Type

I have developed the previous post into these hand drawn type and image illustrations, these work much better as an overall image. The first type face works really nice with the rustic African feel I wanted for the imagery. I have hand drawn the type which works much better than the type straight from the computer library. The rough and unevenness of the type works really well with the rough edge of the silhouette.

The next type seems more luxurious which associates with chocolate. The type face links really well to the information I have written on the silhouette. This looks more like hand written type it fits really nice with the shape, however I am not sure how well this fits with the African style I want for the labels.

This final type again is very similar to hand writing I am not sure it lays out across the silhouette as well as the above. however this type face is slightly easier to read as its less squiggly. I think the best stage for me now will be to look at adding texture to the image

Type & Illustration

I thought it would be best to keep the same shape to what they already use, especially as I am producing a bag for these butter to go in. The colour theme is based on the African rustic look and the colours of the beans, I do really like the brown but i think the colour is too flat it needs some texture to it. Whilst developing these labels I have also had the idea to use foil on the label this would give it a unique quality which is something it needs being a limited addition label.

The type I have used for the first label is very hand written it really suits the style of illustration and they work together really well. However I am really worried about the fact it is nothing like the Body Shop type which is a concern. I think I really need to raise this issue as its starting to get in the way of my development choices.

The second type face is similar to the bold look of the Body shop text, it doesn't work as well as the hand written type, I think I will try it with the thinner type to see the different but at this point I think I need to make a decision as to weather to leave this alone and move forward or stick with it. It does work and in some ways looks more professional because of the style of text but does it work well enough for the style I want for this brief. I am going to experiment further with other illustrations and ideas first to get a larger body of work to compare it to.

Type

I have seen some type and illustration designs I really like and I wanted to produce a similar thing possibly for use on the bag if not the label. I am struggling at this point to decide if I need to use the same type face that The Body Shop currently use. I really dont want to as it doesn't match the style I want for the limited edition look. The below are examples of the first few attempts, they are awful in every way, but I have posted them just so you can see the improvements I have made on the next post by using the type I would prefer to use.

Cocoa & Shea butter illustrations

With the body shop brief, I want ti create something quite illustration based and take it back to the rustic feeling of africa where the natural ingredients come from. I have started of by illustrating both shea and cocoa in some hands, I really like this idea and it looks really authentic. I think this developed with collage or some textured paper would work really nice.

I have also illustrated the beans and shells the natural state of the main ingredient, im not sure how this will work yet, however these illustrations are much more influenced by the 'original source' and African style than the current photographs the Body Shop use. There current packaging is very clean and fitting to their style, but with this one of addition for the two body butters I want to feed the customers with the information of the ingredients and the quality of the shea and cocoa in their purest form.

Body Shop Brief

Laura Ashley Evaluation

This brief has had a really positive influence on my design skills, this brief was written just for that I have always wanted to do a large scale brief based on pattern and the Laura Ashley brief has enabled me to do this across different medias. I This has been a very large brief and it could almost be developed even further, however I have had to put a stop to the brief as it has taken up so much of my time. There is definitely opportunity in my own time ot carry on with the other things I haven't had time to design and create, such as a swatch book and other bedcovers and throw cushions to fit in with the current range, expanding it into a collection.

The Laura Ashley brief has positively influenced my creative choices. Before this module I almost made do with the mock up of the finished product, but I have strived to achieve the best design I possibly can in the time I have had. I have had to work through problems that have arisen such as laser cutting and screen printing that has gone wrong, generally these have all be time consuming accidents or mistakes but I have not allowed this to affect my work. Because I have learnt so many new skills with this brief I do feel I want to carry on in this design field, however I have decided to use these new skills on other briefs to see how I can apply them elsewhere.

I initially found it difficult design for such a large scale, especially as everything I was designing on screen when printed looked completely different mainly due to the scale. This made me make design decisions in a completely different way, I had to print everything out and almost get the design near complete before I could pick which was working best. This is probably why it took me so long to establish a final design and transfer it across a range.

I did really enjoy experimenting with different patterns and illustrations, however I realise now I need to pin down an initial idea and not make it so broad as the initial stages of the wallpaper went on for a very long time, which set me back on completing the brief. Apart from this I am really pleased with this brief, I have really enjoyed it and found an area of design I am really interested in and feel comfortable designing for, this has had a really positive influence on my work, I finally feel I can design things I enjoy and have an interest in.

Magazine Spread

Cooking Set Evaluation

I originally wrote this brief to give me the opportunity to experiment with different medias I had not had the opportunity to use before, but to also design something I would enjoy and benefit me and my design skills. In some ways I feel I have achieved this I have used a laser cutter and a Fabric printer, I have also had the opportunity to use different craft skills such as sewing and collage. One of the main areas I wanted to develop and work on with this brief was collage, I started off with this approach but different decisions led me away from this. Although I didn't use this brief to fully develop this areas as much as I had originally wished, I do feel the areas I have used it in really work for the brief and help make it successful.

