STUDY TASK 4 - THE BUSINESS OF DESIGN

STUDY TASK

- Identify 5 examples professional practice that you have documented on your blog.

- Analyse the work in relation which sectors the work has been produced for.

- List the services that the work relates to.

- Evaluate the success to which the work fullfills its role from a the point of view of sector and services.

NHS Adult Living

Designer: Craig Murphy

Client: NHS

Sector: Quaternary Sector, Public Sector

Processes: Gravure Printing

Services : Health & Education

The NHS have recently undertaken a review into NHS Services regarding Adult Congenital Heart disease. Craig Murphy designed a 20 page document that is bold, bright and full of easily digestible facts and information. He has used a relevant colour scheme that is quite clinical and represents good health I feel. The information is laid out well in a clear grid structure. It has been printed using gravure printing to a high quality. It is in an A4 format which is not too big to carry around. This fits into the Quaternary sector as it has been produced for the government for the health sector. This is a public document for the people rather than a purchasable magazine.

OR Organic Wine

Designer: Pavel Kulinsky

Client: OR Organic Wine

Sector: Tertiary, Private Sector

Services: Retail, Drinks, Bars

The brief was to design branding for a wine company. It was targeted at people interested in Asian culture and likes to travel. Inspired by his travels, especially South East Asia food-markets he decided to define the wines by separations of regions and countries and particularly the species of insects there. This is a very interesting but creative take on distinguishing between the two, this is both unique and makes you want to try the mystery wines. This definitely appeals to the traveller. I think he has created a very strong brand here. This falls into the Tertiary sector as it to do with retail and has been created for profit.

Poliu Paint Brushes

Designer: Simon Laliberté

Client: Poliu

Sector: Tertiary Sector, Private Sector

Processes: Offset Lithography

Services: Retail, Hardware

Simon has come up with a really innovative way of packaging and displaying paintbrushes. He has come up with a series of different faces to match the moustache's, He has dyed each of the bristles to allow for a set of characters, this is a really appealing and eye catching way of attracting customers. Its humorous and practical. and definitely has the wow factor. This fits into the private retail sector.

Saxton Cider

Designer: Bradley Rogerson

Client: Saxton Cider

Sector: Tertiary Sector, Private Sector, Secondary Sector?

Processes: Web Offset, Sticker Sheets.

Services: Retail, Breweries

Saxton is a new range of ciders from New Zealand brewery McCashins developed for fresh food retailer Woolworth’s, Australia. He created an identity and packaging that mixes clean and minimal typography with 18th century botanical fruit illustrations to communicate a hand-crafted sensibility while evoking an earlier time where the settlers of Nelson started Saxton Fields (a local orchard in which Saxton Cider takes it name from). The result is a very elegant and sophisticated looking packaging solution that expresses a genuine sense of detail and loving care. This fits into both the secondary and tertiary sector I feel as it is both for retail and a brewery. I feel the design is very successful and has a very strong concept behind it.

NHS Contract Jobs Website

Designer: Jamie Watson

Client: NHS Jobs

Sector: Public Sector, Quaternary 

Processes: Web Design

Services: Healthcare, Government, Public

Jamie Watson did the Branding and website design for employment service dedicated to aiding workers and employees find each other in the busy UK NHS sector. The Branding was created simultaneously for both the employment site and the parent network to aid visual continuity. The website provides a wide range of candidate tools including profile generation from LinkedIn, market rate tracker, multi-application facilities, timesheet and invoice templates and event calenders. For employers, basic listings were free with targeted campaigns as paid-for options He has covered all the necesary information needed for the site. It has been designed in a very structured way which gives a professional impression. He has used an appropriate colour scheme using greens, blues and whites which suggest healthiness.

MOUNTAIN TRIKE - EXISTING DESIGNS

We were sent over copies of the original flyer  in order to get an idea of the product and also the information that needed to be included on it, this consisted of product information quotes and pricing. The leaflet definitely looks dated and doesn't really make the product look that fun. 

The greys don't work here. Not exciting at all.

My first impressions of the leaflet was that it looks fairly dull and boring, the colours are not great, and the layout of the leaflet does not really work. The logo looks a bit tacky spread across the page with the writing in a slant across it. There are definitely allot of problems with the leaflet and some big improvements can be made, I dont think the leaflet makes the product all that exciting.

The creative team at BrandFuel had also sent Mountain Trike their own designs of the leaflet, but were keen to pass the brief onto Emily and I to give the client a range of designs to select from.

These are the designs from BrandFuel for the new leaflet:

(v6)

Not a fan of the bogey green, The layouts not too bad, but could be more exciting.

The product annotation works well on the left hand side.

Titles of pictures work well, more youthful and playful.

Not a fan of the layout

(v4)

Too much white space.

Good choice of front cover.

Better Imagery shows the potential of the product.

Too simple

Tag line font doesn't work over image.

After seeing what Brandfuels creative team came up with, Emily and I had a an idea of the standard of work we had to match. These design's were much better than the existing leaflet but still lacking that fun playful aspect of the product. The colours  weren't the best and there was lots that could be done with the layout. This gave us the basis for our ideas and also showed us exactly what needed to be included within the leaflet design.

