Week 7: Experiments with Print Techniques

Brief 2: A hardcore punk band requires a flyer for a forthcoming gig. The flyer must reflect their punk ethos, and will be handed out at a range of other events.

Flyer Size: A6 ( This is the most used size for a flyer. Editors prefer to choose this size because of the cost, as you can print 4 flyers on an A4 sheet and because they are not too small, and not too big. )
Paper Stock: 150-200 gsm
Finishing:
 1. Foiling - The flyers will be handed out at different events and if they are foiled, they are not that fast deteriorated.
 2. Embossing - The name of the band and the place of the gig will be embossed so as to be noticed faster by the people who receive the flyers.

Colours that should be used: dark background colours and bright colours in some areas so as to emphasises on certain things from the flyer.

Brief 4: A company that makes "green" products requires a set of business card for their sales team. The card must reflect their company ethos.

As stated in the brief, the business card should be green, so as to reflect adequately the company.

Business Card Size: 85 mm X 55 mm (+ 3 mm bleed) - standard size

Paper Stock: 350 gsm

Finishing:

1. Foiling - for better protection

2. Embossing - to emphasise the logo

Because it is a company that makes "green" products, the business cards should be recycled. Even though using recycling paper is of benefit for the nature, its price is really high. The choice of using or not recycling paper should be made by the company, because it depends on it how much money they want to spend on their business cards.

Week 7: Paper & Format Case Studies

1. The first unusual size for a Photo Book that I found is 297 X 297 mm, as the usual sizes are either 300 mm or 12" square. The man who chose this paper size had problems with finding the right paper to print on, and he was looking for a large format printer A3. Even though non-standard sizes are sometimes more interesting and give a touch of modernity to the book, in our case, standard sizes will still remain the best to use, both for practicality and cost.

2. The second problem that a man was facing with, in what concerns the paper size, was that its printer didn't work when he tried to print a 8 X 6 note card. The note card contained a picture and an inside message, and the finishing method he wanted to use was folding. The solution came from another man who advised him to set the printer first, because if not, it is using just the standard-sizes, and that is why the error occurred.

Free Practice

These are the articles I have designed for the Spaghetti Junction magazine, as I thought they can be considered as free practice experiments.

Week 7: Designs with Comment on Paper Formats and Finishing

Brief 5: A manufacturer of exclusive, designer lingerie requires a business card design for their sales team. The card must reflect their brand values: exclusive, seductive and secretive.

 There are a lot of things to think of for the final print of even a small business card. As we already know, the standard size of a business card is 85 mm X 55 mm. I chose to use the standard size because of its practicality, as it can easily fit in the card holder, for example. To its standard size (85 mm X 55 mm) I will add 3 mm bleed on each edge. The 3 mm area will be trimmed off at the cutting stage. In what concerns the paper stock, it will be 400 gsm (gramme per square metre). The final stage is the finishing and there are a lot of ways to do it. I decided to use for my business card foiling, as it gives a touch of elegance and it is mostly used to enhance typography and logos. Also, I want to emboss the woman and the title of the company, as it gives a really strong texture and makes no use of ink.

The picture I chose for the business card reflects the brand values of the manufacturer of the lingerie: exclusive, seductive and secretive and the woman has a mysterious look in her eyes, which helps shaping their values.  I used the Vivaldi font for the title because it also gives a touch of elegance to the business card, as well as the Vladimir Script font used for the quote: “be yourself, feel amazing”.  The colours used are red, black and white, because they are the simplest ones, they match very well together, and usually the simplicity is the more elegant.  Red also expresses passion.

Brief 7: An innovative estate agent wants to produce an eye catching flyer that they can leave at houses that have been on the market for sometime, inviting the home owner to switch agent.

The flyer for the estate agent has the standard size of 148 mm X 210 mm, which represents an A5 sheet. I preferred A5 format instead of A6 because it is held in respect and I think that a bigger flyer makes a better impression. To this size, I added the 3 mm bleed. I chose the standard size again for the same reason as in the case of the business card, for its practicality. Also, another aspect is reducing the cost and the usage of paper, as you can print whether 32 A5 sheets, or 16 A4 sheet, 2-up or 8 A3 sheets, 4-up or 4 A2 sheets, 8-up or 2 A1 sheets, 16-up. The paper stock for this type of flyer is 250 gsm. For the finishing process, I will use gloss lamination because it adds high gloss sheen. Gloss lamination is suitable for the flyers because it forms a protection coat over the print, and the chances of its wasting are decreasing.

