Brief
To design print materials for an exhibition hosted by the classics department at the University of Reading entitled From Italy to Britain: Winckelmann and the spread of neoclassical taste.
This distinguished exhibition was part of a two-year international celebration (2017–2018), of Johann Joachim Winckelmann, the ‘father’ of classical art archaeology and promoter of neoclassical taste in eighteenth-century Europe. It explored Winckelmann’s work and influence in Neoclassical Britain and in particular Reading (epitomized, for example, in Soane’s Simeon Monument in Reading’s Butter Market), as well as publicizing Reading’s Special Collections.

Deliverables

• An A4 trifold exhibit leaflet (in the form of a handlist of exhibited objects)
• Exhibition panels, A1 & A0 (in width)

Challenge
The turn around for this project was very tight because I inherited it from another student at the eleventh hour. I had only a few days to design the materials in order for them to be printed in time for the exhibition launch. I was galvanized by the time constraint; there was no time to procrastinate or come up with multiple solutions: the design simply needed to reflect the neoclassical subject matter and be pleasurable to read.

Handlist cover
The image supplied for the cover involved a semi-nude woman brandishing an oversized tambourine above her head. The tall proportions of the figure translated well to the narrow page format but the image required careful scaling and cropping in order to satisfactorily display fine details, such as the folds in her drapes, while also avoiding collisions with the type. Beyond merely avoiding collisions with text the ‘dancing woman’ gracefully interacts with the exhibition title (note the way the right hand cups the second line of the subhead).

Hickson_S_Winckelmann_handlist

Typeface
Using a neoclassical typeface revival for display type and headings was an expected but pertinent decision. I tested a number of didone faces and settled on ITC Bodoni 72. The face works well at large sizes (particularly the gigantic 435pt size on the A0 display panel), but is less successful as a type for headings in the handlist because the exquisite hairline serifs are rendered fuzzy once printed.

I chose to set the exhibition title in italics in order add a sense of movement and excitement (‘From’ Italy ‘to’ Britain) as well as a subtle nod to Italian design.

The clients wanted to use the didone type style for all text, including body copy. They were concerned that the sans serif I’d chosen (Skolar) was too modern and did not match the subject matter. I showed them some example copy set in Bodoni and managed to convince them that the fragile structure of the face was difficult to read at body size. The straightforwardness of Skolar contrasts well with the grandeur of Bodoni and links the neoclassical history with modern appreciation.

Design lessons
Typesetting a handlist was a good opportunity to learn how to properly create a numbered list with right ranging outdented numbers: a skill that will be no doubt required on future projects.
If I were to change one thing to the design of the handlist it would be the key. Reversing small type sizes out of a solid colour made the acronyms difficult to read. In future I’ll opt for bold as a more robust form of typographic differentiation for this purpose.

Copy editing
I suggested slight amendments to handlist copy in order to better serve the pace of the document. For example, I recommended placing a pull quote above the exhibition blurb, which required a slight alteration to the wording of the text. Prior to the real jobs scheme, I had never considered that my role as a designer would include writing and editing copy. Learning to do this well will be a valuable addition to my skill set.

Designing the exhibition panels
The content of each exhibition panel was simple: a heading, body text and footnotes. I opted for a symmetrical centred layout to match the ethos of classicism, but coupled this with left aligned text for ease of reading.

Designing at this large scale was new to me (I’d never designed anything above A2) so lots of print tests were required to ensure the text was readable from a distance.

The main challenge was how to accommodate the amount of text on each panel (this varied significantly). I eventually surmised that each panel would need a discrete height that matched the length of text.

Working with the clients was enjoyable because their academic background informed my typographic detailing decisions with elements such as quotes and footnote markers. I’ve learnt that design conventions can differ in certain contexts. For example, footnote markers in books tend to be set using superscript numbers as these are less prominent than ‘normal size’ figures yet clearly visible. The clients insisted on using normal sized figures with surrounding square brackets for their footnote markers, as is the convention in exhibition design.

Conclusion
The real pleasure of this project was the opportunity to see my work displayed and used in the environment it was intended for and to witness real users interacting with it. After working mostly on small-scale print designs during this course it was exciting to see large typography come to life in a setting. I paid particularly close attention to typographic details on this project, as I knew any mistakes would be enlarged for all to see.

The clients were fully satisfied with my designs and were very complimentary about my professionalism; I even received a round of applause at the exhibition opening.

 

 

 

Background information

National Youth Guitar Ensemble (NYGE) is a charity which develops talented young classical guitarists in the UK by offering them world-class coaching facilities and the opportunity to play with other like minded individuals in ensembles.

TY3BP

As a group we had previously worked with NYGE in the TY3BP module. At the end of this module we presented them with a new campaign and brand identity. After this module was over, NYGE then approached us to ask if we could refine certain deliverables for this module in the form of a real job.

Restated brief

The brief was to create a set of illustrations for use in large scale print projects alongside an animation to be shared on social media as part of an upcoming campaign to encourage individuals to audition to join NYGE.

Process

During our initial meeting with the client we discussed target audience of the campaign and the message that they wanted the overall campaign to create. The client had also prepared an initial storyboard for the animation. We discussed this material in depth to make sure that we all agreed this was the right direction to take the campaign in. One area of particular importance was the length of the video; as the video would primarily be shared on social media it was important to make sure that the video was not too long (no longer than one minute). Ironing all the details out in the initial meeting was extremely crucial to the success of this project due to the tight turn around that the client needed for the final deliverables.

During this meeting the client had told us that they wanted us to pursue the existing style that we had established in the TY3BP module. As seen in the above photo this style used one continuous and fluid line to create an illustration. This illustration style was decided upon because we agreed with the client that this style helps showcase the dynamic composition of classical music.

After our meeting we had a discussion with our project supervisor about our meeting. It was mentioned by our supervisor that we should look at modifying the illustrations so that they can sit on top of a black background. The reason for this was to create a more classical feel which ultimately would better reflect the type of music that is played by NYGE. Carmen then mocked up an illustration to present to the client to see if they would be happy with this approach.

The feedback received from the client was extremely positive and they wanted us to pursue this slight change in artistic direction. Carmen then produced more illustrations which would match with the concept of the storyboard we had. The set of illustrations use continuous line drawings to complement the dynamic composition of classical music. The fluid movement of this line can also be associated with lines used in the brand identity which work as a reminder of the guitar’s strings.  The colours used in the illustrations were taken from our secondary colour palette. The background of the illustrations was made black in order for colours and the outlines to stand out.

These illustrations would form the basic skeleton of the animation which would be produced by Cecilia. Once the illustrations were approved we started the animation process. As the illustrations are all done following a single line style, they were animated in order to give the impression of a moving line creating different shapes and figures. This made the video very dynamic and active, captivating the audience with curiosity of what the line will create next.  

This continuous line effect also resembles the strings of a guitar. This process was made on Adobe After Effects, which allowed us to control and set the timings for the actions in order to give the viewer enough time to read the information displayed and appreciate the story the video tells.

The client had also requested that they would like the illustrations to be vectorised and made print ready so that they could easily be produced in large scale formats (A1 and larger). As the software used by Carmen could only produce RGB bitmap images it meant that the illustrations had to be converted into a vectorised CMYK file in order to be print ready. To do this Joseph had to trace over each illustration in Adobe Illustrator using the pen tool and convert the RGB colours to their closest CMYK match. Three versions of each illustration were created within the illustrator file:  

• One version featured the original drawings as a set of strokes with the pen tool. This was needed so that the client could tweak the illustrations in future if necessary
• One version with expanded strokes and no colour. By expanding the strokes in illustrator the client now had a set of illustrations which would maintain the correct stroke width when resized.
• One version with expanded strokes and added in colour

With the deliverables nearing completion we presented the work to the client. The client was extremely happy with what had been produced however some slight tweaks were needed to both the illustrations and the video (such as small copy changes).

