Overview & Goals

The supplied brief was to document a live theatre performance by Jamal Harewood, an artist who creates audience-led participatory events that focus on ideas of identity and race. Our client outlined how important it is to him, to hold performances that are playful yet allow for a unique experience that promotes discussion from each individual. Jamal communicated that he wanted our documentation of his upcoming workshop to be translated into a piece of design that encapsulated the entirety of the experience. 

Goals

In our initial meeting, we supported our client in selecting an appropriate media for the documentation. Ajoke and myself, suggested an a5 booklet that would be designed using a design service accessible to Jamal. This was an important element as the client wished to be able to document each workshop commencing over the course of the year.

• Offer attendees an opportunity to revisit their experience at a later date and remember their pledge made at the end of the workshop
• Create a way for the client to document future workshops independently which in turn creates a source of revenue

Objectives 

To document the upcoming workshop and gather a diverse range of audience definitions of the term ‘Freedom’ which will be relative to each of their personal experiences (e.g: Education, Secuality, Religion)

Deliverables

1. An A5 Booklet. Submitted to client as a PRESS READY PDF documenting 27th January workshop 
2. Booklet Template. Amendable Canva template for upcoming workshops
3. Blog Prototype. Designed in cohesion with booklet layout for client to implement onto their website  

Research and Ideation

Prior to the documentation or ideation process, thorough research on our client was completed in order to understand his ideologies and background. This would allow us to understand Harewood to the best of our ability which in turn, allowed for us to showcase his identity within the deliverables. After conducting the necessary research, we attended the workshop and created a manuscript based on all verbal communications and physical activities witnessed in the room. Due to the fast paced nature of the workshop, we had to collate and organise your notes ready to share with our client for approval. This text would then be ready to be translated into body text for the booklet. 

After the approval stage, we began ideation of the booklet aesthetics. It was important to acknowledge the overall ambience the booklet provided to the reader as it was necessary to represent both the workshop as well as the clients identity. Together, we brainstormed various ideas that considered the cover as well as the contents pages. Due to the complexity of the workshop which included different themes for various amounts of time, we decided to visually represent the experience by dividing the booklet up by theme.  This would allow attendees to relive the experience and non-attendees to gather an understanding of the ambience. To create a clear, mutual understanding between ourselves and the client, a sketch of the booklet layout was created and proposed to the client.

Development 

Colour

This colour palette was provided to be used for the upcoming booklets documenting future workshops. As discussed with our supervisor, using a colour palette allows for a cohesive set of booklets. Additionally, these colours will be used on the corresponding blogpost as demonstrated in the prototype.

Typography

Booklet

Cover – Collectively working on the cover, we derived a range of concepts which we narrowed down to two contenders with the feedback provided by our supervisor. Selecting the covers that obtained the best elements allowed us to pinpoint elements we both believe compliment the cover well and combine them to create a single cover proposal. In order to present the client with multiple options, from the single cover, we experimented with a variety of compositions which handled the typography and visual elements in differing manners. In presenting this to the client, we used the feedback to further combine compositional choices from each proposal and solidify this into one. Over the course of several weeks, we perfected the cover to the clients desire which hosted the colour palette and typography that would be implemented within the core of the booklet.

Theme Introductory Pages – As previously discussed, the seven themes from the workshop were a key element to be used to create clear narrative within the booklet. Therefore, the idea of pictograms to introduce and represent each theme was implemented and created using Adobe Illustrator. Sketching ideas for the pictograms allowed us to ensure we had a cohesive set before illustrating them digitally. The cohesiveness was further ensured by using the same point size for the lines. To enhance the clear introduction of each theme, we derived concept for theme introductory pages. The recto page hosts the theme name, number and decorative element using the approved colour palette.

Body Text – In designing the body text pages, the main goal was to link the decorative elements plotted throughout the booklet into these particular pages. An additional goal was to use immersive language in order to engage the reader in order to further reflect the ambience of the workshop. Using advice from our supervisor, experimentation of placement allowed us to consider various layouts that compliment each theme. Within each theme, the placement of the body text differed in order to separate an create an experience for each theme.

