Development 03 - Vector drawings

Initially I was split between using actual photographs or vector drawn images to illustrated the items available from the shop as they both had unique attributes about them, I eventually decided to test out vector drawn items as I wanted an almost clinical feel to the catalogue; stripping away anything that is decorative and almost becoming over designed. I was aiming to design something that is functional but well considered with the design aspect of it, therefore opted for a series of strict guidelines for the design direction, these include: only using black on white stock (except for colour swatches), only 01 typeface throughout, fixed format and page number to be no more than 36 pages including front and back covers.

Going back to the vectored drawings, I started by taking photos of almost every single item from the shop, I decided to shoot these from a direct/ flat on angle so that all my drawings would be 2D and not isometrical or anything, therefore hopefully they won't interfere or make it too difficult to lay out with text.

A selection of the photos

When drawing these items out, I used the photos as a guide but didn't trace directly as I almost want them to look like technical drawings of the items so that it follows the technical aspect of it. To ensure that everything was consistent, I used 0.5 point stroke weights for all illustrations. One of the main problems I had which raised a few questions was how much detail I wanted to draw, particularly with packaged products such as a spray mount can or a Pritt Stick; at first I started drawing the stationary as it seemed feasible to illustrate the tips of the pens, however when it got to things like Pritt Sticks, I was almost questioning why I was drawing them and what direction it was leading.

Either way, I wasn't too sure about the direction I was working on but the initial plan for this brief was to keep it short and productive, therefore I just worked on it and hoped that the design process itself would inform my next step. I continued drawing more items following the list of items from the shop, until I felt that I had enough to start experimenting with a series of spreads.