Emily was emailed the client feedback that BrandFuel received after having sent over these designs, which worked in our advantage, giving us guidelines and ideas on what not to do and what the client specifically wanted to see within the leaflets.

Client Feedback for BrandFuel:

Feedback to v4:

- Beliefs highlighted at headers of pages are good
- More variety of different people in the photos needed. Far too many photos feature our Commercial director Ed, despite being a handsome chap, we need more of genuine wheelchair users from the folders.
- More pictures and a few short quotes in the centre fold from our customers (these can be found on our current leaflet) and people who've tried the Trike
- Family shots, parent and child etc to show range of users and uses.
- The 'history' text ie about Tim we can loose if it helps in terms of space
- More colour, less white background
- web address on front page and rendered green logo instead of black version
- CAD drawings of trike will be too small to read dimensions off and don't add value. A large product shot would be better for the features/benefits
- the shot of the trike in the boot of the car is really useful to have to show people when discussing the Trike at exhibitions
- info on price doesn't need to take up 2/3 of a page, again if space is an issue
- little mountain symbol is nice though I think using the trademarked mountain trike 'M' logo instead would help get the logo recognised maybe?

Feedback to v6

Front reveal
*  Front image - not good as its Tim is wearing a crash helmet.  Not the image we want to give.  Revert back to original one of Ed on pebbles please
*  Too many different fonts happening on the leaflet overall - on front cover needs to be lighter font and maybe a little smaller.  Copy should read 'a life of freedom not 'with'
*  Font on imagery we like - gives it movement - can we add little captions to the inside lifestyle images too?
*  Blocking of text ie on the front and telephone details etc - really do not like - needs addressing
*  Logo on the front needs to be solid colour and bigger
*  I think the white blocking at the top with our 'We believe' copy is detracting from the main point of leaflet so I would suggest that we remove this copy and the white border as it seems to serve no purpose then the imagery can be full bleed.  On the front cover - may need some kind of space to ensure that logo stands out - will leave this with you
* In terms of images - front cover of Ed, replace the Ed beach on the three images with the snow image.  Back reveal - see if there is a better one of Steve and his son on his bike as he looks a little awkward, maybe replace the three chairs image with the guy in the playground with his son?
* on insert pic can they have rounded edges - bit less harsh?  See how it looks in the design
*copy on middle panel - take off (VAT-free) and please can you add 'For technical issues please call Tim 07816955945

Back Reveal
*  Arrows pointing to various areas of Trike should now cross over main image or cross with each other please address
* Website address needs to be added somewhere
* white blocking and 'we believe copy to be removed
* rounded edges on insert pics?
* spacing on arrow copy - some too close to hero pic
* take off line above colour palette image 'available in .....'
* see note re:images as above

Overall look needs some consistency of colours used for backgrounds etc to fit our branding. Not too keen on the swamp green background under the pricing and centrefold needs a nicer shade of green.
Captions for images will depend on final images so could you just pop in anything for now so we can see visually what it would look like and then I will supply once all images confirmed.  Some options could be:

*  Family Trips out
*  A walk in the woods
* In the park

We like the 'We believe... on the front cover but not sure how much it adds on the other sections - certainly don't want it to influence too much on design ie placed in large white border - maybe there is a cleverer way of showing it without it taking over....

Definately can't put intro copy over image of trike as this is the 'hero' shot and shows all the key features and benefits of the Trike and we like the clean look.  Maybe once the white top boarder issue is addressed there may be more room.  Quite liked the colour blocking inside reveal, on concept 2 which contained the intro copy so maybe this is an option?

In terms of corporate colours - no we don't have any other colours apart from the green and grey - just whatever colours are used just need to be complimentary to these.

The Business of Design

MOUNTAIN TRIKE CLIENT WORK - EMILY BALL COLLABORATION

Emily Ball and I have been given the chance to re-design a promotional leaflet for Mountain Trike following Emily's summer work experience. Mountain Trike is the latest off road wheel chair out there, and wanted something producing that reflected the company as the previous leaflet looked dated. The chance to collaborate with someone else will be a fun and exciting experience. Hopefully the chance to bounce ideas off each other will make the process allot easier.

The Brief:

Client: Mountain Trike

Contact: Lucy Hill

Job: Mountain Trike Consumer Leaflet

Job Description

A leaflet for Mountain Trike, the all-terrain wheelchair, suitable for  all end user groups.

Background

Mountain Trike is a revolutionary all-terrain wheelchair, providing users with the opportunity to access places they couldnt previously go.

Mountain Trike’s design means that surfaces that are unsuitable for standard wheelchairs such as sand, gravel, mud and snow can be tackled with ease and independence.

This is a life-changing experience, pushing back the boundaries wheelchair users currently face and providing them with many benefits, in particular independence, dignity and a liberating sense of freedom.

Target audience

All standard wheelchair users, newly or long-term disabled.  

All ages, M & F.

