Our Client

Mrs Myrtle is an independent events company based in London, a small business enterprise which offer their clients a styling service for premium events. Each private occasion is tailored specifically to the requests of their clients, based on their specifications and requirements for high end events. The company was established by Jenny Hodges, who is also a stylist at Fabulous Magazine in London. Her company specialises in meticulously planning the intricate details of memorable experiences. The predominant quality of the company is their ability to source the best materials in order to produce the finest possible outcome for their consumers. This what gives the company a distinct identity and separates their work from other competing companies that provide a similar service.

Bespoke Works

As our portfolios are distinctively illustrative and hand-rendered, they demonstrate a confidence in the creation of imagery and lettering produced by hand. Our skill set indicated a correlation with the company’s ethos of fine, high quality, handmade features/props to be commissioned for private events. The client was looking to employ individuals who could produce typographically lead, illustrated signage. Upon the initial communication with the client, she emphasised how much she valued the commissioning of bespoke artwork, made directly by hand. We immediately felt an enthusiasm for this project as the client made a direct acknowledgement of our abilities and showed an appreciation for the skills required; she recognised this artistry is a rarity.

Deliverables and Specifications

The client requested two A0, tailor-made signs for a Gatsby event, and a Vintage American event. This bespoke service was requested by Jenny’s two clients and encouraged by herself and her team. This type of sign is an immediate affirmation of the premium events that the clients are investing a significant amount of money into the production of. The client and ourselves shared a common understanding that a digitally produced sign would not have the desired effect. The company wanted a hand-lettered display illustrated to reinforce the theme of each party. The clients wanted an integrated composition, they were particular about the standard of calligraphy required to be drawn free-hand for each sign. After our initial first meeting we returned with inspiration boards based upon the content they required. This outlined the typographic distinction of each colour theme and appropriate iconography. We also presented the client with a number calligraphic experiments in order to develop our skills in this field of hand-lettering.

Alice Kearley – Deliverable 1 – Gatsby Sign

Design Features

The client specified that she wanted the typographic elements of this particular sign to be decorative with large capitalised text and the smaller copy in the design to be written in a hand-written calligraphic style typeface. This sign combined both vintage, but specifically 1920’s typography indicative of the art deco style; though the client had an idea of the visual effect she wanted to portray, the final decisions about the design of these typographical features were left up to myself to design an overall outcome that replicated a 1920’s style cinematic typeface. These typographic styles are reminiscent of the art deco and art nouveau posters from the 1920’s and 1930’s. The thought-provoking aspect of this project was to replicate this style of writing but through a hand-written format; the client and I discussed particular features of this design, as the art deco style typefaces come in many different variations with a number of varying letterforms. She wanted the lettering to be similar to a style we found together through our research, this style of typographic treatment leant towards a more art deco style, specifically with decorative letterforms. I achieved this result by carefully choosing the placement of the lettering of the signage; it was incredibly important that the design featured an asymmetric layout, evocative of the art deco film and cinema posters of the 1920’s. The content of the design featured several different challenging elements in terms of the copy. The client specifically requested the information she needed the sign to include, and this was decision was mine to make about which typographic treatment would be allocated to more important information on the sign. Despite carrying out a fair amount of research into different styles of art deco typography, I did eventually create my own style of letterforms that consisted of a combination of these typefaces; this was not my intention, however the result was just as effective. The client explained that the design would be presented at the Woodland’s Park Hotel, Cobham. The location of this event was a sophisticated, high-end event, therefore it was appropriate to present the artwork in a gold decorative frame, supported by an easel. The client also made it very clear that the purpose of this signage was to function as a welcome sign to guests arriving at this event. Presumably as the guests were all familiar with the Gatsby theme, therefore the typographic details of this sign played an important and significant role in the idea of the event itself.

The Client’s Request for Copy:

• ‘Welcome to’
• Sandra’s 40th Gatsby Birthday Celebration
• Illustrations
• 14th April
• Woodland’s Park Cobham
• Additional decorative features

Production

The production of this sign was the most significant learning curve for me, in terms of learning how to produce a sign using specific materials, and practising the techniques of free-hand, bespoke calligraphy on such a large scale. It is fair to say that the production of this sign was challenging in some ways, and certainly required thought, practice and preparation. As the designer, I ensured I had thoroughly planned how I would begin this making process, so that I was able to produce a final result to the best of my ability; to a high standard suitable for the client’s high quality demands. The most challenging area of this production was to calculate the measurements for the each part of the text placement. Having discussed this layout with the client, I was aware that she wanted certain elements in the sign to be more significant than others. For example ‘Sandra’s 40^th Birthday, Great Gatsby’ would be the most prominent text in the sign. I began by planning out a very rough sketch of this layout in an A4 format, and then from this calculated how much I needed to increase the text by in order for it to fit onto the A0 sized sign. This did work successfully, and I realised that this was an important stage in creating a balanced layout where the scale of each letter was increased accordingly. This step meant that less errors would occur later in the process when transferring the calligraphy by hand onto the sign. This planning process gave me a clear idea of the scale of each letter, so therefore I could plan the placement of each word onto the sign. The writing process was certainly the part that took the most time. Though I had decided which styles of typography the client wanted, I had to write this perfectly onto the board – this ended up being a very trial and error process but luckily as I had practised these skills before producing the final outcome, I managed to create this hand-lettering correctly the first time. Lastly, I decorated and finalised the design by using my illustrative skills to produce my own drawings of 1920’s cocktail glasses. This supplemented the design of the signage and finished the overall result very nicely. Overall, I feel that the experience was incredibly positive and I learnt a great deal not only about my skills in calligraphy and illustration, but perhaps more importantly the benefits of preparation and planning. Gaining as much knowledge as possible about our client was definitely one of our strengths, we ensured that we formed a good relationship with the client, and kept a continuous level communication with them.

