Brief Devlopment Workshop 2

This weeks session continued on from Last weeks series of Lists, producing the same 5 sheets but this time in much more detail and 20 wants and needs rather than 10, Then producing a final list of 20 questions derived from the other sheets. I found this process of self analysis and constantly questioning who I want to be as a designer was overall very satisfying because It made me feel more decisive in terms of my professional practice.

From this we had to select just 4 of our briefs we thought had the most potential to push us as individuals and colour code them, highlighting what brief would be key to each aim or objective we'd written down. this was then matched up to our sheets of 20 wants and needs to figure out what briefs would be key for developing specific skills, portfolio, research and product.

We were then asked to write down the four briefs that we favored the most in terms of the potential achievements and diversity of areas of skill, In the format...

A.......Investigation of........with a focus on.......

I am going to......because......

-A print based investigation of retail and garment design with a focus on skateboard culture.

-A mixed media investigation of retail graphics and shop interiors with a focus on anatomy and mechanics.

-A client led investigation of branding, identity and logo with a focus on a home maintenance company.

-A web Based investigation of British Culture, humor and young aspiring comedians with a focus on sign writing and British typography.

Research

Questions

Skills

Portfolio

Product

Self Promotion Task

Self Promotion

For Wednesday's session, alongside our business cards we also needed to produce a piece of promotional material any format to be analyzed by other members of the group. Rather than producing a flyer or poster or something 2D I wanted to stick with my original intentions of my third year and produce something 3 dimensional. From my brainstorm below I started to think about a deliverable that would communicate not only my skills as a designer but my personality.

I thought that a beer bottle or label for a bottle of beer would be appropriate to communicate myself as a designer traditional to my British routes, I do enjoy a nice pale ale. Plus this would be a nice item that could be picked up and held by its viewer rather than being seen from a distance.
Idea's I wanted to play around with was the original wording of a beer bottle label, changing the nutritional information to facts about myself.

 I came up with the idea of having the ABV percentage as the division between my skills and what sort of designer I am, explaining that I'm 60% graphic designer 40% Illustrator. On the side of the bottle I planned to design and make two small tags with the strap lines, Always half full, Never half empty to promote that I'm a positive thinker.

Process

Using a Sam Miguel bottle I took measurements and planned out how big I could work with the space on the glass, I actually thought that the Sam Miguel labels themselves weren't very effective when it came to using space to its full potential. After printing my labels I used the laminator and gold foil to foil block certain parts of my label, I used this technique to highlight key elements of my type that I wanted to be eye catching. I was thinking about extending this project into making a small crate of ales, I think if I sent out a six pack to a studio each with a different label, promoting a different skill, this would be a really good way of promoting myself.

Brief Devlopment Workshop 1

This weeks brief development sessions was about producing a series of lists to analyse the things we want to achieve and get out of this academic Year. The opportunities we want to pursue and the skills we want to practice, it was divided into 5 sections and we were given around 5/10 minutes to write down 10 wants and 10 needs for each different section;

questions, products, portfolio, skills, research

From this session we were told to go away and think about what we'd written down for each heading and then re-vamp our suggestions focusing on our negotiated briefs and aims for the year. I found this session helpful because I've started thinking about what sort of designer I want to be and what I need to do to achieve these qualities.

LEVEL 05/06 Progress Evaluation

 Over the summer I have had alot of time to think about my practice and the way I want to head in the future. There are areas for improvement, areas I need to address and skills I need to progress with.

In terms of design for Print there are three main areas I want to capitalize on...publishing, retail and branding and identity as I feel my interests in second year started to sway more towards these three sections.

Business Cards

Business Cards

For next Wednesdays session we needed to have a set of business cards to show we're progressing with our individual efforts of making a name for ourselves within the world of graphic design. Plus when the opportunity comes along what's worse than meeting a potential client and not being able to leave them with your details. Before summer I designed and printed some of my business cards but wasn't totally satisfied with their outcome, This week I've tried to pick up from the point I left them at and give them a bit of a re-vamp.

In terms of budget I think sending off my design to a printing company to get some nicely finished prints would be ideal, but due low funds at the moment I'm pre-longing ordering with a company. I think being given something handmade is much more personal and satisfying to receive.

I started by thinking about what techniques I could use that I'm already well experienced in doing and would be effective as communicating myself as a designer. I found some hologram foil in screen print which as soon as I saw I thought would work well the stock I'd chosen. Using spray mount and a roller I layered up lots of piece of multi-coloured paper, so that the sides of my card would have a series of stock fading from yellow to purple. I thought this would link in nicely with the hologram foil print because when you hold it in the light you can see all the colours of the light spectrum.

Second 5 Negotiated Briefs

Ministry Of Sound D & AD

Even though this is a brief from Last years D & A D it really interested me because it deals with design that is usually viewed in motion and understanding how people read design from a vehicle/train etc. The outcomes are a set of 3 A2 Posters for outside use but I plan on extending this to do flyer designs, a motion graphic and Sticker reel.

Live Brief F & J Groundwork's

F & J Groundwork's General Property Maintenance are a company owned by one of my friends dealing with general property maintenance and groundwork. They want a cooperate Identity creating producing the decals for 1 red transit van, Buisness Cards, Letter Heads and an Informative Banner.

Personal Brief - The Universals Pupils

I want to create a brand/clothing company thats ethical in terms of manufacture and innovative in temrs of design. Based around skateboarding culture and current trends, producing 10 t-shirt designs, Labels, 2 Jumpers a website and Online shop.

Collaborative Retail Graphics/ Installation
This is by far one of the most exciting briefs I've written so far, Its a collaborative brief between me and Sadie looking at retail graphics and shop installations, producing an exhibition based around anatomy and mechanics.

First 5 Negotiated Briefs...

Over summer I have derived a series of briefs to work with over third year, some based on improving my own personal practice and some working for live clients. I've realized that my social skills and easy ability to talk to people has helped me to negotiate work for live client Led Briefs. I want to focus on diversity within my briefs, looking at briefs that offer a very different set of deliverables and practical skills to the next.

British Humour/ Signwriting- Collaborative

This is a collaborative Brief I have set out to complete with James Flanagan, Looking at British humour and what makes British humour unique. We want to create a diverse celebration of British humour looking at traditional sign writing.

Competition - Prosthetic Records

Prosthetic Records are Looking for a designer to produce them a New t-shirt design, I want to extend this brief looking at metal music, producing a metal influenced typeface and series of designs that give a metal orientated record label a new look. This will be a combination of type and image and branded accordingly to the record labels heritage and roots.

Personal Brief - Web Presence

A personal brief, boosting my online presence and online promotion. How can I use online status to its full potential? With the outcomes of a fully linked website, motion graphic, tumblr and blogger.

Live Brief - Thick as Thieves

Working alongside a Local band, re-branding their existing identity across an album cover, flyers promotional material and a banner. A completely different genre of music to my other live music orientated brief, offering a different branch to music communicating through design.

1 x 2 metre banner, 1 front cover, logo, flyer and vinyl sleeve.

Live Brief - Standard Manouevres

A live brief for a local band communicating exciting and innovative new music from the north west of Cheshire. Producing the logo and identity for the band through a series of deliverables.