The main font I used is Arial, because I considered it suitable for this type of flyer: it has to express seriousness, and Arial expresses it. I first used a rhetorical question, so as to let people think about what they could change, and then they can see the idea: “change your agent”.  The images also contribute to the message the flyer is transmitting: seriousness and a good collaboration. The image with the shaking hand anticipates in a slightly manner the message, because they represent either friendship or making/finishing a deal between two persons.

Week 5: Grid Case Studies

1.       This is an interesting grid layout that caught my eye from the first sight. I consider it a good example of breaking the grid. The way the editor played with the grid makes the article more interesting and catchy. Like in any other article, the images contribute to the message he wants to transmit, but they are also used so as the article not to be boring. The grid does provide consistency, structure and rhythm, because the breaking of it makes the article easy to read. One more aspect that makes it interesting is the text: “I wouldn’t recommend having a baby until science allows them to be delivered by Parcelforce. It doesn’t half smart”, that creates a gap in reading the article. The third column is also loomed by the shape of the woman’s body.

2.       The second grid case study I chose to analyse is, on the one hand, not a good example of successfully breaking the grid, in my opinion, but on the other hand, is a good example of playing with the grids. The overall impression that the article gives me is that there are too many fonts used and it makes you confuse when starting reading it. Also, because of the place of the paragraphs you don’t really know their order or where the paragraph continues when moving to another column. I think there is tension in the article because of the way the editor broke the grids, but it is not productive, as the articles loses its interest. The grid does not provide consistency, as the article looks as if there were paragraphs from different articles put together and make no sense.

Week 5: Completed Grid Layouts and Experiments in Breaking the Grid

Even if my grids are not maybe the most interesting ones, there is still time to improve my skills. A quote that always comes to my mind is: "Practice makes perfect". The reason why I broke the grids in a simple way is because I don't like the grids which give the impression that your eyes are hurting when reading an article. And here I am referring to those types of articles in which the grids interfere with each other so much that, at one point, you can't distinguish between paragraphs. 

The first grids I posted are the first ones I made. That is why there can be seen a difference between the first seven and the last one, which looks much better in terms of design. I like the most the grids from the last articles because of the way I broke them: it seems that there is a diagonal line between the two columns. The article is easy to read. If, for example, the space between the columns had been smaller, the article would have become more difficult to read.

Week 4: CD Cover Design Project

From the very beginning I wanted to use an expressive photo for my CD cover. This is the reason why I chose this picture with the girl who is dancing, because I consider that through dance you express all your good feelings, leaving behind the sadness. The genre of music the artist sings is house music.  In what concerns the fonts, I used two different ones: Eccentric Std for the name of the artist: Emilia, and Felix Titling for the title of the album: “Feel the music”. Both fonts are simple, as I considered that the passion with which the singer is dancing is more important to be remarked than some fancy fonts. Also, the flashes of lightning I used have the role to emphasise on the energy that the girl radiates around her and when watching the disco globe, it seems as if it is inviting us to dance together. I chose yellow for the fonts and for the shapes so as to create visual impact. If I had chosen another colour, maybe it would not have stood out.

Week 4: Photographic Case Studies: How Does an Image Add Depth to a Message?

1.       The advert for the campaign LOVE FOOD can be considered a really interesting photographic case study because of the image chosen. The campaign warns us about the amount of food that ends up being thrown away and it is trying to make us aware of this and buy only as much food as we really need. In order to emphasise this fact, the editor added a photo of a pear. But what adds depth to the message is the drop of water from the pear, which creates the impression that the fruit is crying because it is not eaten, but thrown away. In what concerns the colours used, they make the advert to look dull and imply a feeling of sadness.

