unit8joshlane

[unit8joshlane]

Bibliography

https://wrapbootstrap.com/logo/sea-hotel-logo-template-WB01111RN

https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/future-of-gaming/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxBWR5-5eqk&t=333s

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1280&bih=625&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=hNXjXMzJOKXMgweQkKWIAQ&q=neon+hotel+sign+irl&oq=neon+hotel&gs_l=img.1.0.35i39l2j0l2j0i8i30l6.92032.93699..96507...0.0..0.156.670.9j1......1....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i67.pwDGGHl8zNk&safe=active&ssui=on#imgdii=1RHqCIp8Vs3iqM:&imgrc=OY1UoqS4EDfYoM:

https://choiblogblog.com/2018/11/23/audio-visual/

https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Famicom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkMlHgtU_dk

https://www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/rdurn-renaissance-raleigh-north-hills-hotel/?aff=MARUK&affname=1011l15537&co=UK&nt=PH

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Overall Journal For Final Major Project

Context

What is the context? What was your project about?

The context of my final major project is based on the logo design industry and focuses on creating a recognisable logo for a specific hotel named ‘Parallax hotel’. It is not just an ordinary boring hotel though because it’s actually a gaming one. So my logo design had to feature something related to gaming as this would then spark an audience to want to stay at this specific hotel.

What would its purpose be in the creative media industry?

It’s purpose would be that of the logo design criteria, meaning it could branch out to multiple businesses and not just the hotel industry. The purpose would mainly be to demonstrate my skills and capabilities with the creative media software to create a logo design for a client.

How well did you understand the specialist area of design your project centred on?

I understood a fair amount of the specialist area of design my project centred on. I have created a lot of logo designs in my spare time through previous years, which meant I felt quite confident in this specific area for design.

How would you build on this in the future?

I would build on this in the future by creating more logos and getting a much more accurate understanding of what logo design should entail and how logos should be portrayed within the industry. I want to learn new skills and tricks using the software as well, so I can understand what makes the perfect logo.

Research

Did you research well?

I felt like my research was extensive and well presented. I delved deep within the industry of graphic design, more specifically logo design, and researched what I thought could help me out with my own logo project.

Did you draw from enough varied sources?

I felt like I drew enough from varied sources because I invested my time into multiple different sources, varying from articles someone had posted through a blog, to a YouTube tutorial demonstrating how to create a certain effect.

How well did you use your research in combination with your creative process?

I felt like I used research well when it came to the combination with my creative process due to it all having a plausible link. I focused my research on everything that I could later use with the designs I created, meaning that everything was combined but in a non replicated way.

How has this project made you think of more effective ways to use and gather research in future projects?

This project has made me think more effectively in the way I use and gather research in the future because I never thought to contact people within the industry until now, which means I’ll be contacting a lot more people and asking for their opinions which helps me get a better understanding of what people expect and look for. Also I feel like speaking to my peers is key for research because they can give you their perspective on proceedings and then throw ideas at you, helping you further your research.

Problem Solving

What problems did you come across during the project?

The problems I came across during my project consisted of my designs either showcasing badly on paper or just not looking aesthetically appealing to people. I came across problems with the Gaussian blur and creating a settled level in which it wasn’t an overpowering blur. I also had problems with the size of the text and whether it was the right font to use, due to it being non readable.

How well did you deal with these problems and how did you adapt to move your project further?

I dealt with these problems by trying new ideas out and even using the same ideas but just adding different ideas to them same ideas. I managed to adapt in a good way without worrying too much about the final outcome, luckily finding the right design for the logo within a few attempts of different designs.

What have you learned about problem solving during the project and how would you tackle problems on future projects?

I have learnt that problem solving is key within the graphic design industry and you’re bound to be faced with a problem eventually; whether you can see one or your client can see one. I would personally tackle problems in future projects by asking other people for their opinions, then either creating a new design from scratch or just adjusting and changing that same idea to make it look even better.

Planning and production

How well did you plan, how well did you adjust, evaluate and adapt your plan and use time effectively to complete the project?

I planned in a good and cohesive manner. I managed to plan my project out using the first few weeks after the project was set, which was useful because it meant I had time to perfect my plan and get the right idea for my final design. I managed to evaluate effectively and adapt to any changes I needed to make with my final project, also using the time given to focus on each criteria for the final major project.

Are there things you would do differently in future projects?

