Eat Cake: 20th - 25th February 2017

 Throughout my brief, I was required to develop corporate branding for a cake shop in London called, ‘Eat Cake’, which must include the logo, business card, compliments slip, bags, uniform, serviettes, and shop signage and frontage. The main aims were to make the designs look contemporary as well as visually communicating the healthy approach to their company.

I have met the brief because I have experimented with colours in order to make the company feel organic as well as desirable; I used orange to trigger hunger from the consume and to symbolise energy, and a peppermint green in order to communicate the company’s healthy approach and to gain a fresh and vibrant look from the design. I like the combination of colour because they are both natural and they create a strong contrast that grabs the consumer’s attention; the combination brings out the saturation of the pigments and makes the design as a whole feel dynamic. I started thinking about colour after researching the logo, ‘House of Green’ designed by kami Piatkowski because I liked how he uses colour to symbolise what the company stands for and how colour can be used to create a modern and contemporary appearance, which was his main aim because his client wanted to communicate with modern people; the contrasting colour s make the design stand out as bold and it emphases the clean edges within the design. I created a palette filled with all the natural colours I had available to me and I started limiting my palette based on what the colours symbolise and what mood is created when combining each colour with another.

Another graphic designer that inspired my work was Mario De Meyer because I liked how he separates colour, making the design feel spacious and contemporary. I also like his design because of the rhythm being used and how each colour and curve reoccurs in the design, creating a sense of movement and flow within the typographic design. I experimented with different ways of presenting the shape of my logo and concluded that the colours should be vertical and avoid being connected with another shape or colour; it creates simplicity and the vertical lines direct the viewer towards the writing; the lines are closing in on each other, and the viewer’s eye moves toward the bottom of the logo.

The typography was inspired by the ‘Clipper tea’ company designed by Big Fish, which was my first piece of research; I liked the design as a whole, the way they branded their product ad combined simple shapes with simple typography, creating unity ad a harmonious combination. At the start of my project, I liked the idea of showing my ingredients in order to gain trust from the consumer and to promote the client’s natural ingredients, however, as I progressed through this project, I directed my attention towards creating imagery with the company’s initials. After designing the symbol, I still wanted to use the research I had collected from the start, so I used the Clipper tea typography with my new symbol and explored different compositions. I decided to use the typography used for the company’s slogan because I found that the main typeface was too artificial and mass produced. The other typeface makes the consumer feel more welcome and it is harmonious with the geometric shapes within the symbol. I decided to change the typeface slightly in order to make it my own as well as making the design feel more solid and bold, allowing the consumer to interact with the rand more; I took away the spaces in the letter ‘A’, which was very convenient for me when I was painting my brand because I didn’t need to worry about using a smaller brush and it is less time consuming.

The symbol was inspired by the ‘Breaze’ logo designed by Reynolds and Reyner. I liked the minimalistic style of their design because it attracts modern consumers and appears clean and contemporary when contrasting colours are used with the design. I also liked the way they made their typography illustrative by transforming them into meaningful imagery that communicates what the brand is and what ideas they are trying to promote to the consumer. I experimented with the initials of ‘Eat Cake’ in order to create a contemporary symbol, and I managed to produce a cupcake using these initials. I like this design because it is creative, simple and subtle; when you look at the design, the consumer doesn’t notice the typography used to produce the imagery.

After choosing my final design, I experimented with different materials in order to gain an understanding of texture and whether they would be appropriate for the company. I used mediums such as oil and soft pastel, watercolour paint and pencil, felt-tip pen, fine liner, illustrator, ink, and acrylic paint. I decided to produce my final design using acrylic paint because it has a soft effect on the design, making it feel welcoming and friendly, and it allowed me to gain more control over the colour pigments. However, as I was digitalising my design on Photoshop, I found that the design didn’t look contemporary with a textured background, so I erased the background and tidied up the edges of my logo.

