‘Again a sound range of ideas for ‘Chance Housing Association’. In many respects you over-complicated the solution by adding door illustration therefore your logo design has two illustrative features; the word ‘association’ doesn’t merit emphasis.’
Never has a truer word been spoken in jest. The more I looked at what I initially thought was a great idea the more I realised I’d strayed into illustration territory, perhaps goaded by some of the images I’d collected on Pinterest. Some of which may have looked nice, twee. Kitsch. I think its very easy to be taken in by snazzy logos, bright colours and wonderful motifs, yet they rarely add anything to the overall design.
Sometimes contemporary doesn’t necessarily mean connectivity
The desire to overcomplicate or not let the text speak is strange and indeed when I searched for simple estate agent logo’s there were surprisingly few that relied on lettering and simple decorative devices. That puts the designer up against it as straight the way you’re having to be innovative. So to that end I revisited the work I’d done previously for this exercise and drop the door opening motif, ensuring the simplicity of the design returned (though I kept the roof motif as it didn’t interfere with the lettering), and any manipulation of the lettering was reflective of the theme.
I’ve done a couple of mock up’s with two different designs and hopefully these are closer to the intent of the original brief.
The new cleaner designs
The mock ups
Of the two designs the one on the left is my favoured as it’s simpler, cleaner and visually more balanced and the one I’d submit for assessment.
As they say a good designer has room for development and flexibility, and so here I am. My recent feedback from my tutor included a line which has made me chuckle a bit as well as think about how an idea I’d shelved could be developed. Here the comment:
‘…a sassy hen with sophisticated confidence.’
Now who am I to deny the world a sassy hen? So a return to the shelved idea and an attempt to create a hen with sophisticated confidence. Folk, before you laugh it is possible to do. I merely developed the idea, and thought about sassy, strutting your stuff, and a little bit of Pinterest research gave me the shot of inspiration I needed.
The logo has now developed in a sassy chicken
The logo wording was added above this time and I used Thirsty Script Extrabold and placed it on a curved text line above the chicken.
The new improved Sassy French Hen
Now the final mock up of the new design, which I have to admit I rather like.
Well, this is a bit of a departure from warm bitter and Hot Pots for Newton and Ridley, however, it’s a great exercise to have a bit of creative fun with as well as play with ideas, themes and words. The first task was to create a Pinterest board (link below) for ideas and then create a mind map to dissect the brief, before moving onto some concept ideas.
Some of my Pinterest finds
The mind map and my poor drawings of various fowl
The first design features a wine glass stain with details of a chickens head superimposed and the Wallington font was placed on a curved text path. Whilst not so sure about the overall concept as it looks a bit too much fast food restaurant, the use of the wine glass stain works. I made the wine glass stain from pouring out some of my coffee into a saucer, dipping the bottom of a mug into it and them blotting it on cartridge paper before scanning. Top tip if you want to do this; don’t use coffee with sugar in like I did. It took an age to dry and left the page sticky.
More fast food cluck than French Fancy
The next stage was to download a silhouette of a chicken. The plan had been to nip to a local farm and grab a shot or two of their chickens. However on top of everything else that 2020 has given us we now have Avian Flu restrictions in place so I found a PNG version via an internet search.
One approach I did want to try was a text only logo using Bohemian Typewriter font, which looked a little empty. I then added the chicken silhouette behind the writing at a greatly reduced opacity (25%)
Developing the Idea; the second version looks better
The next version featured the whole silhouette with a decorative font overlay, in this instance AR Decode, followed by a rearrange wording layout in Script MT Bold.
Worth a try, but both seem clumsy and visually awkward
The next version is a stylised outline of a sitting hen using the stock silhouette as a basic form. Underneath I added the name of the café in Rage Italic.
A nod to contemporary signage and decorate fonts, which looks far more in keeping than Helvetica for example when used in this context
The next idea retained the sitting hen, but moved the logo above the body and the cup stains coloured a red wine shade and made to appear as eggs.
The next idea for the French Hen
The final French Hen design was a quick lay to see if the image concept would work. On reflection, possibly, in 1950’s London, a little too clichéd.
Would look good on the cover of a book, but not a menu. Fun none the less
So of the lots which three to consider, and of this which one to develop into the final idea?
The final three ideas; left to right: 1-3
To consider which design is best I have to consider three key points, can the design be;
Used for printed beermat’s, menus and napkins?