Theme Design Pages – To conclude yet compliment the experience of each theme, visual representations of each activity of the workshop were created either in an illustrative or photographic manner. During our ideation phase, brainstorming multiple ideas for each theme allowed us to select the best concept for example:

Theme 1: The sun shines down on anyone who? – the activity required attendees to use the aforementioned line followed by an item of clothing, feeling or ideology, therefore, illustrations of these three areas were used to conclude this theme.

Conclusive Page – During our time spent working with the client, we were able to learn a lot about his personality and the passion he had for this project. Therefore, we wished to implement an ending page to the booklet with a quote directly from Jamal Harewood. This allowed the reinforcement of the sense of identity relevant throughout this book which was further enhanced through the background brand pattern derived from Jamal’s logo.

Cover Finalisation – In discussing the finalisation of the booklet, our supervisor advised us to bring the element of Jamal’s logo, onto the front cover as it had become a consistent element located throughout the booklet. This gave the opportunity for the cover to communicate the duality of the workshop as well as the clients identity. We found in the finalisation of the booklet that Canva was difficult to navigate in terms of saving a PDF with crop and bleed. When we did succeed in exporting the PDF with the print set up, we found the bleed was inconsistent which meant we had to quite a bit of refinement. This was something that we could have avoided by making sure we had a full understanding of how Canva works in the print aspect and having to use certain settings to control the bleed.

Web Prototype

Our client outlined to us that he would like a digitised version of the booklet that will be accessible via his website. With this understanding, we had a conversation with our supervisor who recommended we create a prototype rather than working directly with his website. This was due to a variety of factors; the site was in maintenance and the logistics of us going into the back end of the website. With this advice and once the booklet was finalised, I created the web prototype using Adobe XD. This stage was a simple process in terms of directly referencing the booklet using all of the now made illustrations, photography and confirmed typography, however a challenging area was the formation. During the booklet design process, we were constantly considerate of the layout and construction as this influenced the tone and perception of the booklet. We wanted to ensure the same tone was presented by the prototype despite having a very different user experience. I began by creating components to ensure consistency in the implementation of the typography due to the various areas of text such as the theme numbers and headings. We created a sense of rhythm and flow in the booklet therefore, I constructed the prototype to use the same attribute by having a pattern to connect one theme to the next.

Prior to sharing the development with the client, we discussed various areas with our supervisor who recommended the adjustment of certain areas to ensure a cleaner presentation of the blog for easier consumption by the reader. Once completed, we were able to present the progress to our client who was very content with the final blog and felt it truly reflected the booklet.

Visual Guidelines

Throughout the process of creating the deliverables, we were mindful of our client being a non-designer who wishes to be able to amend the booklet for the documentation of future workshops. The consideration of this began right at the beginning when we decided to use Canva as it was the most non-designer friendly software available to our client. Our supervisor suggested we further the support we were giving the client in this area by supplying him with a visual guidelines document. This would allow the client to gain a full understand of the deliverables and how to use them. In the document, I discussed the branding side of the booklet and prototype by providing HEX values of the colour palette alongside the fonts we used and how they were implemented (for example, Garet was used for for headings, open sans for body text). Furthermore, the guidelines document provides instruction on how to amend the Canva template for future workshops including changing the design pages, colours and text.

Conclusion

This Real Job has been a great opportunity to develop skills in a wide variety of softwares and applications including; Canva, Adobe XD, Illustrator and Procreate. There were many areas of design to be explored which made the experience fun and an introduction to a lot of new areas of design. Throughout our experience and communications with our client, he shared how we were able to bring all of his ideas to life and go above his expectations. He further explained, despite having vague ideas in certain areas, we were able to capture what he was trying to communicate and produce visuals for ideas he had no visual ideas for.  Due to the nature of Canva, the print exporting tools did not allow us to create a PDF with the ideal colour settings. Canva unfortunately did not let me export the booklet using Forga colour and could not be converted using Adobe Acrobat tools so I have relayed this to the client to be mindful of during the print process. In future situations where I may be positioned in a similar circumstance, I will consider other softwares.