In future projects I would focus more on the designing stage because I feel like I didn’t do as much designing as I should have, meaning creating more sketches of the idea before implementing that into a creative media software. I would also change the whole project idea from logo design to more badge design for a football team, due to being a big football fan and enjoying the concept of football badges and kits.

Practical Skills

Have you used a wide enough skill on Project, could you have developed this?

I feel like I’ve used a wide enough skill on this project because I’ve come across various issues with the software but I’ve used my initiative and skill to combat against them. Also I feel as if my skill has been variant through the project and I’ve used different skills to create my final piece.

How well did you enquire and extend practical techniques, did you challenge yourself?

I feel like I challenged myself with practical techniques because I wasn’t aware of how to create that prominent glow effect before I started the project, but by the end, using secondary research, I established how to create the glow effect which looks realistic. I feel like I also challenged myself by creating a brief and having to readjust anything that didn’t go by what the brief had informed me on.

What new techniques and skills have you acquired. How would you build on and improve this area?

The new techniques I have acquired are specifically in the area of logo design and more towards creating a neon glow effect, which would help me massively in the future if I was to create a sign for a restaurant or fast food place. I have also learnt various skills within Illustrator which is the capability of using outline mode by holding down ctrl + y which will be useful with future projects because I can then focus mainly on the outline of the text. I would improve this area in the future by trying our new tools within the software and just getting used to everything that is available to use.

Evaluation

How well did you evaluate your own work and practice during project? what would you do next time?

I feel like I did a good job of evaluating my work compared to previous projects, due to giving a clear and structured analysis of each individual design I made. I gave a thorough evaluation on my work making sure I commented not only on the positives but on the negatives as well, making sure I critique my work as well as compliment it, which is a good start to becoming a graphic designer. Next time I would maybe focus more on the constructive feedback which is given to me and then change it so it’s up to perfection.

Presentation

How structured is your blog? Could it have been presented in a clearer way to communicate your ideas, experiments and creative process in general?

I feel like my blog is structured in a clear and understandable way. I feel like I’ve used a chronological order when presenting each individual blog; as I’ve started by introducing the research, then the design ideas, and then finally the overall project and presentation. I feel like I could have presented the ideas, experiments and creative process in a much more spaced out way instead of having the ideas clustered together on one page as this doesn’t look presentable in a professional way.

What have you learned that you will take forward into future projects?

I have learned that time management is key within graphic design, and being able to manage your time well is important when going into future projects. I have also learned that testing your capabilities and skills with the software will help you produce work that is significant as your own and doesn’t look like anything else on the market.

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Evaluation For Final Major Project

Overall I feel like my final major project was a complete success and through weeks of research, idea generations and production it has turned out to be the final result I wanted it to be. I went through every single instruction within the design brief and everything was up to standards with the clients demands. I feel like the research and time I invested into finding out new skills and tools within the software helped me out with creating such a cool and creative logo design for the hotel. I feel like I challenged myself with creating this logo and overall it is going to help me for the future when I’ll have to do a similar project for an actual client willing to pay me. Using a software which I’m so inclined to using on a regular basis helped me out when creating this logo due to my already existent knowledge with the tools and the options given to me. If I could go back and change anything, then I’d probably simplify the logo because I studied logo designs within my research and a common theme was that they were always simplistic and never too complicated, so I’d change how it looks by simplifying the logo, either by removing some items or by rearranging some of them as well.

I feel like everything I set out to do has been achieved. The clients brief was covered from top to bottom, I did everything he asked me to do and he was completely satisfied with the final result. In the future I hope to set out work for clients in doing so creating a professional portfolio for my work and building off that. I came across many mistakes whilst designing this logo, which set me back on my creative pathway and stopped me from achieving the best ideas from my brain. I feel like due to the difficulties I had to overcome during the design process, it made me think more towards how logo designers can create a logo within a few hours or days, because I found it complicated to get the right balance and the right look for the hotel. I feel like my work would fit within the graphic design industry because I used a different style for my logo design and one which you could see being on an actual hotel one day due to its audacity and style. I came up with the idea of doing a gaming hotel due to being a consistent gamer since a very young age which was and still is practically a hobby for me. The hotel industry is so big for logo design, that I thought it was a key area to focus on, then combine both the gaming side and the hotel side together.