Ease of application for colour for signage and decal cut for windows?
Use on T-Shirts (embroidered for longevity)?
Straight the way 3 is simply too complex, well the wine stain eggs definitely are, which leaves 1 and 2 and me with an issue, which would be the best? A quick T-shirt mock-up will hopefully help me make up my mind.
The T-Shirt Test, and Nr 2 is the winner for me
The next stage is to think on regarding the use of the Newton and Ridley logo and finding one on Instagram I prepared it to be used on the menu and pub sign, as breweries tend to add their brand name to signage and menus, normally at the bottom.
Ideas for the layout of menus’ and bar signs
Newton and Ridley sign which also gives me a useful colour palette to use
The Newton and Ridley colour palette was identified with the Photoshop colour picker tool to give me the colours below:
The French Hen Colour Swatch
At this point the logo develops once more and to maintain the corporate colours then a suitable background is added, in this case elliptical. This would be used on any media that requires the use of colour. I applied the colours to the design as well, adding an outer shadow to the script to help it stand out.
The colour logo is now ready for use
The next step is to render the mock ups ready for client inspection.
The Window Decal
Exterior signage in black and white and colour versions
The two T-Shirt options, these mock ups were made using ETSY
The colour coaster back design features details for the units pertaining to the drinking of bottle wine and are presented on a circular mat, which is softer than a traditional square beer mat. This always lends itself to the softer aesthetic associated with a wine bar. Note the inclusion of the Newton and Ridley logo underneath the health advice.
The coaster design following the corporate colouring
The menu front incorporated the logo I had designed as well as the Newton and Ridley logo. The menu cover used the Wallington Font and stuck to the simpler black and white logo, which was coloured 80% grey instead of an overbearing black. Whilst the white space was picking up a lot of slack I felt a decorative border could also work well.
The menu design follows the KISS principle
A rural themed border was chosen to match the pastoral nature of the new Bar
The final image features a napkin and take-out bag with the simple black and white line drawing, which looks rather snazzy in a minimalistic way.
Coffee time needn’t be bland
So on reflection I think the plain black and white (or 80% grey) logo matches the design brief both aesthetically and ergonomically. Whilst the colour logo looks good on the beer mats, I’d push to keep it there as it doesn’t really match with the overall aesthetic on a larger scale.
Overall a great exercise, and my confidence has really grown over the past few exercise, especially with be able to create mock-ups too.
This exercise is an interesting one which starts off with some interesting research opportunities, looking at both Estate Agency and Housing Association (I live in a Housing Association property and their branding is not exactly inspiring) logos and branding the key theme is; home. The shape is used throughout and even before I started with my mind map I couldn’t help but feel influenced. Interesting examples of the use of the company name as part of the logo were thin on the ground.
Some interesting concepts and so predictable one too, but plenty of food for thought
The first task was to generate a mind map pulling in all the pertinent elements that focused on the terms First Time Buyer. These ideas would normally be shown and developed in conjunction with the Marketing teams, ensuring the logos were on message, not ambiguous or contentious. Any visit would also introduce me to the actually company ethos; are they really different? Are they simply rebranding? Are they working with customers? How do they define modern? Where are they selling properties? Admittedly these are fill in the gaps type questions so I will endeavour to do my best.
The predominant theme for me was that stability and comfort were important to both CHA and their customers. Hopefully this translates in my designs and colour palette.
Thoughts on the theme
Regarding colour I’m going for two, three colour selections which reflects warmth and welcoming. No contemporary grey here.
Palettes for use with Urban and Rural Properties
I tried making a logo with over laid lettering of the acronym of CHA and had a quick play, but it really didn’t look right. So onto put the three designs I sketched out earlier through DTP using Affinity Designer.
A quick experiment proved my gut instinct to be on the ball with interlacing letters
Ideas for designs
The first design used the colours I had previously identified as Urban and Rural working with the lettering (Javanese Script) to form a stair way, with the letters forming the steps. I made a couple variants and tidied up the lettering arrangement to arrive at the options that would be offered. Though without the horizontal blocks the design looks flat.
Evolution of the first design
The next design was straight forward in construction, using the letters to help shape the house.
In this design the colours are split to show the acronym as part of the main name
The final of the three designs developed as a theme using the full name of the association to form the house, and then dropping the ‘A’ from association and introducing a welcoming open door. I then experimented with a range of effects including 3D, fade and contrasting colours as well as a black and white version.