In reflection, this job took longer than expected which I believe was due to the knowledge we had on the client not having a deadline for the deliverables. We take full responsibility for the long time period to solidify the deliverables and despite creating our own schedule, we sometimes took longer to finish certain roles and responsibilities. This would be due to many factors such as underestimating the longevity of a design or an increase of workload. For the future, I would ensure a stricter approach to the schedule is adhered to and to be considerate of how long some designs take compared to others. I look forward to potentially being able to work with the client in the future on his upcoming endeavours in performing thought-provoking, audience-led workshops.

Background
Oyster outcomes LTD is a consultancy business which offers several different services. These include multi-disciplinary management, governance and assurance, coaching, mentoring and coach supervision, mental health and wellbeing consulting. The idea behind the brochure, was to advertise digitally and through print, the services that Oyster outcomes can provide. Embedded in the brochure are recommendations from previous clients and key characteristics of the business that promotes engagement from clients. The brochure will be both a digital and printed, advertising on the website, through emails and as handouts to future clients.

Restated brief
Oyster outcome is a relatively new business and will be reaching its third year in the beginning of April. Oyster is looking for a way to format and promote their specialities in the form of a brochure/ leaflet, to cater to their possible future clients to promote what Oyster outcomes has to offer with their services. The broad aims of the project were to communicate what the business has to offer. Further, to promote Oyster outcomes in a way that targets their audience in the public sector, commercial and charities, and any prospective clients. As for production, the objectives include producing a square size brochure, ideally with a high-quality thick paper. Alongside this, will be a digital format of the brochure, to be exported and used for the website and website distribution. Initial research involved looking at the website provided, understanding their previous design approach to their website and branding for insight to a possible similar approach to leaflet. It was later decided, through the development on this project, that a printed version of this brochure would not be printed through the university, but rather externally after submission. Included in the submission, would be a PDF of the full brochure for email and website, and a PDF ready to print for both the covers and interior pages for the brochures to be printed after artwork handover was sent over.

Research and ideation
Audience

As I began the project, I used several sources as a way of inspiration to begin our design process. I use several previous existing brochures to do this, looking at brochures that are similar to the topic of consultancy. Through research many businesses, similar to Oyster outcomes, don’t over complicate the design, and prioritises the information over images. This allows for a professional approach that was necessary to the audience I was catering towards. Though observing the way of the production of print was necessary, these decisions weren’t necessarily in my control as later in the production it was later decided that my submission was strictly digital. Alot of my ideation was determined by what appearances the business used in their advertising thus far. Alot of my inspiration for the brochure was from the Oyster Outcomes website.

Colours and type
During our first meeting, we were introduced to the branding guideline. This included the colours, fonts including type settings, images to and any logo variations. This set my approach to the project early on. This was helpful in order to satisfy the client and ensure that the brochure is consistent with their website as well. The colours were different shades of blue and a serif typeface throughout the branding guidelines.

Content transformation
Through analysis, its noticeable that many of the brochures used very limited text, however the provided text copy from clients was extensive. Later agreed with the client, many texts were minimised to enable an easy read and allow the brochure to appear less intimidating. It was easy to discuss with the clients to change this part of the brochure, explaining that in order for the brochure to become more appealing, change in text was necessary. Mutual understanding was essential in order for the design process to be easier to manage with this change, and for it to be beneficial for their brochure.  This was changed through trial and error, overall vastly improved the look and feel of the brochure.