 

Eloise Williamson – Deliverable 2 – American Sign

The American sign was to be situated at the front of the SO Bar in Richmond, London, where the event was to be held, as an immediate indication of the themed party to potential audience members. The sign wasn’t defined as wayfinding, but to brand the event within its theme, using the provided content styled appropriately to imply its message. Upon the first meeting with the client, they specified to what extent the sign was to be hand-made, as the quality of its creation and the consideration would also define the premium expense of the event. As the events theme included extensive use of colour in addition to its bespoke qualities, the client specified the design was to be hand-painted in addition to the use of calligraphic markers. This requirement was an exciting change, yet daunting and challenged my illustrative abilities. The client composed the layout design to be based upon my inspiration boards as proposed in the second meeting, the sign would imitate the impression of a vintage metal American signage, which was framed with a circular and striped structure to hold the lettered content. There would be three typographic distinctions which would organise the information, ‘Happy 13^th’ ‘Birthday’ and ‘Ellie’, each typographic choice was outlined by the client and varying in the dimension of each letterform, a characteristic of American signage and design. The colour themes were decided upon, based on vintage pastel colours and off white with the Starfire 98 car, fully illustrated on the sign as a reoccurring iconographic feature throughout the event. As the event catered for a younger audience, the client required the design to be almost naively considered and illustrated to conform to the likes of its audience. Typography which indicates American thematic qualities derive from letter-pressed type which have worn surfaces and geometric LED type which are metal sky signs advertising Motel or Diners, this was research I considered throughout the process. The dimension of the typography is often indicted by a darker backdrop colour to reinforce the most important content and in this case, it was the name ‘Ellie.’ The compositional space was also a consideration to allow for the information to be legible and read without being overwhelmed by unnecessary content. The materials were sourced by myself as singular emulsion colour paints, the A0 board and the varnish enamel finish. These materials were considered to ensure the sustainability and professionalism of the signage. There were additional attributes that had to be organised and left to our responsibility to complete the outcome the client wanted to achieve. The vintage easel was located and hired from a props company, which I had to fix together per to the sizing of the Gatsby artwork to sit upon, in addition to applying a finish to the wood surface to look additionally worn as the client wanted it to fit in with the vintage style of the event (this adjustment was first allowed by the props company). I located the ornamented frame for the Gatsby sign which I sprayed gold with a varnish finish/enamel for the Gatsby sign to sit within. Additionally, a smaller clapper board was required to be made and illustrated for the American Signage

 

OVERVIEW:
While the style of this signage wasn’t my personal preference, this artwork was produced to meet exactly what the client had required using the specific content specified. The chosen typographic styling, colours, finish and naivety was catered to its younger audience and to meet the specific personas of this project.

The Clients specifications:

– A fully illustrated sign using the given content

– Well composed execution of information, without overloaded information.

– Appropriately styled to the required theme

– Well executed bespoke hand-lettering and illustrated design

– ‘Happy 13th Birthday Ellie’ and Fully illustrated Starfire 98 Car

– Hand-painted as required (due to this quality the events company’s clients were paying for)

– The varnish enamel finish

 

Client Feedback
The client contacted me via a previous client, admiring my menu designs and signage for another company, I have also produced work for her as the sign designer of her company over the summer of 2017. Due to the short turn around, a concentrated amount of work was undertaken to complete the signage to client’s requests and specifications for each event deadline. Although this isn’t best for us as busy students, it is of the interest of the client for us to work to their requests. The events company was extremely pleased with the outcome of the signage, impressed with the hand-painted outcome and typographic stylisation. Their clients were also sent the sign and got in contact with a great response to my final work. I have been allocated 2 upcoming design jobs with the same events company following shortly and the possibility of a regular position designing with them. Overall, a very positive response to my artwork.

