Sunday, 23 March 2014
YCN Cath Kidston // Initial illustrations
Here are some of the illustrations I have produced for the 80's toy box conversational pattern brief, the next stage is to digitize and vectorize them to allow me to lay it out in a Cath Kidston like style
YCN Cath Kidston // Initial Ideas
Having sat down and talked with both my sisters who fit the exact target market of Cath Kidston, I asked for there help to come up with a list of possible visual options that the pattern could consist of.
Chocolate
Cats / Dogs
Puppies / kittens
Baking
Knitting
Tea
Alcohol
Cocktails
Picnic
Wine
Comfort
Bed
Holidays
Beaches
Cities
Travel
Music
Candles
Books / reading
Birds
Nature
Flowers
Pillows/ Throws
Animals
Out of this I thought perhaps a topic a little more generic would be the best options so I thought some sort of animal based parrtern would create quite a good conversational pattern, especially if it was an animal that wasn't usually associated with feminine patterns
Penguins was my first option, but after illustrating about 10 different penguins I realised that perhaps my concept behind the conversational pattern was a little too vague.
Then I went onto thinking about the age range of the target audience and perhaps playing on their childhood memories.
So I then thought about
Cartoons from the 80's but was worried that it would be difficult to produce without breaking copyright laws.
Then continuing on that thought I developed the idea of basing the pattern around 80's popular childrens toys
This concept would work well I think for the age range and target audience that Cath Kidston aims towards plus it also is quite a unique and different idea to anything cath kidston has produced which I think will benefit in the presentation.
Chocolate
Cats / Dogs
Puppies / kittens
Baking
Knitting
Tea
Alcohol
Cocktails
Picnic
Wine
Comfort
Bed
Holidays
Beaches
Cities
Travel
Music
Candles
Books / reading
Birds
Nature
Flowers
Pillows/ Throws
Animals
Out of this I thought perhaps a topic a little more generic would be the best options so I thought some sort of animal based parrtern would create quite a good conversational pattern, especially if it was an animal that wasn't usually associated with feminine patterns
Penguins was my first option, but after illustrating about 10 different penguins I realised that perhaps my concept behind the conversational pattern was a little too vague.
Then I went onto thinking about the age range of the target audience and perhaps playing on their childhood memories.
So I then thought about
Cartoons from the 80's but was worried that it would be difficult to produce without breaking copyright laws.
Then continuing on that thought I developed the idea of basing the pattern around 80's popular childrens toys
This concept would work well I think for the age range and target audience that Cath Kidston aims towards plus it also is quite a unique and different idea to anything cath kidston has produced which I think will benefit in the presentation.
Saturday, 22 March 2014
YCN Cath Kidston // The brief
Cath Kidston
Design a new print for Cath Kidston.
Background
If you wanted to buy an ironing board cover in the early 1990s you had limited options. One: utilitarian grey. Two: 'comedy' – think a man in his underwear. Cath Kidston realised there must be a way to update something traditional with a modern, unexpected new look, and cheer up a dull chore in the process. Having recently opened a shop selling vintage fabrics, bits and pieces collected from flea markets, and car boot sales, and old furniture repainted in bright colours inspired by the interiors of her childhood home, it was inevitable that Cath would start designing her own prints and products. A floral print ironing board cover was one of the first Cath Kidston products and it caught the attention of customers and press alike, helping to establish the brand.20 years on we’re still cheering up the everyday with our fresh, witty take on design. We’re known for our original, practical products and cheerful, colourful prints which have a hint of nostalgia but are always fit for modern life.
We are The Home of Modern Vintage, and now have more than 130 stores worldwide.
Our brand is…
- Approachable and inclusive
- Warm and friendly
- Cheerful and fun
- Confident and quirky
- Imaginative and unique
- Modern and relevant
- Comforting and homely
- Straightforward and real
Our prints are…
- Contemporary classic but not retro repro
- Reinventing our favourites but not copying our past
- Coloured using a bold and distinctive palette
- Used in a fresh, surprising and modern way
… and based on our…
- British sense of humour and cheekiness
- English heritage
… but not…
- Too pretty, too sweet, too soft or too twee
- Too cluttered, too fussy or too busy
Our Target Customer is…
Female, 29 years old, has just moved in to her first proper home of her own, has a job she really enjoys, has a close group of friends and a family she values, she doesn’t have children yet… but she’s got plenty of friends who have.She’d describe herself as…
Fun, witty, interested, creative, optimistic and independent.Her style is…
- Stylist… but not trendy
- Individual… but not showy
- Feminine… but not cute
- Well put together… but not overly groomed
- Fashion conscious… but not slavishly so
She likes…
- Making stuff… be it food for friends or cushions for her new sofa
- Going out… but she usually remembers how she got home these days
- Festivals, car boots and vintage shopping
- Going to an exhibition… followed by a bit of reality TV
- The idea of country life… but not just yet
The Creative Challenge
Design one new conversational print taking into account our brand values and print style. Examples of conversational prints within our range would include Cowboy, Garden Birds, Guards of London – these are prints with a recognisable picture within them. Classic Cath Kidston floral, spots or stripes would not be described as a conversational print.The print should be designed to be used across three of our product categories; Women’s Fashion, Women’s Accessories and Home. We are looking for an original theme and a fresh new take on our unique visual style. Your print can take any visual direction you wish, as long as you believe it to be in tune with our brand.
