Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Business card production / final
Final business card design and production; they were produced out of laser cutting a 3mm fluorescent green/yellow sheet of acrylic. I wanted to experiment with a more unconventional method of producing the cards, laser cutting was an interesting choice as it would be highly cost effective, I only had to pay for the material as the use of the laser cutter was free. To produce this finish in large numbers would be incredibly expensive and I wouldn't even know where to start looking to get these done, I was only planning on getting around 40 of these cards produced so wanted to utilise this.
The finished business cards:
Dimensions - 55mm x 85mm x 3mm
The final finish looks pretty impressive and is definitely eye catching thanks to the fluorescent colour of the acrylic. I experimented with different cutting variations including cutting it on the other side before using the inverted cut so that it is viewed on the other side, as this gives a cleaner and more polished finish. I'm pleased with the results, considering the amount of time we had to work on these. They look really professional as a collection and individually, the only thing I hoped could have been better is the accuracy of the type, it looks quite rigid when they're cut out, and although it is legible I would have liked it to be sharper! Nevertheless as I now have my business cards ready to hand out to visiting professionals, potential employers and clients. Although there can be improvements, it's eye catching as planned and does the job for carrying my contact and website address.
The finished business cards:
Dimensions - 55mm x 85mm x 3mm
The final finish looks pretty impressive and is definitely eye catching thanks to the fluorescent colour of the acrylic. I experimented with different cutting variations including cutting it on the other side before using the inverted cut so that it is viewed on the other side, as this gives a cleaner and more polished finish. I'm pleased with the results, considering the amount of time we had to work on these. They look really professional as a collection and individually, the only thing I hoped could have been better is the accuracy of the type, it looks quite rigid when they're cut out, and although it is legible I would have liked it to be sharper! Nevertheless as I now have my business cards ready to hand out to visiting professionals, potential employers and clients. Although there can be improvements, it's eye catching as planned and does the job for carrying my contact and website address.
Business card designs / development
Last Friday, we were asked to produce our own set of business cards ready for the following Wednesday, a short brief with limited time to produce something that would be good enough to give out to design professionals and potential clients.
Due to the limited amount of time and also wanting to leave my own branding for a later date that would tie in with a redevelopment of my website and branding materials, I aimed to produce temporary business card that would be used to give out to more specific people such as visiting designers and working professionals. I wanted something that would be striking; something that would stand out with the only function of being able to leave an impression and carry my contact and website details.
As it would be a temporary business card, I felt that I had more flexibility with the design; the cost didn't restrict me too much as I won't be producing too many, it's temporary so the notion of experimenting a bit more encouraged the design. This also made me decide on something a lot quicker, I didn't really have much time as I had to consider the time it would take for the production side aswell so only explored 2 different routes.
The 1st route was to produce a limited number of 26 business cards; each one would carry my details and a letter from the alphabet. I wanted to produce a custom typeface that would contribute to a 'set' of cards that I would give out to specific people.The image below shows a few developments of this, I had the idea of getting the card's laser cut, with the letter cut through and details engraved onto the material. This didn't really work out however as the aesthetics of each letter of the alphabet on the cards didn't really fit with the function of the business cards, I realised that they didn't really communicate 'type lead designer' as I had hoped so this idea was scrapped.
My 2nd route followed the same direction in terms of the production side of it, my main thoughts behind the business card was that I wanted to communicate : professional, ambitious and type & print based designer. I also had to consider the use of these cards, I was not planning on printing masses and masses of these, as I wanted them to be more for specific people who I would contact during this year; professionals who I would speak to and give at the end of speaking to them as opposed to just dishing them out. With this in mind, I worked on a temporary identity that I would use, exploring the shapes and letter forms of my initials and layout of the information.
Due to the limited amount of time and also wanting to leave my own branding for a later date that would tie in with a redevelopment of my website and branding materials, I aimed to produce temporary business card that would be used to give out to more specific people such as visiting designers and working professionals. I wanted something that would be striking; something that would stand out with the only function of being able to leave an impression and carry my contact and website details.
As it would be a temporary business card, I felt that I had more flexibility with the design; the cost didn't restrict me too much as I won't be producing too many, it's temporary so the notion of experimenting a bit more encouraged the design. This also made me decide on something a lot quicker, I didn't really have much time as I had to consider the time it would take for the production side aswell so only explored 2 different routes.
The 1st route was to produce a limited number of 26 business cards; each one would carry my details and a letter from the alphabet. I wanted to produce a custom typeface that would contribute to a 'set' of cards that I would give out to specific people.The image below shows a few developments of this, I had the idea of getting the card's laser cut, with the letter cut through and details engraved onto the material. This didn't really work out however as the aesthetics of each letter of the alphabet on the cards didn't really fit with the function of the business cards, I realised that they didn't really communicate 'type lead designer' as I had hoped so this idea was scrapped.
My 2nd route followed the same direction in terms of the production side of it, my main thoughts behind the business card was that I wanted to communicate : professional, ambitious and type & print based designer. I also had to consider the use of these cards, I was not planning on printing masses and masses of these, as I wanted them to be more for specific people who I would contact during this year; professionals who I would speak to and give at the end of speaking to them as opposed to just dishing them out. With this in mind, I worked on a temporary identity that I would use, exploring the shapes and letter forms of my initials and layout of the information.
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Umbrella Statement
A conceptual & analytical design process, utilising typography to deliver effective branding, editorial & promotional materials.
From this statement, I aim to be a graphic designer who focuses on concepts & ideas, utilising my typographic skills and design direction to produce high end design solutions for print based distribution.
From this statement, I aim to be a graphic designer who focuses on concepts & ideas, utilising my typographic skills and design direction to produce high end design solutions for print based distribution.