Appeals to a wide spectrum of ambition, from wanting to be able to tackle the kerbs on the high street to wanting to attack muddy, rutted tracks on mountain trails.  Communications need to make users aware of the potential without polarising 

the message.

However, looking good and turning heads in a positive way is important to all groups, particularly the young, the ex-military, disabled sportsmen and a sense of ‘cool kit’ should come across in the design.

Desired Outcome

Leaflet needs to stimulate audience to get in touch for more information / book a demo / place an order 

Secondary outcome: visit web site

Previous activity

Existing leaflet looks dated and client seeks improved design quality.  

Current web site provides extensive additional information.

Format

For flexibility and economy, a 6pp A4 gatefold is envisaged.

Full colour

Contact Details:

Lucy Hill

Marketing Manager

 HYPERLINK "mailto:lucy@mountaintrike.co.k" lucy@mountaintrike.co.k

STUDY TASK 3 - What is Industrial Experience?

What is industrial experience?

• Experiencing what it is like to be in the real world, responding to the clients needs not our own.
• Its also a way of getting used to the industry and getting familiar and comfortable in a real working environment.
• It could also be taking part in live briefs and responding to work outside university.
• It can also be gaining contacts and making a name for yourself.
• Taking part in freelance work and live and competition briefs to get a better understanding of projects outside of the university environment.
• By looking at different studios it will help to find out which areas suit me best.

What can you learn from industrial experience?

• This will help you to learn about time management, and meeting clients deadlines, not just studio deadlines.
• As your experience is increased so will your confidence in your personal and professional self.
• It could also push you into a new design direction, you may try something completely different that you fall in love with.
• It will also Improve your decision making skills as you will be a lot more informed and knowledgable. 
• It will also increase your confidence, pitching your ideas to established professionals.
• It can also give you direction with your design practice, either cementing your choices in what path you want to follow or give you a different perspective that can open your mind to other options.
• It will be a benefit for future job prospects, as well as something to put on your CV and additional portfolio work.

What form/format could industrial experience take?

• live briefs
• visiting exhibitions
• selling work
• competition briefs
• seminars and talks
• online networking
• internships
• free lance

What areas of industry are you interested in?

Illustration - Jared Nickerson

 Publishing and Editorial - Blanca Prol

 Branding and Identity - Necon

Packaging - Mat Bogust

Paper Craft - Simon Laliberté

What are your concerns about industrial experience?

• I am worried that I won't have the correct skills for the job when I get there.
• What if my mind goes blank and I cant come up with any ideas?
• I am worried that I will never understand the business/money aspect that comes with running a business etc.
• I am worried about pitching my ideas and concepts to professional designers.
• What if I dont fit in?

Ten Statements Task

1. Through searching through portfolios online, I have gained a better understanding of the type of work I would like to go into and experiment with. I will look for this when it comes to applying for internships.
2. This task has made it clear how important it is to build an online portfolio, it was really clear which designers stood out the most through their online presence. Over the course of the year I will develop an online portfolio in order to get my name and work out there.
3. I think taking part in live briefs and competitions will be a good way of developing my design skills and also time management. I think it might be worth trying to knock out as many day briefs as I can when I have free time. These are quite different to uni briefs with different content and different time scales.
4. Hopefully through crits etc, my confidence will improve, I think this is something that can only improve over time, but I feel industry experience will help with this.
5. Industrial experience will hopefully help to point me in the right direction. At the moment I have a variety of things that I'm interested in but I would like to make these opinions a bit more focussed.
6. I hope to take part in more print fairs, and talks etc. This will be a good chance to network with professionals.
7. Industrial experience comes in many forms it is important to try them all out.
8. Over summer I would like to try and get a few placements sorted in order to try a variety of avenues.
9. I think it is important to start thinking about my design image. I will design a business card in order to promote myself, this will be a nice token to hand out when meeting people in the industry.
10. I will undertake personal goals inorder to prepare myself for the industry.

STUDY TASK 2 - WHO AM I NOW

After today's seminar with John he asked each of us to respond to a small task. I have come up with 3 answers for each question which will help me identify where I am today in my practice and hopefully where I would like to go from here.

My chosen areas of practice as of now:

- Print

- Crafting

- Brand and Identity

My main strengths as of now:

- Experimentation

- Print

- Image

My identified weaknesses as of now:

- Typography

- Design Sheets

- Layout

A set of main goals for this year: 

- Create some branding for myself

- Start visiting studios

- Improve my layout skills

- Blog more

- Make better use of the library

- Manage my time better

- Start considering my portfolio

- Enter more competitions.

I think I have more than enough personal goals for the minute, but I'm sure I will get these out of the way.

Wishes:

- I wish I would stress less and just get on with the job in hand.

- I wish to end up in a laid back fun working environment, undertaking briefs that I can take an interest too.

- I want to go work in a hot country

Ambition:

As far as our practice is concerned do you want to be... 

Employed - Working in a Studio/Agency 

Owner - Designer/manager/Coordinator & Collaborator 

Manager - Managing staff for another owner

My initial ambition is to aim to get a job within a studio or design agency, this will give me an insight into the design world, and I will decided where I want to go from there. I may hate the industry yet who knows.