirky and handmade nature of small businesses and the colours capture the brightness and energy of her quilts. The chosen colours have helped to identify Kate’s brand colours which are continued across the business cards, website and video. Kate posted a sneak peak of her new logo to her Instagram account where she recieved an overwhelmingly positive response.

 

Business Card

My original business card designs were lacking, which I understood through supervisor feedback and personal reflection. Through discussion with our supervisor, my next steps were clear;

• work on the typography, try Sweet Sans (classy)
• work on alignment of elements across the front and back
• try to avoid mixing imagery and the logo
• find less clunky social icons

The concept of idea 1 however was popular with both our supervisor and the client. During the research stage of the process, I was inspired by one Kate’s Instagram stories where she had embroidered on a card. I thought this would be a great way for Kate to promote her business if this was something she was prepared to do. Being able to offer potential customers a hand-sewn business card would almost definitely ensure that people kept the mini artworks and remembered her, boosting her artist awareness and customer base. Kate loved the idea, however decided that a design which she could sew on, but could also stand alone was the best option.

My solution to this was to ensure that my future designs had enough negative space which she could embroider over, but were still visually effective alone.

For my developed designs I experimented with the recommended typeface Sweet Sans. Although I agree that the clean shapes of the letters works well to create a balanced design, I was not sold on this specific typeface and neither was the client. The client was happy with the size of the logo but did not want her face on the front as it felt unnecessary and cluttered. She also asked me to bring the icons back for social links. She liked the idea of having 10 images to highlight her varied works, however my supervisor usefully pointed out that the size of these would likely be too small when printed.

To resolve this issue, I suggested printing the business cards with a set of different background images allowing potential customers to pick their favourite and browse the other designs while doing so. The client was keen on this idea, and my supervisor recommended the website Moo.com which specialised in this process, which I passed on to Kate.

 

 

As the client had expressed she liked the stacked style of social links, we chose that for the final design. I also hand-drew the icons to represent the handmade nature of Kate’s business and to create visual interest against the clean and simple sans serif typography. The client selected 8 different images which she plans to print using Moo.com for different backgrounds and may sew over some in the future.

Although I struggled along the process of designing my business cards, this was largely due to it being my first time making one. The hardest part for me was working out how to balance the card when there is so little information to go on it. To resolve this I researched other business cards throughout the process for reference.

As a result of this process I now feel a lot more confident in my ability to design business cards as I’m really happy with the final design and my unique ideas and I know the client is too.

 

Video Introduction

To understand the clients wants and needs for the video intro, we booked a meeting to discuss.
My notes include:

• Transferrable, can be used for YouTube videos and Online workshops
• Just needs logo and her name
• Visually quick and punchy, not ‘floaty’ or ‘lazy’

Creating the video introduction was a surprisingly straightforward process, considering we had previously been worried about how difficult and time-consuming AfterEffects can be. Of the 4 initial ideas we presented to the client, she was instantly sold on my second concept. The animation features a pink square sliding in, with the text scrolling across from the left. At the end the full stop shrinks in, creating the punchy effect Kate desired. The whole animation occurs within 6 seconds, ensuring it is quick and straight to the point.

As our client was clear on the concept she wanted, our next steps were to develop the animation. Our supervisor suggested subtly bringing in the theme of sewing and my partner Ben came up with the idea of adding a sewing machine sound behind. The client was very happy with this idea and helped us to select a specific sound.

 

The final video:

Our final video satisfies all of the clients needs for it; it is suitable for a range of uses, straight to the point, punchy and quick. It is also visually coherent with the rest of Kate’s branding, meaning that when customers click on a video they will instantly recognise Kate’s brand and know they are in the right place.

 

Website

Since the client has never had her own website before, and operates her business primarily on Instagram and through Crafty Monkies, she was initially unsure of what to ask us for. My research for the website process included re-visiting the websites we had intially identified as effective and reviewing our user personas, noting down their different needs. As the website is hosted on Squarespace, I also played around with the tools, identifying some of the limitations and advantages of this platform.