2.       The second photographic case study I chose emphasises on the climate change we all face nowadays. Because of all pollution, deforestation and so on, from all around the world, the Earth is endangered. The picture used is strongly related to the title of the advert. Furthermore, there can be noticed in the title that the editor played upon words: “science fact or science fiction”. The image used is also interested, as the polar bear represents the science fact, and the alien the science fiction. The rhetorical question from the title makes us think more about this problem and its objective is to make up stop polluting our environment.


More examples of photographs that could be considered interesting case studies:

Week 4: Colour Case Studies: How is Colour Used to Create Meaning?

1.       The colours play an important role, as sometimes they help in creating a meaning. As a colour case study I chose an advert for BMW cars. The colours of the cars are the standard ones: black and grey. The background suits with the cars, as well. The picture of the cars was taken on a highway which suggests that one of their features is the speed. In what concerns the colours, they are dark and represent metal and that is what cars are made from. The spot colours suggest, in my opinion, luxury as well as the buildings behind, which are, in fact, blurry. The blurry buildings along with the wheels show us that the vehicles are in motion. To sum up, all the colours used contribute to the metal aspect of the cars and I consider them a good choice for this kind of advertisement.

2.       The second colour case study I chose to analyse represents an advertisement for a non-smoking campaign. The picture is very suggestive and it is warning smokers to give up. The colours play the most important role in this case. Despite the pink lipstick used by the woman, the editor warns us that smoking still creates a bad impression, no matter how coquettish a woman can be. Even if the picture it is just a metaphor and the butts from the mouth are used just to successfully express the meaning, they all catch the viewer’s attention and the focus is not anymore on the sensual lips, but on the smoking habit. The mouth is represented in this advertisement as an ashtray, where we can all throw the cigarettes. Not only the cigarettes are harmful for our health, but they also leave a bad smell after smoking. The colours are bright and the cigarette and the butts are very well loomed.


More examples of images that could be considered interesting case studies:

Week 4: Brief Report on How to Source Images

Even if at the first sight searching for a picture on the Internet, saving and using it seems easy, there are rules to be respected, such as licensing. Nowadays, the Internet is the main source of information and there are a lot of websites that allow you to upload your pictures and share them with the others. The question could be: how do they differ in terms of price and delivery?

For the beginning I will focus on Getty Images (www.gettyimages.co.uk) and Image Source (www.imagesource.com). Both websites have the same policy in what concerns the use of their photos. There are two types of licensing: Royalty-free and Rights-managed. When choosing the first one (Royalty-free) you can use an image as many times as you want, in as many different projects are you like, the price depending on the image size. In what concerns the second one, the Rights-managed licensing is highly stylised, available with exclusivity and the price and licensed are based on usage.  The iStock Photo Gallery has different types of licensing: the complementary Standard and the five Extended Licenses, which differ on the purpose you are using the image for. 

In order to find and manage suitable images to use on Flickr, you should select the advanced search. After typing the kind of images you are looking for or just the key words, there is a box you must tick so as to use the images without problems: “Only search within Creative-Commons licensed content”. After that, you should also tick one or both boxes that refer to how you want to use the images: commercially or to modify, adapt or build upon them. Then, when your received the results of your search and decided on the images you want to use, you must check the right side of the page and read the License Rights. Because you ticked the Creative-Commons license box, you are free to share (copy, distribute and transmit) and remix (adapt) the work. If you did not tick that box, you would also find images with “All rights reserved” and the only way in which you can use them is by asking the owner. Like Flickr, there is also another website,  Devian Art , which has the same privacy policy.

Week 3: Logo Case Studies: Type, Shape and Colour

1.       The logo of the company Global Ambiente from Italy is very successful, as it expresses the right message. A logo has to be simple in order to be catchy and this is how the editor decided to make it. The picture looks like a drop of rain and inside it there is a terrestrial globe. An interesting aspect about the globe is that it looks like it has been blown by the wind. Both water and wind suggest freshness, the main feature of the products of the company. In what concerns the type of font used in writing “global” also suggests the wind, because of the shapes of the letters. The colour used, except from black, is typical for what it aims to represent: water-blue.