A selection of entries will be exhibited at our new London flagship store at 180 Piccadilly (opening December 2013) during April 2014. All commended entries will be considered for a 12 month internship within our Print Design team.
Creative Requirements
Please submit the print in both repeat tile and stepped out versions, and create three different colourways. You should use a maximum of 12 colours.Additional Information
For more information and to view our entire product range visit cathkidston.comDeliverables, Artwork and Additional Information
For guidance on how to submit your work, please adhere to the main deliverables information which can be found here.Any additional supporting information referenced in the brief can be found in the supporting project pack.
Monday, 3 March 2014
Isobel Moore Photography // Business card development
Below you can see the various options that I produced for Isobel to choose from, She wasn't sure if she wanted her photography on her business card or just to have her logo and information, so I gave her a few possible options of each
I also gave her alternate potions for shape if she didn't want a standard 85mm x 55mm business card. She did decide from this that she would prefer a card with curved corners and we managed to find a printers called moo.com that prints curved edged business cards at a reasonable price.
These were more the style she was after, I found out on a meeting we had, I really wanted to keep the card as simple and clean as possible, to give it a high quality feel, as the serif fonts that are used give quite a high quality feel to her branding.
At this stage this is when I started to amend the layout of the actual logo, to allow better ledgibitlity especially at a smaller scale.
I also gave her alternate potions for shape if she didn't want a standard 85mm x 55mm business card. She did decide from this that she would prefer a card with curved corners and we managed to find a printers called moo.com that prints curved edged business cards at a reasonable price.
These were more the style she was after, I found out on a meeting we had, I really wanted to keep the card as simple and clean as possible, to give it a high quality feel, as the serif fonts that are used give quite a high quality feel to her branding.
At this stage this is when I started to amend the layout of the actual logo, to allow better ledgibitlity especially at a smaller scale.
Saturday, 1 March 2014
Isobel Moore Photography // Final logo
After a final meeting with Isobel I made these final adjustments to the layout of the logo and incorporated some camera view finder parks and enlarged the 'photography' in order for the text to be legible on the business card, Isobel really liked these changes and this has become the final logo
in this way the logo can reverse on the alternate side of the business card to read ' I'm Isobel Moore' or I'm Photography' which allows the concept to be understood more clearly.
in this way the logo can reverse on the alternate side of the business card to read ' I'm Isobel Moore' or I'm Photography' which allows the concept to be understood more clearly.
Isobel Moore Photography // Logo Progression feedback
After having a meeting with Isobel today to discuss the progress and direction of the current logo development. I seem to get the impression tht she wasn't too impressed with any of the developed options I had worked on, I was trying to structure my questioning to get as useful feedback as I could, because I think I am becoming a little confused of what she actually wants.
I originally thought we were onto a winner with the design below, or atleast heading in the right direction.
However showing her the options and progression made me a little confused if this is the actual style she would want.
I know the font wasn't what she wanted but i thought the concept with the visual layout was something at least similar.
However The feedback I recieved on our last meeting didn't really help me distinguish if she actually liked my current designs and made me think that I should probably go away and just try and create another range of possible designs based around the I'M concept.
As i got the impression that all she actually wants no is her name written in a serif font I experimented with the designs below,
She really likes the curved shapes used around the name, so either a circular design or rounded rectangle would be most suitable.
The design below I played around using the 'O's as a camera shutter progression throughout her name. but then continued with the layout to give her some simpler options as I think it might be the fact I am over complicating the designs that she doesn't like, but as I say at the minute I am having quite a lot of trouble understanding what she wants and what style she actually likes.
Since proposing the I'm concept to Isobel she really wanted to go in that direction, but when I proposed the idea i was suggesting it as more of a full brand concept that all of her designs could be revolved around a sense of Isobel's identity. However I think she just wants the I'm photography as the logo but then the actual visuals to follow the standard photography brand style of black and white serif type spelling out her name.
Then I just started playing around with the idea that the I'm would focus as her actual 'logo' but the photography section visually follows it, this way she could replace the 'Photography' with her name or with any otehr descriptive words which she feels represents her.