Final Outcome

Below you can see the final video and illustrations that were produced and handed over to the client.

The final animation

Reflection

As a group we feel confident about the outcomes of this project and we believe it was a success. We received extremely positive feedback and they were extremely happy with the end result.

The quick turnaround of this project also highlighted to us all the importance of communication (as a team and also with the client). To start with there was a lack of communication between causing slight confusion over the date of deliverables, however this issue was quickly sorted out. From then on we provided the client constant on updates on the project. By maintaining good communication with the client we were able to better understand their needs and advise them on different design decisions.

“I really feel that your end product is innovative, eye-catching and perfect for our target audience.” – quote from the real job client!

Group members and roles

• Carmen Martinez-friele – Illustrator
• Cecilia Fraticelli– Animator
• Joseph Cooper – Artworker

 

 

Background information:

Over a period of 4 years the University of Reading Library is undergoing refurbishment. The marketing team required some graphics to be made to communicate important messages to the library users.

Restated Brief:

The graphics created needed to be incredibly diverse to work in a number of different situations including at large scale to cover false walls that would be put up during the redevelopment. They needed to help ensure that students, staff, and other users remain positive throughout the redevelopment process. It was also important to our client that the designs could be easily adapted throughout the development of the library in case the timeline changed. Our team set out to create a number of different possible solutions to this problem that we could present to our client.

End outcomes/objectives:

• Designs for temporary hoardings to be used across all floors of the library.
• Designs to help provide information and sell the development of the library to existing and potential students for the reception area.
• Thoughts on how the designs could be extended into other elements.

Research:

Much of our research centered around looking at the types of graphics being used in other libraries analysing how they were effective in communicating important messages to their users. We also spent time looking at how large-scale wall graphics were used, particularly finding inspiration in how timelines were used in some examples that we found.

Wayfinding was also a key point of focus in this project, as areas of the library would be closed for lengths of time and collections relocated, we also looked into innovative ways of directing library users around an environment.

We also got involved with a set of focus groups to see what students across various years thought of the library development. This gave us crucial information which we could go away and build our ideas upon. It also provided us with an insight into how people perceived the library and its redevelopment and which gave us some considerations to look into when designing our outputs.

For example in one of the focus groups which was ran, all the students agreed that they would not want the colours used within the different library floors to be altered. This was because users of library tended to spend a lot of time on one specific floor and felt comforted by the surroundings – changing these colours dramatically could potentially cause unwanted effects.

Initial Ideas:

We each took the research that we had conducted and began to develop some initial ideas separately then came together as a group to discuss and build on what we had begun to put together. These are the ideas that we came up:

Pictograms and patterns

This initial concept involved using a set of pictograms. These pictograms could be built upon on top of the existing pictograms in the university brand assets. Building upon these kept branding consistent with the university and created a system which could be easily evolve throughout the period of construction. These pictograms would then be used to create a pattern for the temporary hoardings in the library. The reason for going with a pattern it that it it helped reduce distraction to those studying in the library (reduced distractions was highlighted as an area of particular importance to students during the focus groups). Within these patterns motivational quotes or information about the library could be placed.

This system could then be easily adapted to create a simple wayfinding system for students. The wayfinding system could then be used in conjunction with a set of pictograms to create a timeline for the project, giving the students an idea on when projects should be complete. Having a wayfinding system embedded into the walls also meant the that they would be easy to follow from a distance which is important when items in the library are in temporary places in which the students wouldn’t expect to find them.

This concept also played on the fact that ‘Reading’ is spelt the same as ‘reading’. By placing this visual pun in the context of the University of Reading library, we thought it would be a simple way of making people look twice to understand the meaning. We also wanted to emphasise the fact that this redevelopment would benefit everyone and was ‘for’ the student to benefit from.

When we pitched this idea to our client liked the concept of patterned pictograms but were less keen on the copywriting. They explained that they usually tried to avoiding confusion between ‘Reading’ and ‘reading’ and they did not think that this was as strong an idea as the pictogram concept.

 

Type within Type

This idea centered around using large letters and number to draw attention to important facts and instructions. These large-scale type elements could be filled with buzz-words that relate to the redevelopment project to help create a positive atmosphere and a good attitude towards the construction work.

Overall this proved to be very adaptable concept as it would be easy to change the colour scheme if necessary. We found out that it worked well alongside photographs so a wide range of media could be used. This concept could also build on top of the existing University of Reading brand guidelines as it would be based on top of the Effra typeface.

Again the client liked the concept of this but they feared that if the concept is used everywhere it could potentially be a distraction to those studying in the library.

 

Crosswords

This concept aimed to make the library feel like a friendly place to be. The idea was that buzzwords could be placed inside a crossword like pattern, with a goal of creating buzz and excitement about the project. Each crossword could then build on the existing colour palettes for each floor. 

 

Developed Idea:

Following the feedback and discussions from our first pitch to the University team we settled on an approach which combined the ideas of the “Pictogram and patterns concept” and “Type within Type” concept. We then worked together as a group to bring these ideas to create one unified concept and explore other potential graphic outputs.

One output that the marketing team were particularly interested in was how graphics could be used on the windows. Placing graphics on the windows meant that the distraction caused by workers moving around the outside of the library could be lessened, however it was also important to note that it was mentioned several times in the focus groups that the library should retain as much natural light as possible.

During this development we also looked at ways that this concept could work on smaller format handouts such as posters and handouts which could be left around the University campus. These handouts would go into details about the benefits of the libraries overhaul.

Conclusion and cancellation:

A few days after pitching our developed idea to the client we were unfortunately informed by our client that they had decided to hand this project on to the internal University design team due to a shift in the proposed deadline date. The client however did inform us that enjoyed working with us and they thought the work that we produced was brilliant.

While it is a shame that we did not get to see this project through to completion we all learnt a lot about pitching ideas to clients and designing for large-scale print projects such as hoardings. During the research stage we learnt the importance of getting insights from people who will be affected by the designed outputs through interview methods such as focus groups. These focus groups helped us create sensible graphic outputs for a campaign which would impact many people in a negative way. We also gained more experience in working with existing brand guidelines and generating numerous ideas for a project.

Team members

• Clara Kightley
• Jessica Davis
• Joseph Cooper

Background

A brochure containing the full programme, abstracts, bio notes and other information for the II IntermIdia Conference ‘The Moving Form of Film: Exploring Intermediality as a Historiographic Method’ was needed. The client was Professor Lucia Nagib, who was the conference organiser.

Restated brief

The brief was to design a brochure that would hold all the key information for the visitors to the conference. The brochure was required to hold a large amount of information whilst sticking to the clients tight budget, for the 100 copies they would need. Many of the conference visitors would be international, so it was iterated that the information must be clearly laid out.

As the conference was organised by FFT, and the limited budget would influence the production and printing costs of the brochure. After discussion with the client, A5 format was decided  for the brochure as due to the lower production costs and usability for the visitors. From the first meeting with the client, it was iterated to them that there would have to be an eight day design turnaround, to allow for the print time. The only requirement from the client was to use the image from the predesigned poster for the conference as the image for the front page of the brochure. In terms of the text layout inside the brochure, there were no set criteria and the client was happy for judgements to be made by the designer. The brief didn’t change throughout the project.

Initial designs and ideas

From the initial information provided by the client, it was envisioned that the brochure would come to 50-60 pages. After discussing with the client what she wanted from the brochure, and providing the necessary text and images via email, it was then time to assess the various levels of information and discuss how these may be presented.