Limitations:

• Non-customisable fonts
• Limited nav bar customisation

Advantages:

• Elements such as buttons are customisable (padding etc)
• Can design pages differently for mobile and desktop (Logo can be different)

We then designed wireframes on Figma, so the client had a chance to visualise the pages and layouts we were suggesting. My designs feature image heavy pages to show off the client’s work. I chose to use the landscape logo to maximise page space and went with mainly left-alignment. I also used a restrained colour scheme of the client’s recognisable pink colour and simple black and white to draw customer’s attention to her work.

I also explained to Kate how my design plans to satisfy the needs of the personas I created. For example;

Persona 1: Barry, 53, UK, Works on the hiring team at a trunk show.

Goals

• Find a quilting artist open to presenting at a trunk show
• Learn more about Kate and her work
• Find how to book and contact Kate

Frustrations

• It can be hard to find artists websites from their other socials
• It is not always easy to find how to contact artists
• Instagram DMs often go unnoticed or not seen as serious enquiries

Technology

• Confident on websites and email
• Partially confident on Instagram

How our design work / deliverables could aid Barry

Website pages- 
About me with interesting and engaging information about Kate to help people get to know her and her personality
Gallery page highlighting her favourite and recent quilts
Easily findable contact page linked from homepage to save Barry time
Link to website in Instagram bio and on business cards to ensure potential employers can locate Kate’s website easily. Website offers multiple ways to contact, email and phone (for quicker contact)

 

Persona 2: Lily, 21, Los Angeles, Student.

Goals

• To find an artist who offers online/ remote craft classes
• To get inspiration on her Instagram timeline
• To expand her skill and creativity


Frustrations

• Not many in person craft classes where she lives
• She doesn’t have friends with similar interests

Technology

• Digitally confident
• Primary social media is Instagram and TikTok

How our design work / deliverables could aid Lily

Logo and clean website design, creates a continuous style between platforms as she goes to book a class. Obvious that she is on the right website. Builds confidence and trust for customers, encouraging them to purchase services.
Youtube intro- maintained style, when she browses to look for craft tips and inspiration she will recognise the branding. Seeing videos on her suggested, she’s more likely to click them if she recognises and already trusts the brand.

Business card – N/A she is accessing Kate’s business remotely

 

Overall, the final website satisfies the needs of Kate’s customers through the easy navigation, shortcuts to the contact page, shared house style and simple, straight to the point design. Having user personas made this process a lot easier as I could frequently reference their needs and explain to the client my thoughts behind the design. Although the client was initially unsure about what to feature on her website and what pages she wanted, her feedback suggests that she feels a lot more confident now. However, the client still remains unsure of whether she wants a shop page on the site or not as she is not currently selling quilts. To resolve this we designed the page but hid it so it is not published and she has no pressure to use it until she wants to.

A video run-through of the final website design can be accessed here.

 

Evaluation

When approaching this Real Job, the client’s main aims were to increase her profile as an artist and grow her audience, to help her turn her side hustle hobby into a career. We sucessfully helped her to achieve this through professional and eye-catching branding which is coherent across assets and platforms. We worked alongside Kate and with her help thought strategically about her user’s needs, creating personas and allowing us to create visually appealing and advantageous deliverables. I feel that the final deliverables are very sucessful and will aid the client’s business and I look forward to checking back in a few months to see the effect of our work.

Although initially challenging, learning how to communicate professionally with clients and recieve constructive feedback was the most valuable part of this process for me. I look forward to using these skills in my future professional roles and am grateful for the lessons this project taught me, which can’t be taught without firsthand experience.

The main lesson I am taking away from this project is the importance of time managment and keeping to schedule. We had to push the inital deadline back twice and although the client had no issue with it as she wasn’t working to a deadline, it resulted in the project dragging on and us losing motivation at points. The main issue came from our initial misunderstanding of how long the process of contacting our supervisor and client would take and we soon learnt that it was imperative to allow more time to fit with everyone’s schedules (especially as our client has young children). In future projects I will bear this in mind and try to get a better understanding of the client’s weekly schedule before creating a project schedule.

This project also forced me to take a group leader role which pushed me out of my comfort zone as I usually would avoid this role. Although I found this challenging, as a result I now feel a lot more confident in my ability and hope to develop this skill further in the future.