I could see my logo being a more fitted design for maybe a less higher rated hotel. For instance I could see it being suited for a 3/4 star hotel, but maybe not at the highest level due to it not having that professional appearance. Aesthetically it does seem to fit the theme perfectly giving it an interesting characteristic, I like how the controller brings the rest of the words to life almost. I like how the neon glow effect almost looks soo realistic that it could easily be mistaken for another hotel sign. I tried to make my hotel logo as different as I could, this wasn’t copied or replicated in anyway, shape or form. I did much more extensive research for my final major project and not once did I come across a gaming hotel logo like mine, I struggled to find a gaming hotel let alone a logo for one. I feel like I took a challenging path for my final major project but I’m content with the finalised project.

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Presentation for Final Major Project

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Production For Final Design (Final Step)

This is the final step I took when creating my logo. Once the effects were made on the controller, which made this ominous glow. I then did the same for each other layer, which then would finally look like this shown above. I had to play around with the hotel effects due to it not looking as visible as I thought it would, this meant I had to change the spread, size, and distance. This was the completion for the final logo and was automatically sent to the client to hear his thoughts and views on the hotels logo design. He informed me that after agreeing on the overall design, he was expecting to see a good bit of indifference from the original to the end result. He told me that he was happy with the end result and was willing to use this logo as the new Parallax Hotel’s branding.

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Production For Final Design (Step 3)

I then moved on to creating the neon glow effect. I replicated the same method from the video tutorial I had watched on YouTube, obviously changing certain areas so they aren’t copied from that video. I firstly started by highlighting the controller as this is where I wanted my first neon glow to be. I then went to the ‘fx’ effects which brought up this menu shown above, with the title showing ‘Layer style’. The first selection I made was an Inner glow, followed by an Outer glow; these two glows were selected due to it having a final effect on the overall line itself to make it look more realistic. I changed the blend mode of the Inner glow to ‘Linear Dodge’ and the Outer Glow to ‘Overlay’ and made sure the opacity was almost full. This was just creating the inner and outer lines for the controller and still didn’t look like a neon glow. I then started using the ‘Drop Shadow’ effect which is where the neon glow started to appear. After the first Drop shadow was added to the image, I could start to see the glow effect was forming. Making sure the blending mode was on ‘Linear Dodge’ because this was going to create the glow effect I wanted to portray. This is when I took matters into my own hands and stopped following the tutorial, as I then adjusted the sliders for the distance, spread and size. After adding another two drop shadow effects, the glow started to become a lot more prominent and vivid. The second drop shadow effect was just to help the first one stand out more, whereas the last drop shadow effect was a black Overly effect, this was to help the lines become a bit more like a tube and yet again creates a more realistic look to the controller.

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Production For Final Design (Step 2)

After I was content with the background. I copied and pasted the image I had previously created in illustrator and changed into a psd file. Placing it central within the foreground of the image, this meant I could then see if I needed to adjust the brightness/contrast still at all. I then checked to see if all the layers had been brought into the software without corrupting which they managed to do. Once the basic outline for the logo was in this Photoshop document, I could then start to make the neon glow effect using the tools within the software.

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Production For Final Design (Step 1)

This is the first step I used when starting my final design for the logo. I brought into Photoshop the high resolution image of the brick wall, which had been taken from a non patent website called Unsplash. Due to its high resolution, I could then edit the image without it loosing its full definition and causing it not to pixelate. I wanted to make the brick wall darker meaning I had to go into the Adjustment settings and select ‘Brightness/Contrast’ . After selecting this, I then used the sliders to turn down the brightness because I wanted it as dark as I could get, just so the logo would stand out a lot more, and would be a lot more vivid.

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Images For Final Design 

I used these images within my final major project. I gathered them from a website called Unsplash which is a site where people will publish high resolution images for a free charge as long as you credit them for their work. I use this site regularly because you don’t have to worry about any watermarks or copyright infringement because they come straight from the publishers and they haven’t patent their images. I used these images to present my logo; I did this by creating a website and application on photoshop and then used these high quality images to overlap a certain area with my website/logo design. For instance with the laptop, I overlapped my website for the hotel by creating a black box over the top of the screen and then changing the hyperlink by simply using the clone stamp tool which would draw over the original hyperlink. I then introduced the logo for the hotel and then placed all the web links for the website in the bar below the logo. This was similar for both the tablet and the phone, but I just had to lay it out differently due to the size scale etc. I gathered a brick wall because referring back to the video tutorial I watched, he used a brick wall due to it not overpowering the foreground. I will explain further in the next blog how I managed to implement this within my work.