The first necessary inclusion was a map of the university of Reading, where the three key locations had to be highlighted. The second was all the chair and panel information, of which a lot of literature was provided for. Initially a two column layout was used for the large amounts of text, to help reduce the number of pages and thus the printing costs, but due to the small format of the brochure, the line length was too short so a single column was decided. In order to minimise the number of pages it was decided that the text would flow from one page to the next providing that it adhered to orphan/widow rules. as there was little specification from the client in terms of design decisions, there was free reign over the type choice for the brochure, so it was decided that FreightSans Pro should be used due to being a clean sans serif, with high readability and modern aesthetic. FreightSans also includes a wide variety of weights which, due to various levels of information, would be needed. The third and final requirement was a contact list at the end, which would have to display the name, institution and email address of each of the conference speakers and organisers.

Developments

As the main design decisions of this job would be typographical treatment, the client was happy for judgements to be made by the designer on the typographical treatment, as long as the document remained professional. So much of the development was adjusting the paragraph style settings applied to the different levels of information to create a finished visual.

Initially a new page was given for each new panel, but this created large areas of white space, so it was decided to have the panel information running as continuous text, which helped to maintain an attractive layout to the brochure also helping to keep the number of pages used to a minimum.

Once approved by the supervisor, the client was sent a PDF of a finished draft of the brochure. Unfortunately, many of the book titles were meant to be in italics, but the style had been lost in InDesign so the entire brochure had to be edited so book titles were displayed correctly, this happened very close to the print deadline so the absolute priority was ensuring that the brochure was sent to print with all the information displayed correctly. The clients wish was to have the map of the University spanning a spread, which was what was designed, however in the test run by DPS the alignment of the lines highlighting the three key venues didn’t match, so last minute is was changed to the map being on one page with the key being on the other. Unfortunately there wasn’t time to run this by the client, due to the print schedule, aside from this the set up of the document was fine, and the brochure was sent to print for 100 copies, with the clients thanks and praise for the commitment taken to ensure the brochure would be completed in time for the conference.

In regards to the brochure cover, we decided that with the limited time scale, creating a refined design was unlikely and so using a university template along with the image that was used in the conference poster. This would provide a professional layout to the brochure cover, the use of university branding was not inappropriate due to the conference being organised by a university department.

Overall thoughts

This job has developed my confidence when interacting with people in a professional environment. My organisational skills have drastically improved due to this real job having to be completed in a week as well as working on my other design projects. Utilising InDesign’s style sheets was also a key improvement through this job, as due to the large and complex levels of information, properly set up style sheets were needed, and to also set up an InDesign document for professional printing. Liaising with DPS for the printing was a key part of this job, as the print run through highlighted an issue with the printing of the map, so the design had to be altered last minute to allow the print to run in time. Working to a tight print budget forced me to think about the text hierarchy and ways in which the information could be economically grouped together. This project has allowed me to exercise my professionalism and develop a suitable tone when engaging with my client over email, correspondence that we had regularly, due to the quick turnaround of the job. Engagement with the supervisor was key during this project as the quick turnaround meant that the normal process of a Real Job did not fit with the schedule, so developing a sense of when it was important to show the supervisor the progressing brochure was key, which allowed for more constructive feedback, as the visuals provided were more finished.

Final deliverable

The client was happy with the final deliverable and its design. If I were to complete the project again, my main wish would be to have more time to complete the job, to allow for more feedback from the supervisor, as there was room for more refinement of the brochure, especially with the map at the front. However, considering the quick turnaround of the job, I am pleased with the design and the brochure is finished in its visual with a clear text layout is  clear. Upon receiving the finished brochure, my only concern was that the margins at the spine were slightly tight, something, that if more time was available would have been amended.

MEETING THE CLIENT

Once this job was allocated to us the first step was to contact the client. This job was part of an initiative of The University of Reading carried out by the University’s Centre for Quality Support & Development. We contacted Nicky McGrr (Open Online Course Project Manager) part of the University’s Study Advice team in order to set up our first meeting in which the client, roughly introduced us to the project and explained what our contribution would be (three videos). After reviewing our notes from that first meeting and getting a general idea of the project and the deliverables we gathered a list of questions or things we needed in order to have a complete and clear brief (see below)

Questions we have/things we need:

• We need a specific deadline date
• We need a list of the main illustrations for each video
• We need a document specifying the content of the three videos not only for the sake of their structure but also for our understanding of each topic
• We would like to have the video examples we talked about in our first meeting for inspiration
• Is there a structure for the video you are especially keen on?
• What is the audio for the videos? Will it be provided?

Following this meeting, we met with Yen Tu (Assistant Digital Learning Producer) who oversees the illustrative aspects of their courses. From this moment on we mainly met and reported our progress in the project to her. In our second meeting where we were able to ask the questions raised after our first meeting. Shortly after discussing the project with Yen Tu and the rest of the team, the client provided us with a written and more complete, focused brief, which also included further background information about the overall project. We then considered carefully the brief and its objectives and agreed on everything except for the deadline, which we thought left us with a very reduced time span to make changes. We then spoke to the client and moved the original deadline they suggested (31st of July) to the 14th of August. See final brief below:

 

THE BRIEF

Study Smart: Your Essential Guide To University Study

Background Information

The University of Reading created a 3-week online course: ‘Study Smart: your essential guide to University Study’, to be hosted on the digital learning platform FutureLearn. The aim of this course is to support the student’s transition to learning in Higher Education by helping them reflect on their previous learning, introduce them to the different expectations and styles of learning, and being part of an academic community.

The course was scheduled for launch in early September to coincide with the new student intake. The primary audience were first year undergraduates who are about to commence studying at the University, though it could also be used by any student as a reminder/refresher.

Objectives

The objective is to create three animated videos, approximately 2-3 minutes long. The Study Smart team intend to include one animation per week, to represent the following principles:

Week 1 – Constructing citations

Week 2 – Communication at University

Week 3 – Learning at University

Inspiration

The feel of the course is to be informative and exciting for students to watch, the client provided an example of a video for inspiration (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6xlNyWPpB8). However, the client made it clear that this material was to serve as inspiration and that they did not expect the same style as they wanted us to be innovative and creative with our ideas however they were keen on the two dimensional style of the illustrations in this video

Content for videos

The Study Advice team also drafted a sample script for each week, in which key points for each video were pulled out to outline the basis of each video. These sample scripts were edited later on the project when necessary

The client also agreed to provide the full recording of the voiceover of the academic, Michelle Reid, who provided all of the voiceovers to help set the pace and tone of each animation.

Dates

All illustrations to be completed- 17th July

Week 1 animation –  24th July 

Week 2 animation – 31st July

Week 3 animation  – 7th August 

Animations to be completed- 14th August. 

 

THE DESIGN PROCESS

Once the brief was reviewed and agreed on the client sent us 3 tables, one for each video in which they suggested a series of illustrations could potentially go along the voice over of each video. This way of breaking down the videos was very helpful for us as it allowed us to create a list of illustrations for each video as well as creating a detailed story board for each animation. It could be argued that the story boards (see images below) were our way of visualising these tables and making any changes to them if necessary or more convenient for the overall flow of the video.

Video 1

    

Video 2

    

Video 3

   

Due to the nature of the three videos, we created three different scenarios in which the main character takes the viewers through all they need to know on each topic through visualising what is being said by the voice over.

The client suggested they preferred a simple, however, colourful animation style where flat colours would be employed. The first step in the process was to design the main character who would stay the same in all three videos. We suggested using a robot or alien-like character to avoid gender specification. The first main character, however, was not approved by the client and therefore we kept exploring other routes such as other robots, a monster or an astronaut. (see images below).