Restated Brief

Job summary

Nicola Wilson is the author of the book Recommended! A book that
follows the Book Society and the literary influences that highly
influenced the reading during the interwar period. Wilson would like
ephemera such as: a bookmark, postcard and book plate to supply at
book shop visits during the book launch of Recommended!

Aims and objectives

• To create cohesive ephemera that reflects the nature of the book and
  the time period that it focuses on, with some contemporary elements
• To experiment with typography from the 1930s
• Find images through the collections to use/utilise in my work

Deliverables

• Bookmark
• Postcard
• Book plate

Qualities of deliverables

The user will need to be able to see a clear connection between the
content, book and the ephemera. They will also need to be able to read
the text displayed on all of the items.

Research

My research will consist of meeting Emma in collections to look at all
of the ephemera from the Book Society. I have also been supplied with
the manuscript so I can read it, so that I can understand the content
of the book further and what I need to be representing with my
designs.

Research

Development

After digitising them in Illustrator I started working on different colour combinations to see which was most effective. I then test printed to ensure that the colours transferred well in print, so had to make some final adjustments. The final digital versions are shown in figures 4-7.

Figure 4: Outside of bookplate.

Figure 5: Inside of bookplate.

Figure 6: Front of postcard.

Figure 6: Back of postcard.

Figure 7: Front and back of bookmark.

Printed Deliverables

Reflection

I really enjoyed this project, it was something completely different to anything that I had previously done. This real job was heavily illustration based and that through me out of my comfort zone , in the best way. I have grown a lot of confidence in my illustration skills and have learnt a valuable skill which I can utilise in the future.

Context

The client is part of the (University of) Reading Arts Committee and has commissioned a public art trail for Whiteknights campus. The trail will consist of four ‘World Globes Re-imagined’ sculptures which are placed around campus and one existing abstract sculpture. There will be additional artwork added to the trail.  Please visit The World Reimagined for more information.

 

Restated Brief (as of the first phase)

Aim of the project

The client aims to create a more inclusive community surrounding the exhibited artworks around the University campus through a trail that can be accessed by all.

Objectives

Research will be undertaken to explore successful existing maps and leaflets, and to understand the community the project is being aimed at. This will shape the design of the leaflet to enhance the experience of the trail and encourage an inclusive audience.

Deliverables

A print-ready leaflet containing a map of the trail and relevant information.

How the deliverables will be measured
Prototype leaflets will be produced, and a range of users will be asked to test the trail to measure the effectiveness and clarity of the map. Consistent feedback will be given by the supervisor and improvements made throughout the process.

User needs

The map must be easy to read with a clear structured route and only the most relevant information so as not to confuse the user. The leaflet must be suitable to be displayed in standard leaflet stands at museums, and similar public locations. As there is no specific target user, or age range, the interactive web map must be both accessible and easy to use. Accessibility needs must be considered within the leaflet design to ensure that it is clear which areas are accessible to all and which are not.

Notes from initial client meeting

• The University wants to collect public artworks to display around campus (e.g. sculptures, paintings, etc.).
• The Arts Committee have acquired four ‘World Globes Reimagined’ sculptures to be placed roughly in greenspaces surrounding: the library, Park House, the URS building (near the reflective pool), and the Henley Business School.
• One of the sculptures on the trail, is the abstract sculpture titled ‘Floating Gardens’. The client has stated that this exhibit needs more representation as it is often overlooked due to its unclear nature as artwork or unconventional seating.
• The client mentioned the possibility of including some subtle signage to make the map and trail itself more cohesive.
• This project is expected to grow in the future, developing more iterations as the trail gets larger. There is already a commission underway for another public sculpture set for 2026.
• This is designed for the whole public not just students, however, confirmation is still needed regarding public access to university buildings.

 

Schedule

 

Research

We began by asking our client if she had any existing points of inspiration for the leaflet/map. Our client found the leaflets used in Tate Britain and Tate Modern (figures 02 and 03) particularly inspiring and organised for us to travel to London to do some field research and understand what about the leaflets made them so memorable/inspiring. The true benefit of researching these existing examples was not simply looking at the finished product but using the map in context to explore the museums. This helped us better our understanding in learning what creates a clear leaflet and the techniques that could be used to differentiate different levels of hierarchy within the information displayed. It was insightful seeing the levels of detail needed for an internal map, and how the artworks could run alongside this in our own printed leaflet.