Article title: Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel Website title: Marriott International URL: https://www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/rdurn-renaissance-raleigh-north-hills-hotel/

I managed to find this hotel on google which I thought would be the perfect visual appearance of the hotel for Parallax gaming due to its sheer size. I wanted to find a hotel which was front facing with their logo visible from the front, which I could then go into photoshop and use the same tool I used to go over the hyperlinks, which is the clone stamp tool. It’s an effective tool for when trying to cover a certain area of an image and replace it so it appears to not actually be there. So I zoomed in on their logo sign and went over it so it appeared to not actually be there. I then brought in my logo and shrunk it down to size, not needing to hold down shift due to it being in photoshop so it keeps the same shape/structure for you anyway. I then placed this over where the original logo would’ve been, but it appeared to be too bright and wasn’t actually visible from afar. This meant I had to turn some of the drop shadows off from the logo until it looked perfect from the distance the photo was taken. This took a few attempts to get right, but I then changed the Hue/Saturation in the adjustment layers which created this dark effect as if it was more night time and part of the night life.

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Production for Final Design

I started this design by simply copying and pasting the text from the template I had previously done within illustrator. I then changed the basic colour to a more lighter pink which would later be turned into a neon glow. I made sure to enlarge the size of the text so I could easily edit any mistakes.

I then moved on to creating the controller for my hotel logo design. I took the visual reference from the picture of my PlayStation controller which I then used to help me create the outline which would go around the text for the logo. I used the pen tool to go around the controller and created the outline by not filling the whole image but keeping a stroke on it. I changed the stroke settings to a curved cap and curved corners again to smoothen the edges of the controller. Once the edges were less rigid, I then used the scissors tool to make 3 gaps in between the outline of the controller, this is where both bits of text will be placed because it doesn’t look clumsy and seems to fit perfectly within the icon.

Finally, I could then introduce the text for the ‘hotel’ and also the 5 star rating which I thought would look nice if I lined it up so the text was central of the actual icon itself. I then referred back to the principles of design and looked into harmony because the controller isn’t one whole icon, and to the naked eye it would look like a whole controller even though there are gaps in between the lines, it is just the illusion I have created to keep it looking like a controller at all times.

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Production for Final Design - Clients feedback

This is my template for the final design of my hotel logo. I created this due to it being a good way of presenting the text and showing the use of kerning. I started by pasting in the text from the previous design which will be used again due to the client wanting it in the final design. The client also wanted me to work on the font for the hotel and make it stand out from the background. He also said stick to one colour throughout the logo because he was invested in the red/pink colour for his hotel. He also asked me to try and round the edges off from the controller so it looked more like a neon tube.

I used the line tool within illustrator to create two lines which will structure my text and also show the dimensions. For instance I put a line across the top of the text and a line on the bottom of the text which shows the height of the text itself. I then placed lines in between the text to show the kerning which is the space in between each letter. After that I then highlighted the ‘parallax’ text and used the stroke option to smoothen the corners of the lines. I achieved this by changing both the ‘cap’ and ‘corner’ to the middle option which is essentially smoothed edges.

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Further Research

Article title: Neon Sign Effect Illustrator & Photoshop Tutorial Website title: YouTube URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkMlHgtU_dk

This is a video tutorial I watched for visual reference. It helped me understand how to create the perfect neon glow effect and watching it step by step really helped me understand the principles to creating something that could come to life, as an LED neon light. He taught me how to create the basic lining for the neon sign/logo within illustrator, which I obviously made different to what is shown in the video. He then explained how you have to individualise the layers of whatever you have created in illustrator. This was because when you export it into photoshop, you can then highlight the individual layers to work on. Then after this is done, you could then export the illustrator design into photoshop by simply going to File<Export<Export As and then changing the file from Ai to psd. This will then bring up a menu giving you details on the overall image. So I selected the ... Once the illustrator design was in photoshop, he took me through how to get the neon glow effect. Firstly he selected an area he wanted to work on, which is due to individualising each layer within illustrator. He then went to the ‘fx’ effects which is found within the layers menu and he selected various effects; such as the inner glow, outer glow, and the drop shadow effect. I then took matters into my own hands after watching the tutorial and played around with the effects he had shown in his video.