However, after sending these illustrations to the client their feedback was that, despite they were keen on the idea of having imaginary scenarios and characters for the videos, they preferred a more human-like main character which would still remain non-gender specific. Much like the character used in the TedTalk video they provided as inspiration. The client also asked for the main character not to have a real skin tone as well as any features that could make him more relatable to a specific race or gender, such as hair.

After receiving this feedback other options for the main character were designed (see images below ) and we suggested the inclusion of texture in some of the illustrations in order to contrast that flat solid colour feel of the illustration style.

 

 

The feedback received from the client after sending these other options was that they were very keen on the use of texture, however, they specified they wanted the main character to be quite simplistic, having a more stick man like appearance. Therefore we took a new approach to designing the main character (see images below ).

  

The client was quite pleased with this new more simplistic approach which we developed to reach the final design for the main character. We created two final options (see images below). However, the client preferred the blue skin tone as it was less alien-like.

To differentiate the videos between one another, as they have the same main character, we gave each of them a different background,  keeping, however, the same style and theme. The background is always a planet with the sky behind it. Both the planets and the skies have different textures and colours. (see images below).   

The fact that the client provided us with the three voice overs from the start, made the process simpler as it allowed us to accurately time each action in every scene.

The videos mainly display what the voice over narrates. However, the audio contained pauses in which we added some features/actions to make the whole animation more interactive and quirky. An example of these details can be seen in main character’s eyes which move depending on what happens around him and continuously blink in order to give a sense of movement. We also added features such as question marks popping up when the character is confused, or magnifying lenses when he is exploring something new. These kinds of details were carried throughout all three videos (see images below).   

Due to the context of these videos, it was also key to include some of the most important information as text. This helped make the explanations on each video clearer. We created different ways to animate the text, which helped to the overall dynamism of the animations. Some examples of these text animations are speech bubbles, text appearing on a chalkboard or laptop (see images below).

The first video took slightly longer to animate as we had to get approval for the main character and the illustration and animation style.

When we received the feedback on the first video the client often seemed quite confident in what they wanted to change or tweak. They occasionally suggested us to change features for ones they had initially thought of. However, some of these suggestions were later on discarded with mutual agreement following our recommendations to avoid confusion. An example of this was the client’s idea of using a mouse to represent the action of searching, which ended up being better represented by a magnifying glass

We did not always agree with the changes received in the feedback. However, in some instances, the client insisted on us making these modifications. For example in the first video, when the TV rolls on the screen, we initially had the text floating next to the TV. However, the client made us add a chalkboard with the text, in order for the latter not to float. We personally thought it was more unnatural to have a floating board next to the TV. (see images below).

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

As this was our first real job, it helped us learn how relationships with the clients work, and taught us some key points that will help us in future jobs.

The clients often knew what they wanted but were open to opinions and new ideas. We found it was important to voice our opinion as in some cases we can advice the client in order to achieve a better design product. However, we learnt that if the client does not agree with an idea or feature in the work, it is, after all, the client’s product, and therefore we realised the importance of sometimes accepting these disagreements in order to provide a product closer to their needs

It is important to also keep in mind that the client might not be able to give feedback or answer questions right away. In the later stages of this project we also learnt that it might not be worth spending too much time on small details at first as the videos continuously get reviewed by the clients who not always communicate all changes at once. Therefore it is wiser to work on the main features and structures first in order to have more time to review and refine the details when the deadline starts to get closer.

It was also important to meet all our formative deadlines as leaving things last minute would have meant some of the changes the client requested could not have been made. In some cases the client also asked to see work before the deadline to allow more room for potential changes.

Lastly, during this job we also learnt the importance of continuously saving and backing up our files to allow us to go back to a previous version at any time.

It has always been one of my main goals, to some day work in the music industry as a designer, and hopefully one day creative director. For the last couple of years at university, I have been chasing any work opportunity I can find around electronic music, and more specifically Drum & Bass. It would make sense that combining design with something I personally enjoy would be the ideal plan for my future as a designer.

After the end of last summer term, the Reading University Drum & Bass Society (RUDNB), asked me to create a brand identity for them, since they were planning to start organising and promoting their own events by the following October. Other than an old low-quality wordmark logo, set in the Blade Runner font, the society had no visual identity before that. I was given two weeks to not only produce the visual identity of the society, but also to create a social media presence for the brand, in order for them to be able to gain more members, and better promote their future events and activities.

The brand identity that was created had to be dark, minimal and gritty. Bold and aggressive typography was used, along with dark photography and abstract 3D visuals, created from the new logo itself. RUDNB now had a new official Facebook page along with a Facebook group to promote member interaction, a new instagram account to share more casual and friendly photos of the members, and a new Soundcloud account, used by the Society’s DJ’s to promote student music production. All the visuals for the social media accounts were under a clear cohesive visual identity, that aimed to promote a new Drum & Bass society.

I was also tasked with managing all the social media accounts of the society for the first month or so, in order to help them grow and build a membership. There was new content being shared every other day, on all social media account, like Track & Mix of the Week competitions, edited photos of society member to fit the brand identity, promotion of music production, etc. etc. In addition to the social media accounts, a direct marketing campaign was set up through MailChimp, to target all the upcoming Fresher’s that would be joining the society in September.

Within a month of the creation of its social media presence and new brand identity, RUDNB’s Facebook account had went up to 200 likes, and the Facebook group had another 150 new members, with a lot of them taking part in in daily discussion and being active members in the society. Shortly after, the first RUDNB event night followed at great success, with people asking the society to buy T-Shirts with our logo and managed to sell more than 30 in less than a month.

Overall, the new brand identity and activity seemed to work well for the society, and I’m quite happy with how the logo and visuals worked out. I was also happy to be given the chance to handle social media accounts and learn how to promote content on Facebook and Instagram, as I have always been interest in Marketing. Through the work with RUDNB, I managed to meet a lot of local promoters, that were giving me design work like flyers and social media banners for their events, which I was also happy to do, since I wanted to expand music design side of my portfolio.

Regrettably, after the last year of working with local D&B promoters and labels, I’m not sure if there’s much to be gained in terms of learning and becoming a better designer. There are a lot of problems that I did not anticipate when working within a niche, local, underground scene as a designer. Most of the promoters seem to be set in outdated ideas about how they should be promoting within the industry. Every single client I have worked with in the past year, has been micromanaging and requesting a lot of absurd obscure ideas that result in terrible design.

With a quick look to the Ivaderz or Playaz music label website, one can see how most of the D&B industry seems to be stuck in its old ways. Terrible vector art created from tracing photos, or loud obnoxious designs with 10 different fonts and all the colours they can possibly fit in, all within a 150 x 210 mm flyer. This outdated practice in design seems to have been plaguing the industry for many years now, and the local promoters are not about to change that any time soon.

This mentality seems to be linked with the industry fighting back against change of the old-school, a way to keep things the same, and a way for the local promoters to compete with the bigger international names in the scene that are growing bigger and bigger with the rise in popularity of D&B as a genre. They see to be using and embracing outdated practices both in their requested designs, but also in how they promote events.

This is not to say that the whole of the industry is stuck in its ways though. There are several D&B labels that are pushing the boundaries of electronic music design, or at least D&B. Labels like Critical Records have been pushing for a composed high quality visual identity, that doesn’t go overboard with their designs, and seem to be catching up, if not on par, with other genres of electronic music that were always known for boundary-pushing design. When asked about the visual identity of Critical Records in an interview with Fabric, Kasra, the owner of Critical Record’s mentions how since the inception of the label, he’s been fighting against the cliches of the design in the music industry.

“When I started the label I knew that I wanted to combine my love of drum & bass and the culture that surrounds it with some of my punk/American underground guitar music design ethics and my penchant for more minimalistic designs facets. I’ve never really been a fan of the sci fi influenced d&b cliché to be brutally honest, you can be forward thinking without thinking futuristic or using futuristic imagery.”