After this visit, we initiated further research by creating four user personas, specifically considering their lifestyles and frustrations as well as their journey that would lead them to the ‘Art on Campus’ trail (figures 04 and 05). This was an enlightening activity, perfectly illustrating the range of audience that we have for this project. From this stage of research, we found that potential users struggle to understand the information when it is overly busy, specifically for users that are neurodivergent can find overcomplicated designs overstimulating. This was an important consideration to make when designing our leaflet as we aimed to design for all users rather than just the neurotypical able-bodied. Continuing this path, we identified another user that may potentially struggle due to their physical ability, someone who is partially visually impaired. Due to this, we intended to consider the type-size and experiment several times by printing prototypes.

 

 

 

 

 

Ideation

We began with sketching and folding multiple layouts using scrap pieces of paper (figures 06). This way we were not spending too long making the sketches/prototypes aesthetically pleasing. Along with testing out multiple folds, we also experimented with where the different areas of information would be placed within these layouts, where we were torn between a cross-fold leaflet and a three-fold leaflet. Once we were happy with a few chosen layouts, we sketched them neatly on samples of the paper stock that we were planning to use (these would be the copies that we passed onto our client for her to approve the layout), as seen in figure 07. Our client was keen for us to work with a cross-fold leaflet and was happy for us to use similar placements.

 

 

 

Once a rough design layout and fold had been agreed on, we started laying out very simple wireframes with placeholder images in InDesign. We split the design work between the two of us, with one of us focussing on leaflet typesetting and layout, and the other focusing on the design of the map.

Part of the process involved taking our own photos, so we made a trip into the University, borrowed the professional camera and took some pictures of the artworks and the four globes (figure 08). These photos then required a significant amount of light editing, achieved across both Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop which was relatively new to the both of us and a great learning opportunity.

 

 

Development

To begin our digital design phase, we decided we would adopt a system where we would work on separate InDesign files as to limit any problems happening with the files, and would come together and create a new, updated document with the other person’s work. Upon completing the separated areas, we worked together trialling different styles of inputting imagery and how, for example, the rounded shapes of the globes would work against our rectangular grid.

We used each other’s honest critique and improvements to refine our digital design, along with booking in an extremely valuable feedback session with James to review an early-stage print. Once we were happy with a digital design, we showed it to our client along with a short presentation for review and received some changes to the copy and a proposal to change the layout of the page containing the artworks. Initially, this took us back as a lot of work to do, however, we systematically went through the changes, highlighting them as we completed them in a shared doc. We went through several iterations throughout the development process, as seen across figures 09–11.

After making our client’s suggested changes, we went back to our supervisor and asked for some final critique, and the level of detail that was looked at was eye-opening. In the final feedback, it was suggested that the image on the front cover was a little faded due to the light editing, so we went to Geoff for a quick personal tutorial on light editing in photoshop and achieved a look that we were confident with for our hero image on the title page. We learnt a lot from this experience down to the most minute detail of changing thin spaces to hairline spaces.

 

 

 

 

Production

The production phase of the process was eye opening as communication was the main skill required here. When discussing the production spec with the Real Jobs team, we were not clear enough on the type of fold required which led to the incorrect fold (a roll-fold) being sent to CPS for the spec. As the both of us were keen to deliver what we had proposed to the client, we refolded all 6500 copies by hand to ensure that they were in a Z-fold format. This taught us both how important it is to be clear with the spec and to specify things like this in writing before sending them to print. This also taught us to request printer proofs before going through with the final print to ensure that the standards and requirements are being met.

An art working problem we came across was the outcome of the colour in our final printed leaflets. Due to exporting a pre-existing map from a .pdf and importing this into the Illustrator file we were working on, the colours when printing our leaflet were not as we expected due to the importing of the map altering our version of the file into RBG whereas when printing we needed CMYK programming. We did change various settings to achieve this, however upon printing, it turned our darker than expected. It was unclear here whether this was just down to the printing settings, or the following issue discussed of paper choice.

