Brief 1:: Yearbook Poster

After countless meetings about meeting about meetings ...we have finally be told that fashion are now going to working with option 2: PDF yearbook and poster. Therefore we have begun to work on a poster design now that we have finally been given content from fashion to work with.

I tried using simple block images as I thought it would flow well with the pdf yearbook, however, it looked too simple and was not particularly visually engaging. So, I then began experimenting with using shapes in which the images can be cropped into. This will make the poster visually interesting as well as the crop of the images.

I will not know how this is going to work until we receive the final images from fashion, but this is how it is looking so far....

Yearbook Poster Development

Brief 1:: Yearbook poster content

I have begun to format the content for each of the pathways. As there are two pathways on the same course, I want them to take the same format although the content will differ.

I have used a 9 column grid to make the grid more versatile whilst keeping to a structure.

Brief 1:: Images within shapes

As I want to make the poster visually interesting, we have been looking at using images within shapes which make up a pattern.

I think this approach to the design could work well in keeping the design visually interesting as well as presenting each of the students in a fair way.

Brighton Studios

As we are going to be in Brighton we thought we may aswell make use of the time and visit a few studios whilst we are there. So, I have been looking for potential studio in Brighton to visit....

Studio Makgill is a studio which truly understands design and uses it to its full potential. The work they produce holds a strong design element whilst also clearly communicating a message.


More studios I have been looking at in Brighton to possibly visit whilst we are down there...

Brief 3:: Business Card Development

I have been working further on the business card for Lavinia...

Team:: Print Visit

(litho plate being made)


Today, myself and Charlotte visited Simon at Team Impression printers. He took around his printers and talked us through the stages our artwork would go through, from repro to print and finishes. I think it was beneficial for us to see this first hand as it can inform our design decisions when we are designing. It can be all so easy to design forgetting the format necessary for the end product. We also now have a deeper understanding of the print finishes available to use and have seen first hand how these can be used to their advantage.

All in all, it was a worthwhile experience that has aided my development as a designer and allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of print which will in-turn enhance my work.

Brief 3:: Kerning the logo

As one of my peers pointed out that I need kern the letters of the 'Lavinia' logo more, I have been playing around with it...

Brief 3:: Lavinia URL availability

I have been considering the contact details to apply to livs branding.

I want to design a website for her so have been looking at url availability.

www.lavinia.co.uk and www.lavinia.com are not available however, www.laviniafashion.com is. I am going to run a few suggested names past liv to see what she thinks is best.

Brief 3:: Lookbook

I have been considering the lookbook and how I can use the same concept through to her lookbook design. I am thinking of using lime green, purple or grey stitching and a sheer translucent stock or fabric for the cover design

Brief 3:: Swing Tickets

I have begun to consider how I can apply the logo design and same concept to her swing ticket design....

swing ticket.pdf

Brief 3:: Development

I have spoken with Lavinia and I have decided that the serif logo i began to work on did not represent her collection as well as it could. I felt that a sans serif typeface would work better as it her collection is quite simple (it uses simple patterns), it has a sports feel about it and it for sale at mid-high end market. I began working on designs...

liv logo.pdf

The kerning needs a little work, but i'm getting there.


I think the new designs work with her concept too as the type is going to be sans serif. Removing the ligature of the 'A' completes the notion of visibility vs invisibility and panopticism. By laser cutting the type and layering the colour stock behind (or vice versa) it is also using her notion of layering within her collection, as well as the what can/can't be seen notion. In addition to keeping in line with her concept, the aesthetic also works well with her colour palette and concept.

Design Context:: Studio Makgill

I have just come across this design studio and I love what they are doing. Their ethos is simply the purpose of graphic design, to clearly communicate a message (and this case about each brand they are working with). I want to try and visit this studio in Brighton as I think it will provide me with a huge insight into how this studio works.

Design Context:: Contacting Design Studios

In order to gain some primary research, I have emailed the following design studios

Glad
SEA
Golden
B&W
Qubik
Design Project

I am hoping to get a response from some of these as it will allow me to move my brief forward and will hopefully provide me with quotes which I can then use to design a series of prints from.

Design Context Presentation

I have presented my plans for design context brief today. It went extremely well and I gained some valuable feedback which should aid the development of my brief; the main that I need to target non-commercial printers as well as commercial printers in order to get a varied response. I also nned to make sure that I do not begin to simply compare digital to print as print is 400 years old in comparison to digital which is only 10.

Kirsty Fruin Design context.pdf

Design Context:: Print is Dead Tumblr

Through researching as part of my design context brief, I have come across a tumblr blog named 'Print is dead' which I have found extremely interesting. Book cover designs have always interested me as each one differs and communicates visually what the written type explores.

Brief 4:: Paper suppliers

As well as printers being affected by the shift in print, paper suppliers are also being affected. In order for print to have the wanted affect and have the ideal aesthetic the paper stock needs to be considered. Therefore, I want to see how paper suppliers are being affected by print.

GFSmith

James Cropper

Design Context:: Printers

As part of my investigation, I want to see how different printers feel they have been affected by the increase in digital media. I think it is going to be interesting to see the difference in responses from the higher end, more bespoke printers (who deal with print finishes etc.) in comparison to the lower end, more commercial printers. Consequently, I am looking at a range of different printers and am going to ask them all the same questions to see how the responses vary.

I am going to catergorize each printers roughly based on the services they provide: digital and litho printing only or printing and print finishes.

 Digital and Litho only:

Printing and print finishes

 

Brief 4:: D&AD submission

After getting my peers to proof my work and checking with my tutors that I am submitting my brief in the correct format to D&AD I have finally submitted!

Kirsty Fruin D&AD It's Nice That.pdf

Brief 4:: Final map of destinations

My final map of the Creative Lottery tour destinations, whereby it will visit 17 of the top Art and Design Universities in the UK

Brief 4:: Final t-shirt designs

I have used the same colours on the design as I have in the printed materials. The block coloured pattern on the front is a representation of the front cover of Creative Lottery ticket. I have also used the same angle on the front of the design as on the reverse. The t-shirts are therefore a visual representation of the creative lottery ticket design, whilst also drawing attention and creating awareness about the event.

Brief 4:: Further T-shirt Development

I have pushed the t-shirt design development as I want my designs to reflect current fashion trends as a representation of the popular design It's Nice That showcases.

tshirt development.pdf

Brief 4:: Flag Development

I have been developing the flag design and mocking them up to show how the flags will work in context

This design shows how the flags could work outside Leeds University, however, they mock-up does not look very professional so I don not wish to submit this to D&AD alongside my other design work. 

I am going to just use these as they show the design and could be visualised anywhere.