But then again, he is the owner of one of currently biggest and most well known D&B record label, both in the UK and Internationally. So the problem is not really in the industry itself, but rather the smaller local promoters and music producers being stuck in the old ways of doing things, and being unwilling to catch up with an industry that is moving forward without them. What all this means for a young designer who was hoping to be part of this industry, is that sadly, unless you manage to land a job in one of the bigger names in the scene, there’s little to nothing to gain from a designer’s perspective in experience or learning, which I’m sure holds true for any small and niche industries, and not only D&B.

In the past year, I have enjoyed doing some fun and creative branding work for the RUDNB society, which helped me land several other small jobs throughout the year. But after my experience with the industry, I will more than likely be changing my plans to pursue a career in the music industry as a designer, unless I can land a position as an in-house designer for one of the bigger names. Nevertheless, it has been great producing design work that was out in the public and seen, and to some extent, appreciated, by people that have an interest in the same music as me.

Looking back at  the work and interactions I had with those promoters, I have learned a great deal about what I should be willing to accept as a freelance designer when working with such clients. At the start of the year, when I was first being contacted by these promoters to produce design work, I obliged at every request for small changes and revisions that they wanted, resulting in me working extra hours that I did not originally agree to, due to be excited to start working with people of the industry I was looking to join. In the future, when receiving similar freelance work, I will be more careful when first communicating with the client and in setting the ground-rules for how and what work will be produced.

Overall, I am happy to have produced the RUDNB brand identity as I was part of the society myself, but I am also happy to have worked with those promoters while at university. It would have been much worse if I didn’t have this year’s experience and ended up landing a position with a similar music promotion company, resulting in me having a job that I wouldn’t have enjoyed. After graduation, ideally,  I will be seeking to earn a position at a branding agency, since it is one aspect of design that I’m most interested in. Maybe that will change as well in a year’s time, after I get to actually experience working there.

RJ00241: Reading International

Reading International

The initial brief set by the client (Susanne) was to design a set of email templates using MailChimp for Reading International. Reading International is based in Reading, its an art organisation which is led by the Reading School of Art at the University of Reading. It is a contemporary visual arts organisation that promotes and commissions solo exhibitions, groups and thematic shows. Through the organisation a programme of events are undertaken some of these include, performances, film screenings, workshops, talk, offsite projects and temporary public artworks.

INITIAL BRIEF
The initial brief which was set was to design cool looking email templates using MailChimp. The organisation wanted to design an e-invite that could be sent out regularly from their current MailChimp account, that was eye-catching but also matched their current branding.

CLIENT MEETING
In order to fully understand the organisation and the set brief, it was essential to arrange a meeting with my client. In order to arrange the meeting with my client I had to construct a formal which introcuded myself. The first email which I constructed to my client was the most important as this set the tone for the whole real Job. I wanted to ensure that my client trusted and respected my opinion throughout this job. 

To prepare for the meeting I created a set of questions, these were then asked within the meeting. The sorts of the questions which were asked helped me understand what my client wanted from the real job. It was important to undertake these questions to ensure that my client got the most out of the job. The following questions were asked;

• What do your current email templates look like?
• What do your email templates promote?
• Do you have different email templates for each program?
• Whats the current logo for Reading International?
• What typefaces used currently?
• Any competitors? What do their email templates look like?

Asking these particular questions aided me during the design process. However, due to University strikes and my client working at the University of Reading, the job was therefore delayed, although this was communicated. The job began to progress towards to the beginning of April. This therefore pushed back the initial deadline, however during the first meeting with my client this was communicated as I wanted to ensure that there was no confusion. This progress helped me understand that communicating with a client is a vita aspect. Additionally, to this as my supervisor was on strike as well It also delayed the process. However, I ensured that I kept my supervisor up to date once the strike was over.

COMMUNICATION
In the initial meeting with my client we arranged that all contact would be made through email. The designs for each template would be created on MailChimp, this would then be shared with my client. After my initial client meeting, a restated brief was undertaken. This involved stating specifically what my client wanted from the job and most importantly a schedule to organise the work that needed to be completed for the deadline.

ORIGINAL RESTATED BRIEF
The related brief concluded that three email templates would be designed on Mailchimp, which would contain one of each program. These are; exhibition/projects or events or Artlab. Alongside the deliverables a schedule was created. This was sent sent to my client through email and ensured the she read it and got back to me if anything else needed to be added or if anything was incorrect.

RESEARCH
In order to understand what other e-invite templates look like, I conducted some research to see how other competitors within this field create their templates. My client also forwarded me some emails of other organisations, this helped me understand what my client wanted from the job as well this it also ensured that I created something unique for Reading International. In addition to this, I also checked out the Reading International website to see what colours, typefaces and sort of style they currently have.

DESIGN PROCESS
Once the restated brief was approved by my supervisor and client, I then began to design aspects of each template. After looking at other organisations it was clear that everything was kept consistent. I also wanted to portray this with Reading Internationals templates. As the restated brief stated above, three templates would be created, one for each program. However, the current Reading International templates were evident that each template wasn’t differentiated. I therefore I wanted to create headings for each template to ensure that people who are subscribed to Reading International know which sort of program is being advertised.

Once these headings were deigned I then sent them to my client in order to receive feedback. This was important as it ensured that I was producing something that my client wanted. As well as this it made me understand how important it is to get constructive criticism from clients. Furthermore, after gaining feedback from my client, it was clear that she wanted to differentiate each of the programs through their layouts, instead of using headings. I did however question this because I wasn’t aware at the time if it was important for the person receiving the email to know which programs are being advertised or not. However, once discussing this with my client it was made clear that it was not as important.

 

Furthermore, during the design process my client stated how she only wanted two templates created, one for events and one for exhibitions/projects. In addition to this, she also stated how she wanted the logo to be redesigned as it previously had a cream background. However, the main website for Reading International had a white background. Therefore she wanted a logo that best reflected the brand.

Initial designs were created on Indesign using the copy text supplied by my client. This was completed in order to experiment with the different layouts. Once completed I started to transfer the different layouts onto MailChimp. However, as MailChimp is a website that has standard templates, this caused some limitations when designing layouts. After speaking to my supervisor, it was advised that I should share the templates on MailChimp with my client, instead of sending PDF’s of the draft templates made on InDesign.

Redesigning the logo taught me how to produce gif’s, this was something I always wanted to master but never got the chance to experiment with. The gif was produced on Photoshop using different layers. This was then placed onto the templated on MailChimp, I had to also ensure that file size was compatible with MailChimp, this involved a bit of research.

The templates were shared with my client were she was able to view the two different templates. My client expressed gratitude and asked whether or not I would be able to produce another template for a new series. I Kindly accepted this offer, however due to the restricted time that I had, this will be completed after May 14th. In addition to this, in order to keep the consistency within all the templates, guidelines will be produced to keep my client understand the design choices made. The guidelines would clearly state the typefaces used, sizes, spaces and colours.

UPDATED RESTATED BRIEF
As various aspects developed throughout the course of this real job it was important to produce an updated restated brief, which included the third template being created for my clients new series, the updated gif logo and the guidelines for each template. As the guidelines and third email template were discussed close to the original deadline, I will continue to develop these working towards a new deadline.

NEW SCHEDULE

16 Wednesday May 2018 – Third template sent to client.

17 Thursday May 2018 – Feedback from client.

21 Monday May 2018 – Guidelines produced and sent to client.

23 Wednesday May 2018 – Feedback from client on guidelines.

25 Friday May 2018 – Deadline, all files and MailChimp templates will be sent to client.

OVERVIEW
As this job has not been completed yet, I have still learnt a range of skills. These include learning how to create gifs on photoshop and learning how to use MailChimp. MailChimp was not something I was aware of until I took on this job. Using MailChimp helped me understand how email templates are created. The gif was a challenging aspects as it was not something I had done before, however gaining this experience has helped me implement this skill within my own portfolio. In addition working with my client helped me learn communication skills, such as forming professional emails, keeping my client up to date with each stage. These aspects helped me realise how important communication is when working in the design industry.