A final issue we encountered was the paper choice we settled on. We set out to print on 115gsm silk coated paper which was agreed upon with our client however due a last-minute alignment with university brand guidelines, this needed to be changed to 150gsm Evolution Business meaning we were only able to print 6500 leaflets as opposed to the 11000 we set out to deliver.

 

Outcome

 

 

Feedback

Client feedback

“We have only been getting wonderful feedback for the map, so I think the thanks are down to you both entirely! …I was really pleased with the whole project from beginning to end and I have nothing negative to feedback. It would have been great if we could have had the paper that you had initial chosen for the maps rather than the University approved one, but that’s an issue for us to discuss with CPS for future iterations of the map.” – Client

Supervisor feedback

Our supervisor was impressed at the quality of work produced by two first year students, and although he mentioned that there were still some areas to improve for future iterations if we get the chance such as detailed alignment issues or print quality, overall, he believed that the design looked in accordance with the brand guidelines, professional, and fit for purpose.

 

Reflection

Our key take aways from this project were:

• Always request proofs from the printer.
• Ensure that important information regarding the spec is written an email chain.
• Understand the brand guidelines you are required to work within from the start.
• Seek out original file types as opposed to exporting from a .pdf.
• Ensure everything is in CMYK or RGB depending on the project.
• Maintain constant communication with all parties not just the client.

 

By Tommy Molnar and Amirah Yasin

 

 

 

Context

Designed by Luke Dyer and Jack Swain, the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing (SHARP) was looking for branding deliverables for their SHARP 2024 Conference. The project required us to create a range of visual material at varying sizes for different purposes. We were fortunate enough to work alongside Sue Walker, who works within the department of graphic communication and typography, giving us a great opportunity to work with someone with a great mind for design. Alongside this, we had the opportunity to meet with the SHARP organising committee during this real job. 

Restated Brief

The SHARP 2024 conference would take place in July 2024, in which the conference will explore how books and texts are produced, distributed, and read in global contexts today and in the past. The conference requires branded material in a range of formats to communicate information and promote the event. This material needs to remain cohesive with the current ‘SHARP 2024’ & ‘Centre for Book Cultures & Publishing’ branding to create a cohesive brand design throughout the entire conference. From this we were quick to establish the main goals of our design work: to create physical/digital methods of communicating times, dates, locations, and events. To help identify attendees of the conference through physical material and to find ways of promoting the SHARP 2024 Conference through physical material. 

Deliverables 

Printed conference programme:

A printed programme for all attendees of the event that will communicate the time, date, location, and any other important information required for the conference. It will act as a schedule for the attendees, allowing them to navigate between the multiple locations over the course of the conference. The programme will be an A5 booklet, allowing it to fit inside of the tote bag (Deliverable 3).

Pull-up banner:

3 banners were requested from Sue directly; these banners would be placed in the 3 locations the conference took place in, allowing all attendees to have a ‘landmark’ to know they are in the correct location of the conference. Additionally, the banner would be designed to promote the SHARP brand after the conference has ended. Since the time of the real job, the banner has made appearances in the opening of the new print workshop in the Typography Department.

Tote bag:

The tote bag would be used as a way to show off the SHARP 2024 logo and brand colour, allowing people to identify attendees of the event. Additionally, the tote bag will be able to hold the conference programme (Deliverable 1) and any other material that attendees pick up during the event.

Name tag:

Used to help identify other attendees of the event alongside naming guest speakers during the conference. The event had people attend from all over the world; the name tags would be beneficial to help with socialising and recognition of speakers and guests. 

T-shirt:

Designed to promote the SHARP 2024 branding, these t-shirts would be worn by volunteers of the conference. 

Programme Design 

Stage 1: 

We received a version of the conference table and started designing some page layouts on how we wanted a spread to look. Our most important goal with these was to separate out the information in a clear and accessible way.

Stage 2: 

We gained some initial feedback from our client regarding certain design choices in our concepts; the rotated days of the week were something the client wanted us to stay away from for legibility reasons. Alongside this, our client liked the rule approach we took into separating out our information.