The target audience for this brief I felt would be really interesting and easy for me to work with, I wanted the opportunity to design for children again as my previous experience was really enjoyable but I also learnt a lot from it about my self and my design skills. With the cooking brief, designing for children I felt I had more freedom to design the way I wanted and this would give me more room to experiment with. I found again producing for children was a real benefit to me and the decisions I was able to make for the items I had more freedom with, however when it came to the packaging of the box I really struggled.

As I mentioned above my weakness in this brief was definitely designing the packaging, because I new this would be a problem I decided to start by developing the products for within the box and use these designs to help me put together the outside of the box. This initial idea was working well until I had problems with my idea for laser cutting. This brought up many problems and a lot of wasted time, my designs were too intricate for the cutter thus making the packaging too flimsy.

I have mixed feelings about the finished brief, I really enjoyed the first part; designing the patterns and making the products. However the packaging part was a struggle for me, until this point I thought one of my design strengths was design for packaging. I now realise to achieve a professional standard with packaging briefs, it would be in my works interest to work collaboratively with someone, for myself to work on the images and for them to work on the type and layout. I think the more I work along side someone with these skills the better my work will become.

The finished collection

Im really happy with the finished collection it fits the brief and has given me the chance to experiment with different print methods as well as working on a large scale brief.

Bedcover

All elements of the bed set have been screen printed, using navy, blue and metallic silver ink.

Finished Cooking Set

Crit Feed Back

Todays crit was really useful I needed some questions answering so i could complete my 2 big briefs and move onto the smaller ones. I really needed to establish if I was at a point where I could leave the Laura Ashley brief and start packaging it, the feedback I received was yes I had definitely designed and created enough for that brief to make it a large brief. With time being so small I also wanted to know if it would be 'ok' for the packaging brief to be looked at as a small 2 day brief when I had spent so much time design and creating the inner parts. It was decided as long as I justified the simplicity of it then there would be no problem especially as time is so small. The second brief the cooking set I really wanted some feedback on the packaging for this product as this is the area I have most struggled in. I have come to a decision of a final design, however comments were made that my original idea of laser cutting would work much better, but with the time I have left this just isn't possible.

Light Fitting

The original design for the light fitting was to laser cut flowers into the shade, however the design was too intricate and the material melted. Instead I decided to develop the same pattern, but to screen print the pattern onto the fabric. At this point I decided to introduce more colour into the 'accessories' of the room, navy has only currently been used on the large flowers, I felt it was necessary to introduce this colour more to tie the room together but also break the white up. I also sewed jewels to the bottom of the light fitting, I felt something extra was needed to make it look more expensive and tie in with the range Laura Ashley sell as they are expensive looking and in price, many of the current Laura Ashley light fittings have jewels.

Throw Cushions

The brief stated that I was to design 2 throw cushions following the design of the wallpaper and bedcovers. For these pillows, I chose to have one as a direct match, as Laura Ashley always have a direct match to their collection, this being the second pillow. Im really happy with the end product for this pillow it fits perfectly with the other designs and has printed really well. The second pillow I choose to design would link to the pattern but not directly match the style of the wallpaper, and be suitable to use in another set of designs. This is a very common approach to take and it gave me the opportunity to add something a little different to the set.

Final Wallpaper

The final wallpaper pattern was chosen through several decisions, firstly this pattern got the best feedback in crits and from tutors. Secondly several people mentioned this was most likely to be sold in Laura Ashley and was most like their style. Finally this pattern seemed to work best across the range of media stated in the brief.

The print methods and stock for this wallpaper needed to be of a certain quality so they would fit within the 'speciality section' I have achieved this by digitally printing the background to achieve a high quality flat colour print then screen printed the birds with a silver metallic ink. The birds a subtle so not to over crowd the pattern across the whole wall and catch the light making the wallpaper look expensive and high quality.

Packaging Developed

I mentioned on the previous post that I was going to start the packaging again from the beginning, and concentrate on linking the pattern on the textile set to the packaging, this is what I have done to develop a finial packaging design, however this mock up has gone slightly wrong. The whole product is spot varnished to add a slightly expensive look, I have foiled the buns and the title to make the packaging look interesting and grab your attention when its on the shelf. Im much happier with this current design. The only area I feel needs changing is the information on the back, the colours no longer fits with the new design I will propose this design for the new packaging as I have run out of time to digitally print it on.

Cooking Set

I decided to finalise this brief with the packaging shown below, I came to this decision though crit feedback and talking to Joe. However printed it looks completely different and I really don't like it, I don't feel it fits with the textile set at all which is a necessity. The colour scheme is similar to the textile set however even though the material had been digitally printed similar to the box the textile design looks much more hand crafted and professional unlike the below packaging. I think I need to go back to the beginning and re look at designing based on the textile pattern and base the packaging on this.

