pollys summer blog 2011: June 2011

Monday 27 June 2011

Job 2 : Working at Hop Farm 27/06/11

This week I am off to work at Hop Farm music festival in kent. From a graphic design perspective I think that it is an interesting festival as they pride themselves on the fact that they allow no sponsorship or branding. I like the brand aesthetic for the festival - very organic and represents the atmosphere of the festival well.

I also love the Hop Farm festival website which follows a hand drawn aesthetic which is something I really love.

Hoping to get back to London in time to catch the end of New Blood! Although I finish midday on Monday so we shall see.

Design Development

This is my design for the front of the tags with the additional copy.

This is the design for the other sides of the tags featuring the size, price and logo.

initial designs for DoS

These are my initial designs; I experimented with using the four main colours of the brand, featured on the logo and in a lot of the designs, however I think that the black has far more impact and clarity. The stock is going to be heavy card. The feedback from Dos was that they prefered the black type, the slim design and would like some additional copy.

Work for 'DoS Clothing'

'Dos' is a new brand of clothing base in Newcastle. At this stage they are printing sweatshirts based on designs found on vintage jumpers and t-shirts. The designs are then reproduced onto premium quality sweatshirts (and t-shirts eventually) in short runs via their bigcartel site. Earlier on in the year I made them a blog so that they can create some kind of viral marketing and hype about the brand, linking it to club nights and music in Newcastle.

I've been asked to design the clothing price/washing instruction tags for the jumpers/sweatshirts.

We are also in discussion about me making them a website.

This is the already existing logo for Dos :

The brief was that they wanted to feature perhaps a range of different types a little like the image below, as well as making use of retro fonts as this reflects the content of the designs.

Branding

I've been starting to think more closely about specifically what my direction will be next year. I have found that my natural direction has headed away from more image/illustration driven work to illustrated type and branding. I think that this is how I have learnt to apply my image making skills to a more heavily graphic design context. I want to re-do my personal branding this Summer as well as research into some brands that I find inspiring.

Here are a few that I have found as a starting point with my personal thoughts :

LIKE :

Monochromatic colour choice

Simplistic 'matter of fact' concept

Use of repetitive pattern.

LOVE :

Colour pallette

typography/brand identity

simplicity

high end/luxury packaging

LIKE :

Logo/brand

variety of pattern linked to brand by colour palette and similar aesthetic

LIKE :

simple colours - but a little too simple for my taste - less intersting than the others.

Logo

LOVE :

inventive /interesting packaging

simple but works

Lovely logo

negative space works perfectly to create interesting aesthetic - less is more

LIKE :

stock choices

use of one bright colour

interesting range of packaging

LIKE:

neg space creates image of class and sophistication

nice logo - stamped effect creates an interesting hands on aesthetic.

Tuesday 21 June 2011

Placement - or lack of

After not hearing anything from Tom since the 15th of April following my interview
after being promised a placement, I decided to e-mail Tom and ask about it....

Tom to me

15 Apr

Hi Polly,

Glad you got something out of it, speak soon.

Tom.

The Design Conspiracy

12 Stukeley Street

London WC2B 5LQ

020 7405 0875

http://www.thedesignconspiracy.com

http://twitter.com/tdconspiracy

and Facebook

http://tinyurl.com/tdconspiracy

- Show quoted text -

Forward

Polly Williams to Tom

30 May

Hi Tom,

Hope you are all well at the design conspiracy! I saw your greetings cards on Facebook
- lovely to see them all finished they look great! I was just getting in touch again to see
if the possibility of a summer placement was still available?

Kind regards

Polly Williams

p.s. Here is the link to my illustration blog that you asked for before :

http://polly-illustration.blogspot.com/

I have done some screen printed work based on those bird illustrations that you pointed
out on my blog when we met! I've also posted some illustrated type that I have been working on recently.

- Show quoted text -

Following this I had no reponse from him so I decided to bite the bullet
and give them a call. He was very positive

and simply said he had been very busy and arranged a potential week
starting from the 20th - 24th June which was perfect - straight after breaking up
from uni so I wouldn't be at all out of practice. He said that he would be away on holiday

so he just needed to check with the others and he'd confirm it on Monday. When
Monday came I heard nothing so I gave it until wednesday, and then I decided
to give him an email again and he replied :

Tom to me

15 Jun

Hi Polly,

Sorry, but it's probably best if we leave it until I get back from Holiday, is that ok?

We will get you in, but it's too much work for the others, and we have lots going off

with meetings and events.

I'll email you when I get back.

Cheers

Tom.