Variations a theme, this works better than the previous idea, which took me a little by surprise
These ideas would normally be shown and developed in conjunction with the Marketing teams, ensuring the logos were on message, not ambiguous or contentious. Any visit would also introduce me to the actually company ethos; are they really different? Are they simply rebranding? Are they working with customers? How do they define modern? Where are they selling properties? Admittedly these are fill- in-the-gaps type questions so I will endeavour to do my best.
The next step is to choose a design I wish to use, which is a little bit of a challenge as I like the first and third examples. The second one didn’t translate well to DTP which is a surprise. So biting the bullet on this one I think I’ll go for the Rural palette House with open door motif.
I’ve gone for the rural version of this design as I feel it will work well overall
To test the proof of the design I thought I’d try the mock generator that I’ve seen used (www.mockups-design.com ) so as to get a real world feel for the design and to measure how the White Space complements or swamps the overall design. The great thing is using this mock up, a first for me; give life to a finished project. A link to this really needs to be in the course info (probably is and I’ve missed it). For the print on the paper I generated script with the Ipsum generator using Helvetica as I feel it reflects the modern feel CHA is aiming for. I added a small catch phrase to sit underneath the log in Dali script as this is something that many such organisations use on their stationary. For the Business Cards I went for one colour and one embossed to check that the pattern would be legible should the client require an embossed card.
Mocked up exampled showing the two styles of card; plain and embossed
The newspaper advert was designed to be as simple as possible using an inviting background still from a commercial job I did a few years ago and seemed to match the modern and homely vide I was after. General lettering was Helvetica and the motto Dali. The more I use the ‘rural’colour scheme the more it feels right for the brand.
The finished newspaper advert. The logo looks rather snazzy in green
The nice surprise was how clear the lines of the logo’s roof were, I was concerned they’d be somehow lost. The true test will be photocopying so hopefully post Christmas I’ll get the photocopying done, Tier 4 withstanding and see how the letter head in particular comes out.
I showed my handiwork to my family and its amazing how the Mock-Ups make my work pop out and give it life. The daughter was filled with the usual teenage enthusiasm whilst my wife was impressed with the presentation of the logo, especially the newspaper advert.
I showed my handiwork to my family and its amazing how the Mock-Ups make my work pop out and give it life. The daughter was filled with the usual teenage enthusiasm whilst my wife was impressed with the presentation of the logo, especially the newspaper advert. Hopefully I’ve hit the right note with this exercise.
The first thing that leapt out at me with this assignment among the myriad of detail was colour. Its colour, and its combinations, which acts as a cue to remembering details, just think of how often red and yellow are used for example. The obvious choices are McDonalds and Shell petrol, but what about Lipton Tea, DHL or the Soviet Hammer and Sickle? Here the predominant colour is red, chosen not for so much for its value as symbolising danger but for passion.
New Design Group in their essay The Psychology of Colour in Advertising state that;
‘Red is associated with passion and love but its strong intensity also signifies excitement, determination and courage.’
And of yellow that;
‘Yellow is bright, reminiscent of the sun and full of energy. It also signifies playfulness, amusement, curiosity and happiness…’
It’s easy to see why these two colours are often combined in logo’s especially fast foods.
A selection of logos found on Pinterest (Board link below). Spot the theme?
The issue with colour is that once you start looking you soon start seeing patterns, and very few companies go beyond the three colour palette. The other factor to consider is that any logo or brand must be simple in shape for it to be effective, for it serves three purposes;
1. Identifies the brand and all that it is – Rolls Royce and NASA are two classic examples.
Logo’s synonymous with quality in their separate fields
2. It’s easily identifiable and stands out from the crowd – Pam Am hit the nail on the head with Ivan Chermayeff’s iconic design as have Levi jeans.
Instantly recognisable in a crowd
3. Its simple in design and colour palette – remember the rainbow Apple logo? It stayed with the company for 21yrs (1977 -1998) before being replaced with a simpler design.
A change for the better or bowing to cultural change?
In the Ambrose and Harris’s The Fundamentals of Graphic Design branding is described as:
‘The creation of a visual identity [that] seeks to take key behavioural characteristics of an organisation & use them to build an image that can be presented to target customers, other stakeholders and the world at large’.
This is something that big company’s have done throughout the years and done well; IBM, Paramount, John Deere and Land Rover are examples of emotive branding, targeting the consumer as well as present innovative companies to the prospective investor.