Final Packaging design

After all the crits and feedback, it has been decided that this is the design for my packaging. I personally am not satisfied with the end result but this design has had some really positive feedback. It will only be when I have printed the box and made it up, then I will be abel to see if it works or as I currently think not!

There are things I do like about it, but as usual when it comes to putting all the pieces together my work fails and I feel this is the case, but I will not give it. The colours work really well and tie in with the inside products, the over all design doesn't look as hand made as I had hope, but I have had to develop this design from my original laser cut design.

Recipe Sheets

After deciding on which typeface worked best for the recipe sheets, I wanted to look at individualizing them to make them all look unique and easier to pick out which is which. I have used colours in reference to the inside products. This is the area I have most struggled with, as I have already printed and made these everything I now design is based around these, which in hindsight is not the best of ideas. Because of this I am struggling to make them all fit but look individual. I think some feedback is needed before i make any decisions.

After speaking to some other people, I have considered the feedback and decided to remove the pattern background, as the recipe cards are only small the pattern is over powering the card. I am going to make all the colours the same as everyone felt it would work much better with them all following the same style and layout.

Tutorial Feedback

I had my first tutorial today it was reassuring to know I was heading in the right direction, Fred picked up points I was aware of but highlighting them made me more aware to keep up to deadlines and timescales, especially as I have spent a large amount of time on 2 briefs. We also discussed a possible collaboration for one of my briefs to help with the load of work I have but also to make the over all quality better as this is an area I struggle with.

Light Fitting

I had the idea to transfer the pattern I have been using for the bed onto the light shade, but laser cut it on, giving it an expensive feel and the affect with light shining through would work really nice, very in with the Laura Ashley style. However the design was far too intricate and the laser was melting the material I was using, which is a shame. I have had an alternative idea which I feel now will work much better and link better with the other products.

Children's cooking apron

After evaluating the patterns, I thought best before making any final decisions to test the patterns out on an example of some aprons, one of the outlined products in the brief.

The first apron has, what I evaluated to be the best of the patterns I had created. It works really well set out in this way and the colored straps really help set of the colours in the buns. The size of the buns and amount used in my opinion is exactly right, if they were any smaller it would be too cluttered.

This second pattern is the one I found dullest and the lest likely one to use, I still believe it is dull and not very interesting to look at, however in the apron shape and surrounded by white space it does look more appealing. But I am still not convinced that this pattern will be a successful choice.

This pattern is the one I felt was the most unisex of all the patterns I had developed, It does work really well if I choose to create a unisex product and not go with the suggestions of either one boy and one girl or a range of other bake sets. I think if I do choose to use the unisex idea I will develop this further and change the pattern slightly so there are some upside down as well as upright buns.

This again is a pattern I really liked, more for the layout and repeat that the use of buns. This is very similar to the first apron but is not as bright and 'tasty looking'. If I do infact choose the top pattern I think it will be useful to experiment with a similar layout to the one below to see if it helps make the design any more successful.

They laying out of the pattern on the apron shape it has helped my confirm which patterns to take forward, I mentioned on the previous post this pattern was too full an cluttered. It still is this and very uninspiring, the colour scheme still is dull even with the added extra of the colored ties, which has helped make the others more vibrant.

Again I really like this and am not beginning to wish I had concentrated more on this style of illustration than the collage for the majority of my work. I dont think I will use this pattern however I do intend to use this style in some future work as it is really successful and I have had a lot of comments on it.

Recipe Headers

I have chosen to go on top on the recipe sheets the same type I have used for the 'Baking set' on the outside of the packaging, this helps tie them all together, but as this is only one word I felt there was opportunity to use a slightly fancier type face than what is necessary for the block of text.

Recipe layouts and Type faces

After establishing what design I will be using though crit feedback and speaking to Joe I finally felt it was time to start developing some recipe cards. I have looked at pattern and type to see which works best. Firstly the background pattern is linked to the outside pattern on the packaging. This is an idea I have had for a while, it doesn't work as well as I had hoped so i may take this out. I tested out the colour for the pattern against a range of colours I had used for the inside products, this seemed to work the best with the text on top of it.

All of the type faces I have used are from 'dafont' this first one works really well, its easy to read and fits in with the child like type I was hoping to achieve. I wanted this look to tie in with the crafted and child like product I have made. I do feel however this fades into the background with it being quite thin, it need to be a bit bolder to make it stand out from the background pattern.

The second type doesn't work as well, the style fits but the type is too thin and narrow which isn't as easy to read as the type above. This also doesn't fit in as well with the current style of the outside of the packaging and inside products.

This type works well, it looks yummy and childlike, which is exactly what I want its legible and reads well, which is necessary for children to read when following the instructions.

The final type is very similar to the above type however this one is slightly bolder, looking at this in comparison to the previous type I can see that the previous is slightly too thin which the above being a bit chunkier it stands out from the pattern much clearer.