Design development
Oyster Outcomes has a heavy ocean theme throughout their website. They wanted this to be included in the design of the brochure as well. This was slight issue in the design process, though they have used this theme in the website, once the design process began, my supervisor highlighted the problem of it complicating the topic of consultancy, and would be confusing to future readers as the images they were interested in using gave connotations of a holiday feel to the brochure, instead of the topic of consultancy. In my mind, I wanted to approach the design in a more mature, sophisticated, and timeless approach. Though elements of the ocean theme could be incorporated, it was necessary to find the right balance of both themes in order to not confuse readers and clients.

A lot of the design process was somewhat restricted with the branding guidelines that they had requested. This included colour choices, branding logos, picture inspiration, fonts, and brochure sizing. This very much helped guide me in the right direction in order for my clients to be satisfied with the final product and match the website visuals. However, this limited my experimental abilities in the design process.

This was one of the final completed versions of the brochures. At this stage, it was sent to the clients and they were very satisfied with the design. However, many changes were made to the design after my partner in the project could no longer continue working with me for the project. There were many flaws in the design, the design did included in the design were a little too overbearing for the text and was lacking consistency. The next developments would need to be able to highlight the text correctly and promote the good recommendations from previous clients well.

In the next stages of the design most of the elements were changed. I focused on categorising the text and colour better to highlight the separate sectors of the business. The type size and grid was changed in order to promote legibility. I limited the use of the ocean aesthetic photos to help promote the correct topic of consultancy. In replacement of this, and with the consent of the clients, I implemented the use of different imagery including work spaces and welcoming employees to help encourage a welcoming feel to the consultancy business.

Final stages
During the development stages, there were issues regarding communication between me and the clients. This set me back in terms of meeting for the final stages of the design which slowed down the process over. Included in this was the deadline of this real jobs was to be extended due to the work load I had to take on independently after my partner could no longer participate in this real jobs.

During my final stages, small changes were made to my design from my supervisor to ensure everything was correct in my brochure. This included small tweaks to leading, alterations of navigational devices, and finally, ensuring all my documents were print ready for the client to continue with. I had help during the final stages of my process, when it came to preparing the print ready documents including bleed marks for the correct documents etc.

As we will not be printing this off through the University, the brochure is still intended to be printed independently, therefore I printed the brochure off to ensure the sizings are correct and legible and the colours print correctly too.

Reflection
As this was my first real job, there were many first-time experiences in this process. Unfortunately, there were problems with communication via email. Though I did continue the work as far as I could during these responses I received, it was still a reoccurring issue. I feel as though a lesson on my first real job, is that often you are on a different schedule as your client, they may be far more relaxed when it comes to estimates deadlines than you are yourself especially as a student with very limited free time. When continuing in the future, to avoid this from reoccurring, a simple follow up email and/or calling the client may be a better approach in some circumstances in order to find a better way to communicate with them.

Another reflection I would say, that was a particular problem in this project would be to ensure all participants in this project keep an up-to-date shared folder of all content to ensure both parties have all the same contents. This was a particular problem after my partner left the project and attempting to gain required documents wasn’t possible at times. Regarding future real jobs, it’s extremely important for all participants to have a shared folder to include any progress in the work. In this case, unfortunately some of the documents I could not acquire, and many documents were recreated.

A final reflection for my project would be the importance of balance between designer and client. Many for their ideas they may be firm on, however at times their ideas may not be what’s best for the success of the project. As a designer there is a better understanding on what makes a successful design, and to have a mutual agreement and level of understanding in order to continue the design for both designer and client.

In summary I am pleased with the final look of my brochure. Though there were some issues during the process, I am happy with how it turned out, and I am sure it will reflect well on the business. The clients are happy with the brochure turnout aswell and are happy to recommend me in the future as well as potential work opportunities after university.

Background

Around 20% of the University of Reading halls are now labelled as quieter lifestyle. The scheme aims to group together students who identify with living a quieter lifestyle so that students can have a more comfortable halls experience.

The brief

The brief for this project was to create a singular brand logo to be displayed on signage outside halls residences that fall under the quieter lifestyle category. We also created guidelines for the logo to ensure the client felt comfortable in using the logo on future applications that we may not be involved in as designers.

