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Week 13 Pin Up & Design Rationale

This week we pinned up our final flat mag layouts and I wrote up the design rationale. I enjoyed working with a group for this assessment as it would have been overwhelming doing all that work myself. I think we all did a good job evening out the workload and working to our strengths for each element. 

Overall I’m quite happy with how the flat mag turned out considering i’ve not worked with layout too much before, however if I had my time over I might have suggested spreading the workload in a way where we could not only showcase our strengths but also learn more in the places we weren’t so comfortable, especially for me with layout.

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Week 12 A2 Progress

This week I changed the illustrations from pantone blue to the gold colour we were using for some accents on the flat mag. This made it look a lot better as the photographs and typographic elements were in the blue, so the gold made them pop more. I added more depth to each image using different percentages, and put any outlines in white to further highlight them. I think the flat mag is coming along really nicely and can’t wait to see it pinned up next week!

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Week 11 Studio Task and A2 Progress

This week we were required to create a visual or typographic logo that represented us or our creative business. I chose to re-do my Sae Studios logo, a little creative business I have been running for nearly 12 months now. I wanted it to be simple, with feminine yet modern typography that clearly stood out from anything else I have seen. I like the curves in the lines of each letter and I used the full stop at the end to make it ‘sound’ more blunt and bold.

Then below that are more progress illustrations for the flat mag. Here I have put them in the pantone blue we decided on using and played with the percentages to give the drawings more detail and depth. I also completed the logo and wrote up my designated articles for the mag this week.

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Week 10 Presentations

Week 10 our groups presented the progress we have made on A2 so far. I had completed some simple line illustrations and made headway on finalising the logo. We had our basic layout in place and some photos to include alongside the articles and drawings. Overall we had just a basic plan in place and it was suggested we get a wriggle on!

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Week 9 Studio Task

This studio task was to create a black and white logo based off of conversations had with someone in the tutorial. I was in Tasmania for this one, but had a conversation with one of my friends who is starting her own business launching November. She is a copywriter and freelance photographer starting a business that provides clients with the whole creative branding package. She wanted something to represent magic, creativity and having the all the services at their fingertips so to speak. I created this hand-drawn logo with all of this in mind, the hand representing the ‘fingertips’ ‘palm of your hand’ idea (everything being in one place) and the sparkles to add magical and creative flair. I think it turned out really cool considering logos usually scare/bore me!

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Week 8 Studio Task & A2 Progress

Week 8 we were asked to look at the 4 icon challenge and see if we could recreate it. We had to convey to the audience what movie we were talking about using only, well 4 icons. I chose Harry Potter as it is so well known and did Hedwig the owl, the Golden Snitch, Dumbledore’s iconic wand and a butter beer. Would you have known what movie it was?

We also got into groups and got started on Assessment 2: Magazine Layout. We established our roles, mine being the logo, illustrations and a portion of the article writing. Above are some logo concepts I played around with this week, adhering to the theme ‘The Wandering Eye’.

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Week 7 Studio Task

So for this week’s in class task we had to design a t-shirt based off one of two different themes. One was old school technology, the other mystical themes. Unfortunately I was sick and missed my tutorial, and totally mixed up the theme. My final design was under the illusion that the theme was ‘things that are not as they seem’, so we have a cup that is being used as a pool by three tiny humans! I call it: Cup of Summer. I like it.

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Week Six Studio Project: A4 Portrait Advertisement

This week we worked on creating an advertisement for ‘The Wandering Eye’ magazine. We had to make the advertisement clearly show what the title of the magazine was, in a clever sort of way. I did a quick mind-map and a couple of sketches as pictured above, and decided to go with the concept of being unfaithful or quite literally - having a ‘wandering eye’.

I created little cartoon-like illustrations to simply show the concept in a fun/playful way. I think it looks really cute! The idea isn’t as ‘clever’ as it could have been but I think it is still a fun way to illustrate what the title is.

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Week 5: Pin-Up

Week 5 we pinned up our final calendar designs. I had a few issues with printing and assembling my calendar, so I wasn’t entirely happy with how that aspect came to fruition. However I did love my overall design aesthetic and I think it would be a really cute addition to any home or office space. It’s practical, functional yet beautiful and playful - exactly what I wanted to achieve. I loved the retro vibes done in a modern way. It was a fun assessment but given my time over I would have assembled differently/more professionally.