Context

Founded in 2016 and led by Jennifer Christine Stokes, Reside Dance aims to bring individuals and communities together by developing connections to places and others through dance. With a special focus on promoting and celebrating cultural diversity, Reside Dance aims to become Reading’s first dance company to bring its’ residents side by side to celebrate their individual and collective cultures within site-specific places. Drawing upon techniques and processes from dance theatre, social choreography and somatic practice, Reside Dance aims to strengthen Reading’s dance offering by creating innovative, high quality and accessible performances, workshops and programmes that widen dance audiences through its exploration of issues prevalent to Reading life.

The brief

Reside Dance were looking to establish and represent their values through consistent branding and a coherent visual identity, starting with a logo redesign as the foundation for this. They wanted branding to tie together all of their media under one visual identity, both online and printed. The overall aim of the rebrand and logo redesign was to increase awareness and promote the organisation to a larger audience in Reading, showing how they aim to become Reading’s first dance company to focus on promoting and celebrating cultural diversity, bringing residents side by side to celebrate their individual and collective cultures in a community based way.

Being my second real job project and working on my own for this project, I felt prepared for the task. I was in charge of managing myself and my own schedule rather than having to manage other people. Before the initial client meeting I carried out background research into Reside Dance, their competitors and their outlook and during the first and only face-to-face meeting we established a clear set of aims and objectives. Through a list of questions I had prepared before the meeting I was able to find out all of the information quickly and efficiently to then write up the restated brief. During the initial meeting we also decided that our main mode of contact would be via weekly emails. Meeting in person was hard as they job ran over Christmas and my client was also a full time masters student as well as running a Reside Dance. However, emails worked well and we were able to get back to each other on a weekly basis with in depth feedback as we stuck to the restated brief schedule rigorously.

Aims and Objectives

• To establish and represent the company values through strong, consistent branding and visual identity, starting with a logo redesign as the foundation for this.
• To create a coherent and clearly communicated set of brand guidelines for: typefaces, colour palette, layout, imagery
• Tie together all media through the a strong visual identity: posters, flyers, website, social media sites
• To increase awareness and promote the organisation through a strong visual identity.
• Show how they aim to become Reading’s first Charitable Incorporated Dance Organisation that focus on promoting and celebrating cultural diversity, bringing its’ residents side by side to celebrate their individual and collective cultures in a community based way.

Deliverables

1. New logo to be used on multiple applications as jpeg and png files
2. Brand guidelines document including: typographic detailing for all media, colour palette for all media, template example layouts for promotional material as a pdf file

Writing and signing off the restated brief helped me establish the guidelines and timeframes for the project and it was a very useful process to understand and confirm the terms of the contract as at first the deliverables of the project were too vague and negotiable. I ended up producing 2 restated briefs, 1 copy written for myself and 1 for the client only containing what they need to know. This was to keep the clients copy concise and relevant.

The biggest challenge I initially faced was confirming the deliverables as my client wanted brand guidelines with the logo but then asked for ‘future implementation of the brand guidelines’. However, this part of the contract was too vague as there was no timeframe and the project needed a finish date to aim for. Instead, we agreed on keeping in touch after the real job contract expired so the visual identity could be implemented in the future under a separate contract. Alternatively, another student could take on the job in the future and implement my brand guidelines to deliverables such as a leaflets and posters for future dance events.

How the project evolved

Initial stages

Once the restated brief, schedule and deliverables were confirmed I was able to look into the specific needs of the user and client and start looking for ways i could add my own ideas to the rebrand. I started by looking at similar organisations and competitors logos and branding for guidance in terms of colour schemes, typography, imagery and ethos. Here I began to think how each element could be used to promote certain brand values and characteristics.

I began by working on the logo concepts first as they would act as the foundations for the rest of the rebrand. I proposed a range of initial concepts to my client and from there the finer details would follow such as colour schemes and typefaces. After receiving feedback on the initial concepts I began to develop the logos as vectors in Illustrator and we went through multiple different ideas before narrowing it down to two concepts. The weekly email feedback made the sharing of files and timeframe manageable for both of us with busy schedules. Throughout this exploration process I was able to gain a better sense of Reside Dance’s ethos and values through the feedback my client was providing me and this would later help when writing the brand guidelines.

Initial logo concepts

The dancing figure logos are conceptually self explanatory. The concept behind the rounded shape logos was the merging together of different groups of people represented by the overlapping abstract shapes and different colours – creating readings diverse community. The concept behind the geometric, building like shapes was to give a sense of the community coming together in a range of public buildings around reading where the dance performances would be held – emphasising the word reside ‘to have ones home or be situated in a place’ (public spaces around reading). These ideas eventually combined to create the concept of a group of people holding hands from a birds eye view, forming a building like shape  – the community creating a sense of place and space through dance performance. 

– Logo concept explorations

We eventually narrowed it down to the final logo concept after exploring various other possibilities through process of elimination. The client feedback I received was extremely useful during this process as they had a clear vision for the logo and they understood what was possible and what wasn’t. Here I made the requested adjustments from weekly feedback until my client was happy with the concept that fit the overall brand ethos. Once decided on the final concept, I was able to work on finer details such as typography, composition, form and colour. I feel that the weekly feedback approach with both my client and project supervisor worked well as it gave enough time to make the amendments and to consider feedback, giving the project structure.

Final logo

The Reside Dance logo conveys its values and brand through the imagery and colours used. The imagery shows a culturally diverse circle of people holding hands and dancing around the name ‘Reside Dance’ from a birds eye view. This imagery resembles the coming together of different ethnicities to create a strong network and community through dance and movement. The dancing figures also form a shape that resembles a safe public space or building in which the community is performing. The warm colour pallet also resembles the welcoming nature of the organisation as well as cultural diversity.

– Final logo

Brand guidelines

The finished logo worked as the foundation for the brand guidelines document and after I had finalised these visual guidelines I was able to apply them to business card and leaflet mock-ups using copy provided by my client in order to show how the branding would be implemented. The brand guidelines I produced included guidelines for the brand identity and ethos, logo, colour scheme, typography, business card mock-up, leaflet mock-up, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram logo mock-ups. 

   

– Leaflet and business card templates to show how the brand guidelines would be implemented

Final stages

Towards the end of the project my client got ill which slowed down the project as I needed feedback and confirmation to finish the brand guidelines. This resulted in us having to push back the finish date but after some negotiation with my client and supervisor we were able to settle on a later finish date in order to get the best results for the project deliverables, rather than handing over unfinished work. Here I learnt the importance of negotiation and patience when unforeseen circumstances arise in a project.

There was regular communication between me and my supervisor during the final stages of the project as I finalised the logo and brand guidelines. Here I learnt the importance of copy editing and writing in a style that a non-designer is able to understand. I also learnt how important it is to get feedback on designs and written work from other people as I kept missing small errors throughout the brand guidelines. My client, supervisor and peers were all helpful in providing this feedback. My supervisor also helped me tidy up my logo vector file so it was ready for multiple applications at different scales. These are all important skills that I will take forward with me into the future.

How the project was received

After handing over the final deliverables to my client I received an email of thanks. It was satisfying to know that the final outcome was well received and even more so to see the logo used throughout their social media platforms and on their website. It was also reassuring to hear that my attitude was professional and organised as working with a real client was something I hadn’t had much experience with before. After we finished the project, we decided to keep in contact for future implementation of the brand guidelines and any other work Reside Dance might need in the future which further emphasised the success of the project and the relationship with my client.