IBM, or International Business Machines is a great example of this, starting out making food slicers and time card punching machines at the turn of the Twentieth Century to being leaders of AI in the Twenty First. Yet its logo has remained pretty much the same, signifying stability, which is what both consumer and investor like.
IBM or ‘Big Blue’, a safe pair of hands
No where else do we see such staunch use of branding as in the field of engineering, be it agricultural or motor. John Deere has built up quite the reputation in the field of agriculture. Their green tractors are as synonymous with quality to the farmer and farming to the casual observer. The same can be said for the Land Rover ellipse, and the JCB rectangle.
With a great logo comes great responsibility
Ultimately brands and logos are the result of careful study by the marketing teams who factor in such as aspects as corporate identity, products and brands, company values, consumer perceptions and preferences, competition, quality and trust. Then a designer is approached and had the unenviable task of designing a suitable logo.
When design is right
For some the results are iconic, the Nike Swoosh, Coca Cola, IKEA are good examples. However there are always the not so good, and even the greatest design houses can have an off-day, Wolff Olins 2012 London Olympic Games logo is case in point. Proof that a logo has to have mass appeal to be successful, and to have mass appeal it must be readily recognisable. As Olins himself said on logos’:
‘[Logo’s] serve the same purpose as religious symbols… they encapsulate and make vivid a collective sense of belonging and purpose’.
Sadly if they’re too abstract, as the 2012 London Olympic Games logo was seen to be, then they fail in achieving the first hurdle of their brief.
PRNewswire, London, June 4. LONDON – London Offers first glimpse of 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by unveiling iconic new brand celebrating Everyone’s 2012.
Even the professionals get it wrong sometimes
For me, the factors that make a logo stick in my mind are those that are easy to recall and associate with a particular colour; red – Coca Cola, green – John Deere, blue – Ford and yellow – Shell.
Easy to recall and remember and a great example of the KISS principle
There there’s physical design, the simpler the shape the easier it is to recognise; Chanel, Nike and Levi and Channel Four are great examples.
Once seen never forgotten
So it would appear that logo’s that are the simplest in design are those that tend to stick in our minds the most. Thought there will always be the one that stick out for the wrong reasons.
The purpose of this exercise is to design a poster and flyer for singing course, so the first step after designing the mind-map was to review examples on Pinterest for inspiration, which can be seen in the link below.
Mind maps showing the growth of the concept and trying to fill in the gaps around the information supplied and required.
Ideas for the posters, though some were a little too contrived, but at least gave me an idea of what I didn’t want
The image element of the exercise is straightforward enough and I’ll touch on that shortly, the real issue was the information to accompany it. On the face of it, it seems complete enough, but breaking it down into Who, What, When Where, Why and How makes it easier to see what information I have and what information I need.
Who? – Is their a named Point of Contact? Is the course for everyone or a select group due to age? Who are SingOut?
What? – What qualifications do you get? Is the course certified? What qualifications has the tutor got? Large choir, small group, individual lessons available?
When? Year – helps folk to plan, or be disappointed.
Where? Postcode for SATNAV’s
Why? Unique Selling point – learn a new skill; reading music perhaps?
How? How long it the course? Can I book online?
At this point I would be chatting to the client and getting this information from them as the gaps, whilst not big, are important. Remember we’re asking folk to invest their time and money in the lessons, so the more information the better.
However for the sake of brevity I’ve filled in the gaps as best I can:
Join [SingOut (remember the brand)] for an exciting opportunity during the day with [one of our qualified] professional [and experienced] vocal coaches. (reassure the potential customer)
[Join our friendly group and] Learn to sing different types of music, vocal techniques, meet new people and have fun!
10:30am to 12:00pm every Tuesday from 11 March [2021]
The Community Centre, Charlotte Church Road, [New Town, NT1 2BA]
£60 for the [10 week] course
No experience needed/no requirement to read music [just a desire to sing (USP)]
For more information call [Nelly Melba] on 011779 8765432 [or visit] www.singout.com [to book your place online]
The next stage is the illustration, at this point and on looking at the brief and the samples of images I’ve collated I decided a photo would be the best way to sell the idea. Cue Mrs. Skipper and her patience.
I took three separate photo’s using different angles to decide which was was best
These were then put through a filter to get the black and white feel I wanted for the poster. Think late 70’s early 80’s Pelican social history vibe. Still needs a bit of fettling though. The next job is to choose which is best to use.