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Week 4: Assessment One Presentation

Presentation week! This week we got to show our work so far to the class and get feedback on what we’ve been doing. In my two slides, I showed the design inspiration, mood board, colour palette and typography experimentation I did prior to starting my actual design, followed by the mock-ups of my own work.

I’m quite proud of what I’ve done and did a lot better than I initially thought I would, however I really wanted input to see what I could push further. It was suggested by Brett that I increase the space between the month heading and the days, as well as on the sides. I asked if I should centre the month heading and we agreed that might look more put together. Other than that I am really happy with how it is all coming together!

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Week Three: Studio Task and A1 Illustration Progress

In week 3 we were asked to create our own font using shapes! At first I was a little overwhelmed, making my own font seemed daunting and I haven’t taken any typography courses yet. However after Brett demonstrated step by step I got the hang of it pretty quick! Above are the two number plates I created using this method. I definitely like the font I created in the UON plate better, but I like the extra design elements I incorporated in the DES plate as it makes it look more like an actual license plate.

In terms of Assessment 1, this is the week I began drawing up some nature inspired illustrations to feature in my calendar. Some of these are pictured above, and I think they look really cute!

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Week 2: Studio Project & Thinking About Assessment One

This week’s studio project encouraged us to look at structure and layout in our design work more closely. We utilised grids and margins to form A4 portrait, A4 landscape, and square layouts. This was my first time trying out these new techniques so I opted to keep it simple! It was harder than I thought but I got there and can definitely see how structuring your page in InDesign like this can help the design a lot!

I also started to think about Assessment 1 and where I wanted to take it layout wise. I did a quick little mind map about ‘Nature’ to kickstart my brainstorming process, sketched a few layout options and then began planning out the illustrations for each month.

I knew I wanted to use earthy tones and pastel colours to create digital vector art in Illustrator. The drawings would depict elements of nature like plants, leaves and flowers, as well as landscapes relevant to each month/season.

As for the actual calendar part, I wanted to keep it clean and minimal but still tie it into the artwork featured above. Time to get drawing in Illustrator!

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Week 1: Studio Project

First week of this semester we were required to create 2 x portraits of well known faces using only geometrical shapes.

Portrait 1: I chose Angelina Jolie for the first face due to her distinctive features. The first image is my initial attempt at constructing her features in Illustrator using the pen and shape tools. I found it really tricky to stay away from realism and found I kept trying to make her look realistic. The end result looks a bit odd to me, but it was a fun activity none the less.

Portrait 2: I kept the theme going and chose Brad Pitt. This time I really tried to focus on the shapes rather than the facial features. I did my best to steer away from anything realistic and I like this one a lot better! I’m happy I pushed myself in the end.

I feel like with each studio project I’m learning so much about design techniques and how to improve. I can definitely see how really thinking about the shapes I was using and where they were being placed rather than trying to make it ‘realistic’ actually made the outcome a lot better!

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DESN1101 Projects 2

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DESN Week 13

In the final week of Semester One we submitted our Assessment Two Chocolate packaging. I was overall really happy with how mine turned out! I think I pushed my logo and packaging design further after my Week 12 feedback.

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DESN Projects Week Twelve

This week we did our Assessment Two Presentations. 3 slides in 3 minutes, showing our process and ideas so far. I was really impressed with my classmates’ efforts and inspired to push my own work further. My weakest point was my logo design, which I had been struggling with, and I got some constructive feedback to help me develop a more refined logo.

After presentations I focused on refining my logo and overall brand identity. Finally, I put together my design elements and created my mock up chocolate packaging. My logo development is pictured above, and the last image is my final design featured on my packaging. I am so glad I received the feedback I did in class as it enabled me to ultimately achieve what I think is a much better logo design!

Seeing everyone else’s work and having the opportunity to showcase my own really encouraged me to dig deeper for this assessment when I felt stuck.

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DESN Projects Week Eleven

This week I focused more on solidifying my logo and brand name. I played with different ideas and eventually settled with the Coco Bloom identity! I’m happy with the final logo, however I am leaning towards altering the colour to a more pink based peach. I think the typography reflects the elegance of my brand, although the “chocolate co.” typography could be stronger. Looking forward to some peer feedback next week so I can make my final design stronger!