Saturday, 25 September 2010
Wants & Needs
What do I want to do & why?
-
For the 3rd year, I aim to be able to work on a range of branding materials for corporate, cultural and independent clients. Not only does this tie in with my dissertation, I want to develop my skills with brand identities and working on more realistic briefs that has a relatively fixed format.
-
I finished my 2nd year with a focus on design for print, and after gaining some industry experience over the summer I have decided that it is the direction that I would like to be heading for the final year and beyond. Print focused work would therefore be another main area that I would like to work more on, with more focus on publications, editorial and promotional material.
-
Some of the most enjoyable and more successful briefs I worked on last year were the ones which were more research driven, projects that were information heavy. I enjoyed the process of collecting and filtering information to help inform the design decision and final outcome so this is an area that I'd definitely like to work on again. This would hopefully give me the opportunity to work on projects that I am completely unfamiliar with.
-
My work ethics has always been focused on the design process itself, therefore want to do atleast another collaborative brief either with someone in the same course or someone who studies in a different creative field. I hope that this would allow be to develop my professional practice and prodivde an opportunity to art direct/ project manage a brief from initial ideas to the production and execution of final finishes.
-
Finally I'd like to work on a range of different briefs that deal with different clients and subject matters this would ideally allow me to work on a range of different types of work, that would contribute to different types of work that would contribute towards a more diverse portfolio.
What I don't want to do & why?
-
Web design in terms of the coding and physical construction of a webpage is an area that I'd be avoiding. Although I enjoy working on the design direction and layout of a website, I am completely useless at coding and the technical aspects, this would be a problem that I could resolve by collaborating with someone who is confident with the skills that I'm looking for.
-
Another area that I wouldn't really focus on would be motion graphics and pure digital design work, again mainly because I'm unfamiliar with the work process towards it such as story boarding and generally thinking with motion in mind. I feel that I am already accustomed to think towards printed design solutions, which I will prioritize on but this does not mean that I will completely rule out design for digital.
-
During the past 2 years, I feel that I am establishing myself as a designer who focuses on the design process, tackling each brief analytically and developing design solutions that are both functional and aesthetically interesting that fulfills the client/briefs needs. I would definitely like to continue this work ethic and am therefore going to avoid design work that is produced purely/mainly for it's aesthetics. I am not interested in work that doesn't carry much of a concept behind it as I find these quite limiting and dull to work, quite often these briefs are incredibly open with an undefined target audience.
-
Again relating to my previous statement, I wouldn't like to be an art worker because I don't want to process someone else's ideas.
-
Looking back at my previous work, I think the most successful briefs were the ones that developed the most from start to finish, the ones that I myself had no idea what I would end up with at the end, therefore I would not be looking to work on briefs that have a predefined outcome as it won't have much scope, therefore leaving little space for development. I would aim to work on projects that allow me to explore different routes, allowing the design practice and research to determine the design solutions.
-
For the 3rd year, I aim to be able to work on a range of branding materials for corporate, cultural and independent clients. Not only does this tie in with my dissertation, I want to develop my skills with brand identities and working on more realistic briefs that has a relatively fixed format.
-
I finished my 2nd year with a focus on design for print, and after gaining some industry experience over the summer I have decided that it is the direction that I would like to be heading for the final year and beyond. Print focused work would therefore be another main area that I would like to work more on, with more focus on publications, editorial and promotional material.
-
Some of the most enjoyable and more successful briefs I worked on last year were the ones which were more research driven, projects that were information heavy. I enjoyed the process of collecting and filtering information to help inform the design decision and final outcome so this is an area that I'd definitely like to work on again. This would hopefully give me the opportunity to work on projects that I am completely unfamiliar with.
-
My work ethics has always been focused on the design process itself, therefore want to do atleast another collaborative brief either with someone in the same course or someone who studies in a different creative field. I hope that this would allow be to develop my professional practice and prodivde an opportunity to art direct/ project manage a brief from initial ideas to the production and execution of final finishes.
-
Finally I'd like to work on a range of different briefs that deal with different clients and subject matters this would ideally allow me to work on a range of different types of work, that would contribute to different types of work that would contribute towards a more diverse portfolio.
What I don't want to do & why?
-
Web design in terms of the coding and physical construction of a webpage is an area that I'd be avoiding. Although I enjoy working on the design direction and layout of a website, I am completely useless at coding and the technical aspects, this would be a problem that I could resolve by collaborating with someone who is confident with the skills that I'm looking for.
-
Another area that I wouldn't really focus on would be motion graphics and pure digital design work, again mainly because I'm unfamiliar with the work process towards it such as story boarding and generally thinking with motion in mind. I feel that I am already accustomed to think towards printed design solutions, which I will prioritize on but this does not mean that I will completely rule out design for digital.
-
During the past 2 years, I feel that I am establishing myself as a designer who focuses on the design process, tackling each brief analytically and developing design solutions that are both functional and aesthetically interesting that fulfills the client/briefs needs. I would definitely like to continue this work ethic and am therefore going to avoid design work that is produced purely/mainly for it's aesthetics. I am not interested in work that doesn't carry much of a concept behind it as I find these quite limiting and dull to work, quite often these briefs are incredibly open with an undefined target audience.
-
Again relating to my previous statement, I wouldn't like to be an art worker because I don't want to process someone else's ideas.
-
Looking back at my previous work, I think the most successful briefs were the ones that developed the most from start to finish, the ones that I myself had no idea what I would end up with at the end, therefore I would not be looking to work on briefs that have a predefined outcome as it won't have much scope, therefore leaving little space for development. I would aim to work on projects that allow me to explore different routes, allowing the design practice and research to determine the design solutions.
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