The three poses of the model, not sure about the right hand side one though, the middle image would suit a side of the flyer
The first task was to design the A6 Flyer, as it’s the most straight forward of the two tasks, and this time I’ve decided to have a bash at it with InDesign using a setting up tutorial I’ve located on the Adobe community forum (link below).
For a back to back flyer be sure to uncheck ‘Facing Pages’
As I’m setting up the page the one thing I’ve considered is a simple logo for SingOut to establish the brand and make the flyer a little more eye-catching. Time to do some thinking on this matter and make some sketches.
Logo Ideas tweaked and sketched out
Developing the concept
The next stage is to realise the logo using Affinity Designer and Publisher, ensuring the form is simple, as well as making a simple beamed note to replace the ‘N’. This was then balanced and saved as a PNG.
The original Left and the slightly more balanced version right
I now created the front of the flyer and imaged it printed onto Yellow, I did notice that the silhouette I’d originally chosen not only looked odd, but was still on a white not transparent background. The image I now chose to use for both flyer and poster was converted with Photoshop to give the transparent background I needed. I also noted that in InDesign my PNG logo was blocky, even though originally done as a raster image in Affinity Designer. So I decided to carry on with the design in Affinity Publisher.
InDesign didn’t seem to like the Affinity PNG and the silhouette looked impersonal, so a quick mask and select gave me a new face to use. I was also able to use coloured paper more effectively should I wish to do so.
I then experimented with the logo a little, smoothing out the blocks with a 3D effect and gradient tool worked nicely.
Looking better already
I chose to use Helvetica for the back panel information, which included my information adjustments and then selected backgrounds of Yellow, Pink and Orange to see how they worked with the overall idea as well as a plain copy. Next task the poster.
I have to admit I keep seeing the word Sidcup in that logo…
Logo; I’m really not happy with it. So reviewing at the brief I’ve decided to have a play and try to refine it. So I set to redesigning it in Affinity setting the key letters of S and O at 200pts and the remainder at 125pts. I got rid of the note motif as its seemed somewhat clichéd and kept the form simple.
A better look this time.
A quick change of the logo has made the word of difference and elongating it helped balance the White Space of the image.
Of all three versions I feel the white background works best
The next step is to change the direction of the SingOut and we’re in business.
Got there in the end
The final step is to make the A3 poster. This was arranged using a simple Grid pattern and a hopefully sympathetic layout. A little easier with a definitive logo and the information correctly squared away.
The Grid check for balance
The Finished Items
*At this point I feel it appropriate to put in a disclaimer; as I’m in COVID lockdown the chances of being able to furnish my ever suffering tutor with copies of the work are non-existent. But I will sort once a small bit of normality has returned.
So in review, another interesting exercise, the black and white palette combined with the limited information made for an interesting opportunity along with my first and second logos I have to be honest I far prefer the second. This type of poster/flyer would definitely look good produced on coloured paper, especially the pseudo 70’s manipulated photo.
A great exercise with more to it than meets the eye. Oh and if you’ve made it this far and are interested, I’m still struggling with InDesign. I’ll get there in the end though.
Flyer and Poster
Exercise update 01012020 – Alternative logo
The final design and logo has been on mind. The more I thought about it the more I reasoned that any logo would need to be as stock as possible, not only to keep costs low, but also to help with legibility. I chose the Art Deco inspirted decorative font Wallington by Sandi Dez to now represent the company name. It’s eyectahcing, dynamic and not too florid and so easy on the eye. A good alternative to the original logo.
The updated logo in mockup environments. Looks more professional (the learning continues)
The one thing this course does is open your mind to new ideas and concepts, and whilst the way in which visual information is relayed to us. Be it official announcement or marketing and promotion purposes, the poster remains that bridge between the informative elements of Graphic Design and illustration. The Victorians and Edwardians were great one for providing wonderfully illustrated posters that were almost artworks in themselves, often featuring fantastical motifs and themes. Alluding that the properties of products were somehow magical, patriotic in some cases, but always superior by virtue of the standard of artwork commissioned. By the start of the Great War these posters had morphed into celebrations of nationalistic pride, of women urging men to advance into the crucible of the Western Front.