2.       I consider the logo for Power Postcards very successful in terms of transmitting the message. There is scientific proof that flashes can reach an enormous speed. This is why the company chose to design a flash on their log, so as to emphasise on the speed with which postcards can be sent. In what concerns the colours, the red is used to put accent on power, and yellow to put accent on light.

3.       The third logo I chose to analyse represents a Pizza Company. The picture and the text were carefully chosen, so as to create visual impact on the audience. The logo is really catchy because of the slice of pizza, which was designed as if it was in a hurry. Also, the text is interesting: because it is an Italian company, the translation of the text would be fast pizza. So it means the logo aims to tell people that the pizza is ready and delivered very fast. In what concerns the colours, red and black make a good combination.

More examples of logos that can be considered interesting case studies:

 

Week 3: Business Card & Critical Evaluation

The first thing that everyone thinks of when they hear “bright ideas” is the light bulb, as it is a world-wide known stereotype. Because the Bright Ideas Design Company helps people design their houses, I chose as a logo a house, with bulbs instead of the door bell and the attic window. I consider the logo suitable for the company, even though there are still things to be improved. I also used the bulb in the title, above the letters “I”. In what concerns the colours, the yellow represents the brightness.  The other colours used are mustard yellow, black, white, and grey. One of the things to be improved should be the choice of colours: maybe brighter colours would have been funkier.

This was the first business card I thought of:

Then:

Brainstorming the logos:

Experiments with Type, Shape, Colour, Photography

 

Week 2: Type Case Study: Critical Analysis of the Use of Type

I consider the photo an interesting type case study because of the manner the editor decided to express the message. Because the photo aims to make us aware of the situation of the endangered animals, the text was written in a shape of a Panda bear. At the first sight, when you look at the photo, the Panda can be noticed the easiest. Then, when studying it deeper, we can notice that the text written actually makes sense: help animals. It is also a good example of the use of type, because it requires certain skills in order to create a photograph like this.

Week 2: A Type Only Business Card

I chose the red background for my type only business card because I like very much how red and black match together. This two colours seem, in my opinion, to give a touch of elegance to the business card, and in the same time, simplicity. Also, the font used for my name is also elegant, as it looks like it was written by hand.

Week 1: Brainstorming Ideas

In order to create the logo, I gathered all my flatmates and I asked them to think about things that characterise our flat. At the beginning it was really hard to find only one thing that could represent our flat, but finally we got to an agreement. The exercise was helpful because it made us all think and put together our ideas, brainstorm them and, in this way, we started a debate in order to choose only one idea. The logos varied from the map of Europe, with the countries we are coming from highlighted, to a bottle of wine, which has instead of its original etiquette one with different flags.

This is another logo I thought of at first, but then I decided to change it because it seemed too complex for a logo.

Week 1: Design Resource

In my trip to becoming a thinking designer, I found a book which I consider really helpful: “Designing Visual Interfaces. Communication Oriented Techniques”, written by Kevin Mullet and Darrell Sano. The book contains fundamental rules that every visual designer has to be aware of so as to create successful adverts. In every field of work there are steps which have to be followed for becoming an expert. The book is very useful for a student who studies Visual Design because it teaches you the fundamental things about how to create an advert, how to make it catchy and how to transmit the message correctly. Also, it teaches us how to design them, using the right colours and fonts.

The book can be found either on internet, or library. The difference between the two places is that on the internet can be found only extracts from the book, and not the entire one.

Week 1: Critique of an advert

I chose this advert because, despite the fact that it is very simple, it is very concise, and in most cases the simple ones are the catchiest. In comparison to other adverts, the designer used only two colours and even though they are not bright, the advert is still catching the reader’s eyes. There are cases when you prefer not to read a too bright advert because, at the first sight, it doesn’t look worth spending time reading it, no matter the quality of the product advertised. The big font also has the role of attracting the reader, as well as the smiling coffee. The message is very well stated: “COSTA for coffee lovers”.

This advert can be considered an example of the fact that you don’t need a big bright colour gamut to create a successful advert. As long as your message is well transmitted to the public, in a catchy and fine manner, your advert has a lot of chances to be of real success.