Final Deliverables

Vintage Gatsby Blackboard Sign

Vintage American Sign

Alice Kearley & Eloise Williamson

 

 

 

The client & the brief

My client for this project was a lady named Maggie Shelton; she works as a Community Catchment Officer, for the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

The Background Story

As a designer, gaining a clear understanding of the ecology and science behind this project’s was incredibly important when considering how to visually approach design ideas with this project’s purpose and importance in mind. The most crucial aspect of this process was to ensure I asked my client detailed and specific questions about what is most relevant to the charity’s ethos and aims. Specifically, I wanted to gain as much information as I could about the Watercress & Winterbournes conversation project. In my initial meeting with Maggie, I found out that the focus for this project is to preserve the chalk streams of the Hampshire Downs, a unique landscape specific to this region. Maggie was incredibly passionate about how crucial the preservation of these habitats are,  therefore after taking part in this face to face meeting with Maggie, I understood that this project was close to her heart; this experience was a very useful learning curve as it reinforced to me the importance of the correct kind of communication with your client. The project also supports of a range of heritage industries, villages and their communities.

‘The area is central the to UK’s watercress industry and its water mills have supported industries such as the production of paper, corn, silk and even gin.’ – Maggie Shelton

My client also went into great detail about the partnership vision and their overall aims. The point of this project is primarily to unite sixteen partners, in order to help form relationships with surrounding communities in the Hampshire Downs area, who’s roles are essential in caring for the local heritage. This project also aims to encourage and inspire young people to protect the natural headwaters now and for future generations.

 Deliverables

The client specifically requested three different logo designs for the Watercress & Winterbournes project. These logos would be used on letterheads, banners, featuring as part of a web presence, and should also work as part of any publicity that advertises the new Heritage Lottery Fund project. The client specifically requested that these three logo designs must work in full colour and also in black and white. These logo designs also needed to be just as successful when scaled down to a smaller size, and scaled up to be used in varying formats.

Specific Design Considerations included:

• The logo including the words ‘Watercress & Winterbournes’ specifically using an ampersand.
• The logo needed to sit alongside the Heritage Lottery Fund logo, therefore not compete with the this logo but complement it.
• The colour palette must be cheap to photocopy, as the client for this project is a member of a charity, ensuring the design is cost effective was a very important element.
• These logos must also be visually effective on a Powerpoint presentation and also effective when placed over a detailed photograph.
• Maggie Shelton specifically requested in her brief that these logos ‘reflect the ethos of the project’

I responded to this discussion with Maggie by briefly talking about some of my initial ideas for this brief. She reiterated to me that the heritage and sense of community was very important to communicate. I suggested to her that I wanted to use the concept of the natural surroundings in my logo designs. As the focus of the project is on preserving the heritage, I wanted to focus my design ideas towards a more traditional approach. This would feature hand-drawn illustrations, and perhaps serif typefaces. During this meeting I ensured that I communicated my understanding and appreciation for the project’s mission. I explained some of my ideas, in doing this, I assured her that she could trust me with respecting the project’s aims, though this is a newly founded project, the Hampshire Downs are a part of the UK’s natural heritage and I understood the relevance of this.

My Design Approach

I approached this design by considering the ideas and themes discussed with my client. I wanted to incorporate the project’s ideas of preservation and the importance placed on the heritage of the region and the natural habitats it encompasses. To do this, I began by experimenting with my own hand-drawn illustrations. I focused on motifs such as the watercress, specific to the chalk streams but this also features in the name of the project itself. I wanted these drawings to be detailed and realistic in order to represent the traditional elements of the project itself as discussed with my client. These drawings resulted in a botanical drawing style. These drawings were effective in both colour, using a natural green. When designing the typography for the logo designs, I wanted to use serif typefaces, traditional and simple letterforms, with particular focus on the ‘W’, representing the Watercress & Winterbournes name. I decided to incorporate these two main elements together, by featuring the watercress drawing as part of the typography.

 

Figure 1 – Initial Visuals

Figure 2 – Experiments with typographical treatment

Figure 3 – Developed Logo Designs

My Experience

Overall, my experience producing logo designs for the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust was incredibly positive. I learnt a considerable amount about the relationship that can be formed with a client and how this can influence your perception of the design work produced for them. I feel that I have improved my ability to retrieve information from a client, I have learnt that making sure I am asking the correct questions, influences my work very positively. Understanding a brief is also very valuable to the process; ensuring you are correctly informed about the purpose the of work you are designing for, means that as a designer, you can make the correct decisions about the job at hand. This job was very simple in terms of the content, the deliverables were clear and concise and there was little that could go wrong technically, however, the challenging part of the project was to make sure I paid homage to the project itself. The project has a particularly important and somewhat serious message. The part my logo designs played in portraying the correct identity and message for project was very specific. Another important lesson I have learnt as part of this process, was to keep an open mind about my own ideas. After attending a very informative Real Jobs meeting, I discovered that it is also important to not underestimate your abilities; to sell your ideas and to have confidence in your skills. The designs that I presented to the group in this meeting, I personally felt were a little weak in my opinion, however, my colleagues felt that my designs were strong, original and unique. I found that the most successful design, came as a result of an accidental experiment and this was quite eye-opening for me.