PURPOSE AND FUNCTION: The logo will be used on signage placed on lampposts outside the corresponding quieter lifestyle halls to inform people that they have entered a quieter lifestyle area and should behave accordingly and be respectful of the residents. The audience will mainly be students living in these halls or other students walking by, for that reason it was crucial that we made the logo relatable to students. The logo needs to be legible and has to accurately represent the goals of the quieter lifestyle halls without being patronising. 

REQUIREMENTS: The client was eager for the logo to be designed from a student perspective so they left the brief quite open for us to explore different design ideas which we would present to them so they could choose an appropriate logo.

Research

Due to the fast paced nature of this job there was not sufficient time to do the full scale of research we would have liked to do including user personas and audience research however we did manage to carry out what we felt was a sufficient amount of research in order to enhance our performance on the job as best we could.

When researching similar schemes within student accommodation we only found one example named ‘Quieter halls’ which is created by mystudenthalls. The scheme accredits certain buildings with the quieter halls status if it fits under certain criteria. It was interesting to look at the approach used for a logo with the same function as the one we were designing. We felt it did a good job in conveying a quiet atmosphere but we felt it was missing a human touch that would relate to students.

Quieter Halls logo by my student halls

Because there isn’t many examples of logos used for this particular reason, we wanted to carry out further research into existing symbols and signs used to signify that people should be quiet. We found that the ‘shushing’ symbol is represented a lot in these kinds of signs and although it is clearly legible it also has patronising connotations. As students we felt this symbology would remind our generation of being at school and being told off so steered clear of this in our designs. 

Research into ‘be quiet’ symbols and logos

Our final step of the research process was to create a moodboard of imagery that related to the themes of quiet and stillness. We also considered themes that would tie into these that students would relate to.

The board includes themes of:

• sleeping 
• Peaceful nature
• Having a warm drink 
• Reading 
• Listening to music with headphones  

Mood board

Ideation 

Some of our initial sketches

Between the two of us we began to create initial sketches inspired by the research we had undertaken. After meeting with the client we narrowed down these sketches to two logo designs which we could develop further.  The client didn’t have any other feedback than this at this stage so we went onto develop these in illustrator

Design development 

Developed ideas favoured by client 

Along with developing the designs which the client favoured we also developed some of the other sketches into vectors in illustrator to keep the options open at this stage. They were still happy with the designs initially chosen and their only feedback was asking to see the face logo in the same blue colour so that they could see which colour it would be most effective in.

Developed combination logo 

After feedback from our supervisor we were advised that the face used for one of the logo designs wasn’t developed enough. We were advised that the illustration was too basic and was giving off more of a childlike impression than would be intended. I decided to develop this so that the face looked more mature, I also put the face facing at an angle which makes the whole logo much less flat. This feedback was really useful because it reminded me of who we were aiming the design at and I felt that it became much more personal and human at this stage. We also received valuable feedback after a real jobs meeting from peers who had previously lived in quieter lifestyle who said that the design was well suited.

Upon further feedback from our supervisor we were advised to explore the logo further still by trying out different stroke styles. It felt counter-intuitive to go back and explore different styles at this stage as the client was happy with the design but after doing so it allowed me to understand simple ways in which logos can be improved.

Exploring different stroke styles

We realised that the brush like strokes added a nice effect to the logo, making it appear less harsh and helping it to reflect better the theme of peacefulness. We decided it would also be interesting to have different versions of the logo using colour to indicate diversity of the person. As a pair we thought that it would make sense to have variety amongst the logos as they would be displayed quite repetitively on signs and doors in close proximity. We also came up with different layouts as the client was unaware of what format they would be placing the logo on.

Developed logo variations with colour 

Final deliverable

Although as a team we were very pleased with the outcome of the developed logos, as well as these being approved by the supervisor, the client decided that they preferred the original design. This was quite challenging because as designers we preferred the more developed versions but we had to provide what the client wanted. The client also ended up only using the logo we provided and not the type to go along with it.  