Reflection

I feel that the final outcome of the project definitely achieved its initial aims, despite working on a project out of my usual comfort zone. Being a charitable organisation, it wasn’t the typical style of work I was used to but this forced me to work out of my comfort zone which was rewarding as I was constantly learning new skills. Working out of my comfort zone also boosted my confidence, making me realise how the skills I have learnt at university are transferable to all styles and areas of design. I feel that if I am able to practice and refine the skills and styles i have learnt on this project, it’s definitely an area of design that I would want to do more of in the future.

I feel that the final outcome of the final logo is a little generic, looking like many other charitable organisation logos. Despite going through a wide range of initial concepts, some with more intriguing messages and visual forms, my client picked one that I wasn’t initially sure about. However, this made me realise that ultimately, the work is being designed for the client and it is my job to provide them with the vision they have for the project. On most other university projects, the work produced would be for myself, under my own guidelines, but here I was working for a client which made me realise the importance of being able to interpret and create other peoples visions. It was also morally fulfilling knowing that the work produced was helping a charitable organisation and the wider community in Reading.

Overall, I feel that the project ran smoothly and this was thanks to having an engaged and enthusiastic client. Now that all of the deliverables are tied together under the brand guidelines document I feel they act as a strong foundation for the future of Reside Dance. The most rewarding aspect of this project was working with a real client as previously I was used to making my own design decisions, based on my own preferences. This project meant that I had to work to a tighter specification where I was designing for someone with different ideas and tastes to my own. At first I found this challenging but I have learnt lots of valuable lessons from it and I feel that I can now handle negotiations and work on feedback (even if I don’t agree with it) in a much more professional way. This is an extremely useful skill that I will take into the future with me.

Final deliverables

– Final logo

  

  

– Example spreads from the brand guidelines

Client: Richard Joyce

The brief

W. R. Joyce & Company are a small firm of solicitors based in Co. Wicklow, Ireland. The client asked for the company’s visual identity to be updated and for it to become more distinguished. In addition to this, the client  was keen to implement a consistent design across all forms of company communication and also attract a larger client base through the updated brand identity. The main deliverable for this job was the creation of a new logo for the company. In addition to this, the client asked for business cards, compliment slips and letterheads to be designed and printed using the new logo design.

Research

Before creating initial logo designs for W R Joyce & Company, I wanted to gain inspiration from the Weimar/ modernist design that the client was keen to feature in the updated visual identity of the company. This style of design is something I had not previously experimented with or used within any of my design work. Therefore I was quite interested in how my logo designs would turn out. Below are examples of some of my findings when searching the modernist style of design. I immediately noticed the interesting use of the sans serif typefaces and the alignment of the type. Also, this style of design commonly featured different shapes and bright and vibrant colours.

 

I also looked into the symbolic meanings behind values that would be closely associated to the work of solicitors. These included trust, loyalty, leadership and wisdom. I found that the most appropriate symbols for a logo design would be an oak tree and the Celtic symbol of a Dara knot, which are both often associated with trust. From carrying out research, I learnt that as a designer it provides you with a good starting point to base your ideas on, making them a lot more focused on the clients needs.

Transform

After my supervisor signed off the re-stated brief and I had updated the schedule from what Stephen Hickson had previously agreed with his client, I began to create logo designs. I first began creating designs using the symbols, shown below in the images. These logos were a lot more traditional in their design and did not necessarily achieve the modern and updated visual identity the client was keen to achieve.

I was also determined to experiment with creating logo designs that stuck to the weimar/ modernist style of design. This was not as daunting because of the initial research I had done on the style, I now had inspiration and ideas of what made a modernist design successful. Within each of the logo designs, I experimented with the placement of the text ‘W. R. Joyce & Co Solicitors’, colour and shapes. Below are the logos that my both my client and supervisor felt were most effective.

After feedback from my client and supervisor on my initial logo ideas, it was clear that the logos featuring the modernist style of design were to be the ones I would develop further and improve. I was extremely happy to hear from my client that they were ‘delighted with the progress so far’. My next step was to experiment with different typefaces within the logo designs. In terms of typeface choices, I wanted to stick to the typical modernist typefaces, which included Futura, Optima, Helvetica and Alte Haas Grotesk. Below I have included one of the logo designs, but in the different typeface choices, rather than including all of the different variations I had created.

I then sent these variations of typeface choices to my client to see if he had any particular preferences. However, for a few weeks my client was unable to respond to my email because of his heavy work load. In the mean time I completed three print estimation forms using the link on my trello board, for the business cards, compliment slips and the letterheads. Geoff got back to me within a few days and I was able to send these to my client as well so he had an idea of what things may cost for a few different amounts. It was important for me to do this before any designs were finalised because the client needs to always be informed of cost as the job develops.

At this stage of the real job I was very aware that the original deadline has now past and was keen for the job to move forward. I made the decision to give my client a quick call to discuss the emails I had sent him, he then replied to the email the day after which was great.  I was also able to update the schedule within the restated brief. Within this email he chose the logo below as his favourite design, which uses the typeface Alte Haas Grotesk. The logo design is shown below. I was then keen to meet with my supervisor to make sure I improved the design further, before moving forward with the job.

He also said he would prefer to use his local printers, who have previously printed all of his materials, rather than using DPS. This is understandable as he is based in Ireland and would not have to worry about getting the printed materials over to him. My client also mentioned that he would be happy to pay me to create the website for his company as a separate job. I was delighted at this offer as this will be my first job outside of the real job scheme and once finished it will be a great achievement.

I then talked to my supervisor about how to improve the chosen logo design further. He suggested that I tighten the spacing between some of the characters, knocking back ‘Solicitors’ so it is less dominant and exploring ways to solve the award space underneath ‘Joyce’. As well as making these changes, I also needed to make sure the logo worked on the printed materials (business card, letterhead and compliment slips).

My supervisor gave me helpful advise on further ways to make the logo look much more refined and dynamic. The most important change here was changing the typeface to Helvetica. This occurred because Alte Haas Grotesk looked very messy when looking at it close up. This change was not dramatic as the typefaces are practically the same. Another important change was the inclusion of different font weights within Helvetica, emphasising the hierarchy of the different elements of the logo. My client’s response to the updated logo design was ‘the suggested change is perfect – very subtle’.  I also had a discussion with my supervisor about the benefits of the company investing in creating a spot colour for the mustard yellow/ orange colour. This would allow the colour on their printed deliverables to be much more solid and vibrant. Using a spot colour will mean that there are no white spaces between the printed ink, like there is when using the four colour process. A spot colour is something I will definitely mention to my client.

 

In addition to the logo, I created a pattern, by creating different sized blocks of colour using the text within the logo. I felt that this was an interesting way of adding to the company’s visual identity. The pattern would be a meaningful addition to the range of deliverables I will create later on. Although, it was important for me to keep in mind that the pattern should never overpower the logo within a design, it should always be a subtle addition to a design, otherwise it loses its effectiveness.

 

What is next?

After the 14th, I will continue with this brief by finalising the print deliverables, which include a business card, compliment slip and letterhead. I will need to ensure that the files are ‘print ready’ for my client to send to his printers in Ireland and finalised to a professional standard. In addition to this, I aim to create a guideline document for the client, which will ensure that the consistency of the brand continues in future design outcomes, especially when used by others. Furthermore, I need to make my client aware of the regulations relating to the use of a typeface, if he would prefer to continue the use of Helvetica outside of the logo design. In addition to this, I will need to discuss with him the benefits of creating a spot colour for print deliverables. This is because the colour will then print much more solid and vibrant compared to creating the colour using the 4 colour process.