Stage 3:

After the feedback, we refined what the spreads looked like based on multiple rounds of client feedback. Some of the major changes were the spacing between information, the running head and folios, and the introduction of new information that our client wanted in the programme. With these changes, our client was happy with the overall design of the programme. From this point we had to make many small adjustments to the spacing and typography of the programme pages, as the conference table would constantly be changed and updated from the start of the designing to the end of the project.

Stage 4:

The collections pages were the last aspect of the programme that we needed to refine and adjust before our client was happy with the finished designs. The main issue we found was the repeating information throughout the day alongside the names of certain locations that would not fit into the grid system. After multiple adjustments, we settled on a system to present the information with the client and utilised it for the collection pages. 

Banner Design 

Stage 1: 

The banner designs were a little different from the rest of the branding as it wanted to be linked to the SHARP 2024 Conference but not use any of the branding assets. Instead, it wanted to show off the Centre for Book Cultures and Publishing (CBCP) brand, allowing it to be utilised after the conference ended. We created some initial ideas to show our client.

Stage 2:

The feedback from the initial concepts was good; however, the client was not fully sold on some of the concepts. We were fortunate enough to gain some insight from Paul Luna, who created the CBCP logo, on his own spin on the banner design, which our client loved when we presented it to her.

Stage 3:

From Paul Luna’s help with the banner, we made some final refinements to the typography, layout/colour of the logo and some of the body copy before the banner was signed off by our client.

Tote Bag Design  

Stage 1: 

With our initial sketches, we wanted to push the boundaries of how creative we could be with the design of the tote bag. This was with the understanding that this deliverables purpose was to show off attendees of the event who would be walking around the University of Reading campus rather than providing information.

Stage 2: 

The previous designs were rejected, and we then took a simpler approach with how we would create the tote bag. We attempted to utilise the shape of the SHARP 2024 logo; however, this was also rejected. We found that just showing off the SHARP 2024 logo on the punchy red background would be the best way to show off attendees and the brand. 

Stage 3: 

The tote bag gave us some issue when looking at the manufacturing. We initially agreed to show off the SHARP 2024 logo along with the University of Reading and CBCP logos. To stay within the budget for the conference, we had to drop the CBCP logo as they only had a black logo in the brand guidelines. This would result in us printing in two colours, driving up the price. 

Name Tag Design 

Stage 1: 

When drafting some concepts of what the name tag would look like, we had the appraoch that the design would be a lanyard that would be seen at other conferences or passes at music events rather than a nametag. This idea was discussed with our client before any design work was started. Our concepts took a different approach to the rest of the branding, trying to incorporate some images that our client provided.

 

Stage 2: 

Understandably, the designs were rejected for not fitting in with the other branding of the event, so we simplified it down to mirror the other deliverables created. The next issue we faced was the cost of producing 400 lanyards + plastic tags with the design. Unfortunately, despite all efforts to reduce costs of the deliverable, we had to pivot from the lanyard into a name tag to meet budget restrictions.

T-shirt Design 

Stage 1: 

The T-shirt design was straightforward. The client wanted a red T-shirt with the CBCP logo printed on the front so that they can utilise the T-shirts for any future events. 

Conclusion 

We believe the project was a great success in terms of meeting the brief and what our client was expecting. Our client was very happy with the outcome of the deliverables, and the conference ran smoothly. As our first real job, it was a valuable experience working alongside Sue, who had a great eye for typographic details, elevating the outcome of the work produced. 

While we were happy with the final outcome, there were some areas within the real job that gave us some challenges. Firstly, both us and the client were waiting on confirmation for the wanted deliverables for this project. This ran down the amount of time we had to create and produce all 5 deliverables, making the final month stressful to meet the final deadline. Secondly, the constant updating of the programme schedule on behalf of SHARP led us to have to change and make adjustments to the programme constantly and long after the design was completed, taking time away from other deliverables. Finally, we found that budget restrictions were a big issue in the decision-making for multiple deliverables. This led us to feel that we had to simplify some deliverables to meet the restrictions. 

As a result of this real job, we both believe that we have become better designers in working alongside clients but also better at communicating our intentions and ideas, which will be a great skill to have experience with for any future jobs we partake in. We have both found enjoyment within this branding project and would be open to more branding opportunities in the future.