Final logo sent to the client 

Final logo application 

Overall

Overall this was a really fulfilling project. Although it was fast paced, we learnt a lot of valuable skills a long the way. Having not worked on logo designs before we both learnt how important it is to come up with a wide array of designs and to think outside of the box as well as really focusing on who the logo is for. This project has allowed us to build our confidence in logo design and I believe we have picked up skills that would help us not only in future logo design work but also in any branding work as a whole.

Overview

This real job entailed designing three film posters for the independent film Fresh Out. The client is part of an independent distribution team at the National Film and Television School that is working on a marketing plan for Fresh Out which highlights three different genres and showcases various themes.

Brief

The client has explained that their goal for marketing the film is to explore various strategies and promote different genres. The film tells the story of Caz, who got out of jail and  wants to begin a fresh start. However, his best friend, Luke, drags him on a tragic adventure that forces him to commit a crime and witness murder. The plot of the film revolves around a countdown of one hour and a half that reaches the end in the final scene. Tension, action and thrill drive the story, but other themes also play a vital role. Thus, the client wanted a poster that captured these main elements to communicate different genres.

Initially, the genres were; action, thriller and comedy, however upon learning the plot of the film and considering the sample of images supplied I have pitched for the third genre to be adventure instead of comedy. The client agreed that this would be more suitable and representative of the film as a whole and would not seem too distinct from the other two. For me, this has highlighted the importance of reflecting and suggesting alternative solutions. I researched different genres and looked into films that epitomize them to identify the appropriate genre and to present a well structured argument and a solution.

Deliverables

At the beginning, the client has asked for three film posters at one-sheet size and for one of the poster designs to be developed into a quad sized poster. However, after reflection upon the use of the posters and the fact that it will be displayed digitally, we agreed to create a mock-up as well since the posters will not be printed.

Primary deliverables

• One-sheet size (27 in x 40 in) poster highlighting action genre
• One-sheet size (27 in x 40 in) poster highlighting thriller genre
• One-sheet size (27 in x 40 in) poster highlighting adventure genre
• Quad size (30 in x 40 in) poster highlighting action genre

Secondary deliverables

• Mock-up of posters
• Branding of the film title

Research

Audience

The target audience is primarily limited to students and staff at NFT School. The client’s plan was to display the poster concepts as part of a pitch for marketing strategies. They will also share these designs with the director of the film who was enthusiastic to see their idea advertised. Nevertheless, it was important to create the posters to actual size to test typesize, image quality and impact. Additionally, I have taken into consideration the possibility for the director, cast and other people working on the film to want to print the posters in the future.

Genre and colour

An essential aspect that informs a film’s genre is colour. Since the images supplied were all similar and I had no control over them, I have worked to emphasize the genre through colour and texture. Before presenting the mood boards for each genre, I felt it was important to explain to the client the connection between colour and genres in film posters which led to an explanation of colour psychology or colour association. I achieved that through presenting sets of posters for each genre and immediately the similarity in colour came through. Establishing this connection between colour and genre impacted the client’s understanding of the mood board as they explained their understanding before I had a chance to speak.

As this is not my first real job, I learned that it is important to consider the client’s investment in the project and that could be initially determined by the amount of time they allocate for the meeting. This client was very interested to learn about film posters and the rationale behind the design. Hence, I took the opportunity to show my understanding and explain concepts which later contributed to the client’s satisfaction with the final design. It also made them feel involved in the design process.

Concept

Through the questions asked during the initial meeting about expectations, vision and inspirational examples, I was able to  understand the client’s needs and overall style preference. The client has also expressed their interest in posters for films like The Italian Job, Bad Boys for Life, Baby Driver, and Death Proof. This made creating the sketches a much easier task, thus the important aspect at this stage was presenting concepts. The sketches showcase a range of concepts that each highlight one genre but still address the different themes in the film. Part of brainstorming these concepts was acknowledging that I had limited resources to work with as the client has provided the imagery. Hence, I have worked to present designs which would be possible to create. My supervisor has also encouraged me to communicate to the client how and which images I would be using to rationalise my decisions.