From selling soap to selling war, Edwardian values were reinforced by the use of fine art
The post-war world had changed beyond all recognition and by the 1920’s the artistic freedom that many designers were experiencing in the new world of post imperial Russia and Germany were influencing the work of artists in Great Britain and USA. Palette colours were simplified and styles from the Bauhaus and Art Deco Schools were making themselves felt in popular advertising. This was now torn between connecting the consumers personal preferences to a product and new ways of radical thinking and governance, such as communism and fascism, rather than chasing the nationalistic ideals of Exceptionalism and turning goods into a celebration of Empire.
From Fascism to Fast Trains the immediate post war period saw the image simplified and the message more direct. Note the Arts and Crafts inspired Women’s Vote poster.
As the period progressed there was a drive to place the consumer at the heart of the image; famers, families, men, and women. There was also a return to selling the ideal, but not as an extension of the body politic (outside of Central and Eastern Europe aside), but as a means to introduce the consumer to the world. The age of the holiday was upon the masses, given rise by cheaper transportation, and an ever increasing globalisation of information. The use of photography, which first appeared mainly in post war political posters, was becoming more popular with advertisers and manufacturers, especially the automotive industry. Though illustrations were still being used, it was more simplistic and suited to cheaper mass and rapid turn over printing rather than the more expensive and complex painterly styles.
From blocks of colour to colourised photo’s posters were becoming moretechnically sophisticated and visually more accessible
The onset of war and mass propaganda introduced once again more complex and dynamic use of colour, composition and theme. Posters followed the same formulas of personal engagement with the viewer seen with contemporary advertising, promoting personal responsibility and collective aims.
Globally propaganda was more subtle in the Second World War, fostering a spirit of personal inclusion and achievement in striving for victory.
Post war adverting and poster production was miles away from the still rigid forms of the inter war years. Many of the designers returned from fighting eager to experiment and use their post war education credits to gain the necessary qualifications in design and illustration. New theories from Switzerland, especially those penned by Müller – Brockmann and Tschichold, introduced a new form and visual direction to the poster, which was easier to fulfil with the development of print technolgy. There was also the chance to completely tear-up the rule book and introduce more informal form in their work. The seriousness of wartime messaging was now replaced with a looser, freer form of expression where comedy and whimsicality was welcomed, especially in film and travel posters.
The post war poster was more exciting, dynamic and often used humour to sell an important point.
For me this was the golden era of the poster, from holidays to military recruitment, clothing to cars this period not only helped to sell ideas, good and experiences, but also, for a fleeting moment, showed that all was still good with the world. Colours and artistic flare worked together to give the viewer an experience and insight in what was out there, a welcoming splash of colour and life for all to enjoy.
Smiles and sweets, idylls and automobiles; the mid-twentieth century had them all
All the while Type and Font has developed with posters, becoming more sophisticated and less decorative whilst improving accessibility. Though it has to be noted that as the decades progressed the decorative fonts were used, but often sparingly, as part of logos for example, and often in Black or Bold styles.
This is an interesting little task involving the design of a simple Birthday Reminder Calendar for family and friends. As opposed to a spider chart style mind map I looked at the key themes of the exercise and used these as a starting point for what the exercise was attempting to do. I then considered the brief from my perspective as a disabled person who struggles with communication. What did I want/need? Clarity above all else.
Mapping the ideas, colours and shapes
The actual list is based on a simple sheet of A3 separated into 12 square grid, which was going to originally be orientated as landscape, but I decided to move it to a portrait orientation. Each square would represent a month, with no individual dates, instead there would two simple types of symbol, circles for family and squares for friends. I was inspired by Eastern European birthday calendars that are wall hung which use similar approached for different birthdays.
Some wonderful ideas and inspiration can be found on Pinterest
For the actual methods of communication I did think about symbols, however some are easily confused visually so opted for colour coding which makes the task that bit easier.
Family Circle or Square of Friends?
For the main List background I chose a pale yellow with a pale blue banner with the words Birthday List in a simple Black San Serif Type, Candal. This was then given a light shadow effect. For the Background I initially intended to use a coloured background to help contrast with the colour coded disks, so came up with this:
More Party Rings than anything else
I’ll be honest, after literally sleeping on it these first drafts look hideous. So a review of White Space is in order with resign adding a faint background image being more in keeping. The arrangement of the grid is also off so I’ll address that too as well as sorting out the type, its size (30Pts) and colour (60% grey). I used a generic back image as I wanted the poster to have a family appeal too, especially for the younger members.
I made all my changes and realised I hadn’t left room for the key which used Arial for the lettering as this is easy to use and read at a distance. This was then added to the bottom of the calendar. The final task was to populate the calendar using family and friends details.