Then I tried experimenting with the visuals of the I'm itself, this design was inspired by an upside down 'W' which I thought really hihlights the serif element that she wants, while also producing a good looking logo.
These logo options at the minute are are my personal favorite of all the designs I have prduced so far. but through email communication with Isobel, she likes the typeface used for her name on the bottom right design but really didn't like the shape of the I'm
We then moved onto the design below which I sent to her and this produced a good reaction from Isobel, and gave me a bit more of an idea of what she actually wants out of her visual branding.
She didn't like the fact that the 'photography' was in lower case, but I found it difficult to produce visuals that I liked, she liked and also visually worked.
Eventually after a bit of tinkering I used the typeface Optima with the apostrophe of the typeface Jura and produce the design below, which she really liked and made it clear that this was the design she wanted to use. but she still wanted to incorporate a circle in it
I started to get into this design, I thought it worked really well as it was and could be taken onto any format whether it be printed or digital
However she still wanted the I'm to be separated into an individual logo. I am getting a little worried that adding these elements wont really make much different to the visuals and may if anything hinder the visuals message and style she is trying to represent.
The 2 options below worked the best with the circle around the I'm. but unfortunately Isobel then wanted to try the photography back in the circle with the I'm which in essence takes this design back to one of my original designs that I produced in the initial design stages, just featuring a different font.
By adding the photography in the box, I personally think it both takes away from the 'I'm photography' concept and makes it look like it's saying 'I'm Isobel Moore' and the 'photography' just disappears as a pointless addition.
However she loved this design and wanted to continue with it, and at this stage it has been back and forth for about 3 weeks so I am just going to use this design and try my best to keep the 'I'm photography' concept alive.
So really this is the logo options below which I will use as her main visual identity and I will tr to fit her name in a way that will not take away from the original concept.
I originally thought we were onto a winner with the design below, or atleast heading in the right direction.
However showing her the options and progression made me a little confused if this is the actual style she would want.
I know the font wasn't what she wanted but i thought the concept with the visual layout was something at least similar.
However The feedback I recieved on our last meeting didn't really help me distinguish if she actually liked my current designs and made me think that I should probably go away and just try and create another range of possible designs based around the I'M concept.
As i got the impression that all she actually wants no is her name written in a serif font I experimented with the designs below,
She really likes the curved shapes used around the name, so either a circular design or rounded rectangle would be most suitable.
The design below I played around using the 'O's as a camera shutter progression throughout her name. but then continued with the layout to give her some simpler options as I think it might be the fact I am over complicating the designs that she doesn't like, but as I say at the minute I am having quite a lot of trouble understanding what she wants and what style she actually likes.
Since proposing the I'm concept to Isobel she really wanted to go in that direction, but when I proposed the idea i was suggesting it as more of a full brand concept that all of her designs could be revolved around a sense of Isobel's identity. However I think she just wants the I'm photography as the logo but then the actual visuals to follow the standard photography brand style of black and white serif type spelling out her name.
Then I just started playing around with the idea that the I'm would focus as her actual 'logo' but the photography section visually follows it, this way she could replace the 'Photography' with her name or with any otehr descriptive words which she feels represents her.
Then I tried experimenting with the visuals of the I'm itself, this design was inspired by an upside down 'W' which I thought really hihlights the serif element that she wants, while also producing a good looking logo.
These logo options at the minute are are my personal favorite of all the designs I have prduced so far. but through email communication with Isobel, she likes the typeface used for her name on the bottom right design but really didn't like the shape of the I'm
We then moved onto the design below which I sent to her and this produced a good reaction from Isobel, and gave me a bit more of an idea of what she actually wants out of her visual branding.
She didn't like the fact that the 'photography' was in lower case, but I found it difficult to produce visuals that I liked, she liked and also visually worked.
Eventually after a bit of tinkering I used the typeface Optima with the apostrophe of the typeface Jura and produce the design below, which she really liked and made it clear that this was the design she wanted to use. but she still wanted to incorporate a circle in it
I started to get into this design, I thought it worked really well as it was and could be taken onto any format whether it be printed or digital
However she still wanted the I'm to be separated into an individual logo. I am getting a little worried that adding these elements wont really make much different to the visuals and may if anything hinder the visuals message and style she is trying to represent.
The 2 options below worked the best with the circle around the I'm. but unfortunately Isobel then wanted to try the photography back in the circle with the I'm which in essence takes this design back to one of my original designs that I produced in the initial design stages, just featuring a different font.
However she loved this design and wanted to continue with it, and at this stage it has been back and forth for about 3 weeks so I am just going to use this design and try my best to keep the 'I'm photography' concept alive.
So really this is the logo options below which I will use as her main visual identity and I will tr to fit her name in a way that will not take away from the original concept.
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