The main elements of the film were utilised to communicate different genres. The two main characters, the car and  time; represented with the clock, have been scaled for emphasis, arranged and included in different combinations to either highlight the action, thriller or adventure aspect of the film.

Design Development

Image sourcing

The main challenge in this real job has been utilising the supplied stills. The collection of images were taken during filming. It included shots from scenes where the actors were in their characters, others where they were getting ready for the scenes or joking around and only a few  with them posing for the shot. Nevertheless, my approach was to view and rate the images before developing the sketches.

I discussed with the client the potential of using royalty-free stock images from sites such as Pexels and Pixabay. It was also important to search for useful images on these sites before committing to a design. Despite the great number of images available, I had to ensure that it represented the setting of the film; season, colours, nature, etc, and most importantly the correct model of car. I established an organization system that allowed me to save files (stock images from online and images provided by the client) for each idea so that I could easily find it when we decide on a concept. The organisation was very beneficial and helped save time, and thus I plan to employ this system in my future projects especially ones that require sourcing and referencing from multiple platforms.

As the client and I envisioned the poster with the characters in specific poses, facial expressions and positions, I had to combine many of the images of the character to obtain the desired expression and position. For instance, the image of ‘Caz’ in the car is a combination of two images, as I wanted the shoulder and body to be against the chair while his head faces the audience. This real job had many limitations in resources and thus taught me how to utilise images effectively and come up with innovative solutions.

Photoshop and editing

Creating the posters though required basic Photoshop skills like assembling several images, editing, balancing colours and adding effects, yet I had to learn and improve many of my skills in order to create a professional-looking poster. One of the core skills I had to learn was managing ‘smart objects’ and ‘masks’. These two features were used excessively in the creation of all three posters as they included many large image in one single file. Additionally, due to the size of the poster, I had to pay extra attention to details especially when masking objects; ensuring the edges are clean and look realistic. This project helped me improve my Photoshop skills and learn many techniques useful for creating images on a larger scale. I also learned the importance of determining light sources and utilised my knowledge of shadow and light to create the posters. Tutorials online were very useful and often suggested different ways to create the same effect. Trying multiple ways and making a judgment on the most effective one contributed to creating these poster designs.

Typography

It was important for the client that the title, especially for the thriller genre poster, appears as a brand as they have plans to create merchandise. I worked to develop a title treatment that would be visually appealing on its own and layered on top of the image. This was an interesting challenge that forced me to examine the title treatment in different situations while ensuring it suits the concept and design of the poster.

“The fact that you used a font like the one printed on prison uniforms was brilliant!”

– The client, Afnan Linjawi

Mock-ups

Reflection

This real job was completed in one month, and the client was on sick leave for 5 days. The short turnaround time meant that I had to commit to ideas and begin designing immediately. Thus, I believe the final designs could be improved. Nevertheless, problem-solving was the core of this project and I learned many skills. My Photoshop skills have significantly improved, and I hope to showcase them in future projects. Moreover, the communication with the client made me more aware of the importance of sharing my own ideas and suggesting alternatives.

The final outcomes have shown positive feedback, however, further improvement in typeface treatment, such as the addition of effects onto the title, and a personalised typeface for the tagline, could have resulted in a more impactful film poster. Additionally, details which communicated a second level of meaning such as the time instead of a car plate number and the clock in the background could have been implemented more often. However, I believe I was able to achieve the main goal of creating three film posters highlighting different genres for the same film and from a limited set of images.

“It was a pleasure working with you. Thank you for being very attentive and cooperative. I was impressed with the various concepts you came up with for a poster of a film you haven’t watched and how you made use of the stills we provided to produce a theatrical poster fit for a theatrical release.”

– The client, Afnan Linjawi

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