Developing the concept
One the things I tried was to curve the name of a family member inside the circle, whilst easy enough to do in the Affinity package in terms of legibility and accessibility it’s a no-go. So back to my original idea of simple flat line text.
Good, but no cigar
As I populated the details list and colours I realised that my colour choice wasn’t the best and most suitable. The shades were simply too similar, so a quick change was in order.
A simple change of colour coding makes for quicker recognition of what each person receives
The next and final task to populate the calendar with the list, unfortunately I had an issue with the lasso selection tool so had to move a few of the markers, however a quick shift around gave me a great representation of the finished Birthday List.
The finished project in a mock set up
Overall the hardest element of this task was not the design but drawing the practical elements together. That said I learned a lot including maintaining design flexibility.
As this bit of research runs with the next exercise I won’t bamboozle you dear reader, but it was an opportunity for me to make some notes on what I thought constitutes a table or form and how these are presented and in what manner.
Ideas on Tables and Forms
I then set to doing an image search on Pinterest use keys words form my mind map. I had a bit of a field day and the results can be found here:
The first part of this exercise is some research, which is always fun, the first task was to look at Bus Timetables. Here the first thing that struck me was that they were all arranged to a grid pattern. Not obvious when it’s an everyday item, but when the pattern is looked at with a designer’s eye it’s obvious. The samples below were sources from a simple Google search.
Timetables galore.
Not only doe the use of grid mean that there’s universality about the timetables, but that they can be understood by anyone anywhere.
City maps on the other hand can be quite different, with a range of styles used, from the standard grid based map system to the decorative style, with pictorial representation of key land marks and only key routes marked. Pictorial maps aren’t new and are perhaps some of the easiest to use. Whilst they are correct to a point, they lack the accuracy of the grid based map, which in turn lack the fun of the pictorial map.
Maps can come in all shapes and sizes, note the two different maps of the British mainland
Statistical data can be represented in many ways from the established and straight forward to read charts.
Note the flow chart symbols in the top right corner. What a great idea to help pass knowledge and information
However with the advent of more sophisticated DTP software, a steady switch to paperless offices and a desires to use space and present information in ever more creative ways the information presented by Statistical Data graphics can seen alien at times, yet in some respect they still mimic the traditional methodologies.
Maps are combined with regional medical data to supply important health information, something that has been used extensively during the Corona virus outbreak of 2019/2020 and beyond. Known as Geovisualisations these charts used in a myriad to convey geographic data in a meaningful and instantly understandable way.
Geovisualisation: A tool for the 21st Century
Other methodologies used to share data incorporate all manner of the above as a single piece of information. These items are arranges on a grid to help retain familiarity with chart layout and help with ease of reading.
Line Charts, Bar charts and Geovisualisation, all in one simple document
The more adventurous statistical data representations involve not only complex Vector graphics, where the subject is pictorially represented thought the clever use of arrangement and design, but on occasions they have become the data.
Left – The subject becomes the data representation and Right- the data is manipulated into the subject
The next stage was to mind map the concept and what it meant to me, followed by what I was going to create.
I decided to make a map of my wardrobe, though to spare embarrassment we shall pretend it’s perfectly arranged and in good order. I used an Ordnance Survey (OS) map to refresh my memory on how a map is laid and to give me inspiration in the overall construction of a map. A quick internet search helped me find the font style used in Maps, Arial, as well as providing a handy link to OS raster styles.
A strange place for inspiration: Ordnance Survey Map
The next stage was to sketch out my idea before committing myself to the finally design. I tried to replicate a maps finish as best as possible.
The plan
The next stage was to sketch out my idea before committing myself to the finally design. I tried to replicate a maps finish as best as possible. Northing’s and Easting’s were added, this were double checked with the OS map to make sure they were in the correct place. Labels were added to the clothes using standard sized 10pts Arial, whilst key details were labelled with 20pts and in 30% gray to echo the Civil Parish markings. Labelling of the clothing was arranged to be as precise as possible and carry a sense of uniformity. I had to add a little accuracy to the map and include a Stuff that been chucked in pile.
Using Affinity Publisher I created the Wardrobe Map, complete with ‘stuff’ pile
I used the OS approach and make my map as self explanatory as possible. Hopefully I’ve succeeded. A great little exercise and fun, made me wish though I was a good illustrator, but that will come.