What have I learnt?

Throughout the job so far I have learnt how beneficial it is to regularly show my design work to others, especially my supervisor. This is because I am constantly able to improve my designs and learn new techniques to help a design become more effective. For example how effective different font weights of a typeface can be within a logo, to break up the text and the hierarchy. I have also been able to design a logo in a style that sits out of my normal comfort zone, as the client asked for me to create a logo in a weimar/ modernist style. This taught me that I should try not to limit my design ideas; I am able to be much more versatile in my design ideas. When I have finalised the brand guidelines, I will have been able to improve my understanding and the skills involved in creating clear and precise guidelines.

 

 

Restated brief

After we met with the client to discuss what they aimed to achieve, we sent them a restated brief, which was approved by both the client and our superviser.

We aimed to create a logo for a unique style of bag as part of a UK brand, which will be used by style conscious dog walkers. This logo needs to be able to adapt in size but also when it will be used on promotional material and different types of fabric in the future. The logo must work in a single colour both positive and reversed on a dark background, including being debossed onto leather.

The bag itself will be will be similar to a messenger bag, with different compartments for accessories such as treats and a lead for the dog. There will also be space for the dog owners own belongings (phone and house keys for example) The unique selling point for the bag will be the compartment for the poo bags as this will mask any odors. It is a bag that allows dog walkers to go from walking their dog, to socialising with friends in a cafe, with possible hashtags #WalkiesToWhine / #WalkiesToWine.

The target audience for this brand, are dog walkers who live in the countryside, rather than those who live in the city where bins are readily available. In addition to this, the unique and stylish bag is is aimed at those who are aged 30–60+, especially those who enjoy an upper-class lifestyle. The audience is likely to take their dog on a long walk, then head to their local pub for lunch afterwards, taking their dog with them. It is also for those who are environmentally aware and disagree with dog walkers who do not look after the countryside.

 

Transform

The client had not yet decided on their company name and were stuck between ‘Houndsley’ and ‘Hound Heritage’. When we created our first set of initial logo ideas, we created ideas using both of these names, as shown below.

 

 

After submitting these initial ideas to our supervisor, our main feedback was to place each logo idea onto 1 page each on a PDF, making it clearer for client. We also then selected our favorite logos from the set to develop, before sending to the client for their first approval. Below displays the three logos we discussed with our supervisor.

 

Our feedback from our client was that they did not want an illustrative logo, but rather a “clean, mainly text” one. They liked the current Chapman bags logo, which is rather a focus on typography and a small motif above, which is not too twee and obvious.

In addition to this, the client decided to go with the name ‘Houndlsey’ because it was only one word, rather than two and also because it sounded memorable. With this decision made, it allowed us to have a clearer focus on creating logos for that name only.

With this in mind, we focused more so on the typography and a small illustration above, (as shown below). We explored a range of serif and san serif typefaces. In the end we chose to explore mainly sans serif typefaces, such as Avenir, Aktiv Grotesk, Futura and Gill Sans. As well as this, we looked at a range of simple illustrations for the motif, we wanted something that was not too predictable but also represented the brand well.  As the clients wanted a primary focus to be the “English heritage/ Established” and “Made in England” style logo, we added these above and below ‘HOUNDSLEY’.

Typographic logos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The clients narrowed down their favourite typefaces to Avenir and Aktiv Grotesk. They also decided that they liked the idea of using a dog lead as the motif. From there we were able to play with the shape of the lead, rather than just having it laid in a straight line. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After many developments and tweaking of the logo ideas, the client decided that they preferred the typeface Avenir because the stroke was very similar to that of the heart motif.

 

The final logos

After developing the logo numerous times, we decided that the logo would be more of a success if we had two versions of it, one that will be used for debossing, called the ‘alternative logo’, because it has a suitable amount of space within it and has a much better structure enabling it to be clearly debossed. The other version of the logo is called the ‘regular logo’, one that will be seen as the main logo for Houndsley, used in places like the website and promotional materials. However, if the client decided to do so, the ‘alternative logo’ could be used as an option, rather than just for debossing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alongside, the two main versions of the logo, we wanted to make sure that Clare and Becks had access to other variations of the logo, incase they were needed in the future. This included the logo with ‘England’ in bold and also a variation without ‘England’.

 

 

 

 

 

We feel that the logos that we have created for our client achieves the unique, refined and sophisticated logo which we aimed to produce. As well as this, the logo is very versatile as it can be carried across many platforms, with the use of the different variations. The logo we have designed, also achieves the clients wish to relate to english heritage with the classic and clean design.

 

Guidelines and file package

To ensure that the Houndsley logo would be used correctly in different design platforms the client chooses, we devised a set of logo guidelines. These guidelines explain the minimum size requirements for the logo itself as well as the lead motif, should that ever be used on its own. It also displays how much space must surrounded the logo when it is used.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also designed the logo to be placed on black or different coloured backgrounds, with the negative option for the client.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The client also mentioned as to whether there may be a coloured option, that may be used with different variations of their products. So in the guidelines explains the opportunity to add colour for the heart motif, as shown below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The guidelines display mockups as to how the logo and motif will appear on different textures and design platforms, and debossed on leather. As the client will sell the product at trade shows, we also displayed how the logo will appear placed on a banner, as shown below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other mockups within the guidelines includes a tag, website and dust bag, as shown below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Within the guidelines and also in conversation with the clients themselves, we needed to explain the importance of having the typeface license, if it was to be used in other material other than the logo. Currently, the client does not need to get the Avenir typeface license because we have converted the typeface to an outline in the logo and so the type is not ‘live’. However, they are aware that the typeface license will need to be purchased if they continue to use Avenir in future designs.

 

File package

When we had finalised the logo design and the logo guidelines for the client, we needed to make sure that the client received the files in a clear and structured manner as there would be many parts to the suite of files. To make this as easy as possible for them, we gave each version of the logo its own name, rather than numbering them. Along with this, we gave them a key to help guide them when looking through the files.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As well as this, we made sure that the client received PDFs and JPEGs of the logos so they were able to view them, as well as the illustrator files, which they can pass onto another designer or printer in the future. We placed each logo on its own A4 artboard, each having a width of 40mm as the height varied depending on the version of the logo. The A4 artboard enable the future designer or printer to have control over the amount of space surrounding the logo.

What did we learn?

Throughout this job, we learned that it is very important to communicate with your client and check that you are both on the same path as this allows the process to be more successful and run smoother. As well as this, we were able to learn the requirements which needed to be followed in order to create a logo which will be used in a print process such as debossing. This meant that we were able to see how two versions of the logo worked much better over different platforms.

When finalising the logos, we were able to see how important it was to make sure that the spacing of the different elements of the logo were balanced and also that the tracking of the characters were sufficient enough to be embossed onto the bag.

It was interesting to create and put together a logo guidelines as we had not yet done this before. During this, we realised how much detail and thought needed to be put into this, to make it as clear as possible for third parties to use if they took on the files. We also learned how to prepare the logo for different uses, such as placing it on different coloured backgrounds, therefore we had to ensure the logo was versatile for these platforms. Furthermore, we learned how to package the files effectively so that printers and future designers may access the files with ease.

We also learnt that it is very useful to ask others who are not part of the job to ask their opinion of the logo. This is because they are able to notice specific details that could be improved or made clearer. In conclusion, it was a very interesting learning process, to design something that will be used on a range of design platforms.

In April 2018 our client sent us photos of the finalised Houndsley bags which had been through production. As designers for the project we were so pleased to see our designs working effectively on the product, as we had always envisioned. Furthermore, the Houndsley website is now up and running with our logo as the header. It was also flattering for the client to note thank you for our design work in contribution to the Houndsley brand on their new website.