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Further Research

I discovered this tin of chilli con carne the other day and I automatically noticed the fact the logo had used a neon glow effect. I thought this could help influence my work because I need to know how the effect would look from the outside of the digital realm instead of being just on the digital software. It was good seeing this for reference because I was sceptical at first by putting the neon glow within my brief. I mainly wanted to test myself and my knowledge on the software to see what I could create within both Illustrator and photoshop. I also like how they’ve used a gradient on the text, where it syncs to the colour on the line around it and then goes from a more darker colour to a lighter one.

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Further Research

Nintendo. 2019. Super Famicom | Nintendo | FANDOM powered by Wikia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Famicom. [Accessed 26 May 2019].

I did some research into the controllers I could possibly use for reference when creating my hotel logo. I wanted to discover an outline which would resemble gaming well and also look appealing to the naked eye. I did some research into the retro side of gaming and considered using this controller from the 1990s Super Nintendo console, which has a recognisable controller due to its simple form of 4 buttons on one side and the D pad on the other side which was the foundation for controllers nowadays.

I then took a picture of my own PlayStation 4 controller for research purposes. This was because it’s one of the latest controllers in gaming and in comparison to the 1990s Super Nintendo controller, it shows how much gaming has advanced and changed in a drastic light. I feel like gamers would understand the theme of the hotel if this controller was used over the Nintendo one due to it being more modern. Whereas if I used the Nintendo one, not a lot of today’s generation would understand the theme and could think it links to something else. I feel like the Nintendo controller would look a lot better on the page due to it not being so complexed and just a simple telephone shaped design.

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Further Research

I took this image on the way back from a college trip to Comic-Con. I used it for visual reference because this was a digital format of representing the shops that they have within the shopping park. Usually I would see the logos for these shops on a sign which was just plastered on there without being digital at all. This style of billboard was different for me and it visually gave me the ideology of how I should create my logo because it has to be compatible for every size change, from big billboards usually located on the motorway to simple small logos which means the logo will be shrunk down and I’d have to think about the finer details. 

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Feedback From Tutor (Week 2)

Today I spoke to Herb and he gave me some feedback on my work. He told me I could look further into the font-type used for other neon signs out in the world. He also informed me it’ll be good to gather what other people have thought about various ideas. He also told me to look more in depth into the controllers for the first design because he said modern day controllers might be a bit less appealing than retro controllers, and as the hotel has many retro games as well as modern ones, then this could be a good idea to apply the retro controller to my work and see how that looks. Below I will show and state all three ideas and what people thought about each one. I feel it’s important as a designer to hear constructive feedback so you can get the best design you can that everyone is satisfied with overall and satisfies your employer/client. 

Design 1:

Rating : 7/10

I asked multiple people what they thought of my designs and each person gave me their thoughts and opinions on them. The people I asked seem to enjoy this first design the most as they feel it best resembles a gaming hotel and most described it as a ‘cool’ logo. I asked them to elaborate and they told me they liked the how they could see this being represented for a hotel and said they could see something similar being recreated in the future for upcoming hotel franchises. 

Design 2:

Rating : 4/10

This was my second design I showed to various colleagues. They had mixed views on this logo design, some people thought this logo design had a more professional look whereas others thought this design looked a bit tacky and less aesthetically pleasing than the other logo designs. They told me the glow effect from using the Guassian Blur was a bit too prominent and might cause people not to be able to see what the text says.

Design 3:

Rating : 5/10

This was the third design I created for my hotel logo. The people that viewed this logo had mixed opinions yet again, some people thought it looked nice because it was quite simplistic, and they enjoyed how the text was arched over because it looks like it syncs up nicely on the page. Whereas other people thought this design looked quite child friendly due to the font of the text and how it could be appealing to children but not so much adults. Although the demographic is mainly for kids/teenagers, people that viewed this logo thought it should appeal to everyone. I gave this a rating of 5/10 because the opinions were mixed on it, I feel like if I could change it, then I’d create a more blocky text as this would link back to the brief. The client had also replied to what designs I had sent him and he was very much happy with the first design I had created. He just wanted me to create a more prominent neon effect on the writing.

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Further Research (principles & elements of design)

Owain told me to look more in depth into the principles and elements of design. I therefore found this diagram above which represents each individual element and principle for design. I thought this was good to look at because it shows the values of design and what should be considered when designing certain projects. I want to try and introduce these elements and principles into my work. I have already designed a logo which uses the idea of Harmony because i have designed it to create this illusion that it is a whole shape when realistically its only about three quarters of the overall shape.