Once my project was coming towards an end, I realised that the logo needed a background in order to show variation on my design and so the uniforms are not white; a white uniform is inconvenient for staff members to keep clean, especially when working in a cake industry. So I researched corporate branding, which lead me on to the ‘PilyQ’ logo designed by Jeet Patel because I liked the simplicity of the design and the use of rhythm in the background; it relates a sense of direction and it suits my logo’s symmetric and geometric shapes. This pattern also reminded me of old fashioned bakeries, which inspired me to use the same pattern with my colours; the design is still contemporary, however, the background brings sense of history, making the design feel friendly and traditional, which suits the company’s homemade products. Design trends are reverting back to specific periods in history, making them retro, fun and full of colour. I like this design because it has a sense of rhythm, direction, contrast and unity, and the simple yet retro style attracts younger consumers, which is the main target market that is ideal because they are a new generation that needs to consider their health, and they are of an age where they are not afraid of treating themselves to desirable foods.

The Patisserie Valerie cake company was a form of primary and secondary research. I used the packaging in order to overlay with my own design on Photoshop. I decided to research this company because there are limited shops that only sell cakes and I wanted to observe how they display their brand, which gave me ideas for my own work. I over-layered their staff uniform on Photoshop using my own design, which was a secondary image because I was very hesitant on asking the staff member to stop doing their work in order to have their photo taken. However, if I did have a bit more confidence, my design would have been less pixelated.

I think I should have done more annotation and reflect more on my work because I found that I didn’t have enough time to do so. Doing more annotation would have allowed me to feel more in control of my work and it would have allowed me to make faster decisions when it came to my decision making.  I also think I should have explored illustrator in order to strengthen my software skills because it would have enabled me to create imagery that is less pixelated.

I found digitalising my designs were successful because I was able to refer back to my Photoshop workshop and make my designs blend in to photos; making the design settle into the photos enabled me to see what my design would look like in the real world without physically designing it, which is one cost effective way of designing brands. I was also pleased that I was able to improve my logo as I was digitalising my logo because it enabled me to use my problem solving skills and think of an alternative way of presenting my logo. Taking away the texture in the background also enabled me to make the design clean and contemporary, and it places more emphasis on the texture used on the logo.

In order to improve, I would make the compliments slip longer in width because there isn’t enough space in the centre, and doing this would balance the weight of the layout further as well as giving the consumer enough space to comfortably move their eyes in a circular direction. I also think I should have ventured out in search for more cafes in order to get primary imagery of shop frontages, which would have allowed me to apply my design to my own imagery; it would be less pixelated, enabling me to print out my design on a larger scale.

In conclusion, my understanding of a logo has improved and I now know the correct way of approaching a project involving identity; I understand how to interpret what the client is trying to communicate and what colours to use in order to make a design feel desirable and organic. Additionally, my knowledge on Photoshop has improved, which will enable me to apply my designs to packaging, uniforms and sop frontages in my next identity projects. At first I struggled with how to approach this project, however, during the second week, I found that all my ideas changed and I was in the right mind set to create a meaningful piece of work. And I am pleased with my work and I am pleased that I was able to work out how to combine two contrasting elements ‘ natural and desirable’ in my design.

Additionally, this week I have been through a life drawing practical with a new model, and we were only focussing on ten minute drawings using graphite pencils in order to practise the depth of our drawings and out use of shading. I liked this practical because it enabled me to focus on detail, however, i think using this medium on its own leaves my work looking a bit unfinished because I missed out several highlights, and graphite doesn't allow me to manipulate my shadings as effectively as chalk would. i was tasked to use colour in my drawing, which i managed to do in my second drawing, however, i think next time i could use the colour for my shading and indicate where the light is coming from. I prefer my second drawing because it is close up, which allowed me to add more detail to the face. my first drawing however made the models face a bit blotted, which is not what I intended. In comparison with my second drawing, the model looks like a different person, rougher with more structure to his face.
Next, I am going to present my final piece on my wall with my sketchbook on my desk, and I will make a start on my brief as soon as it is handed to me. As far as i know the next project is a poster design, so it will be good to have a bit of variation away from identity.

6th - 9th February 2017

After a group talk with the tutor, I have decided to reconsider how I am going to approach this project by making a list of all the things I can associate 'eat cake' with and use the mark making practical as inspiration for the different textures that I could use. This talk has widened my insight on what a logo is and how I can approach it. I have found that logos do not have to be imagery; it can be typographic, and I could include imagery in my branding. During the presentation, I have seen some inspirational work such as the BREAZE and House of Green brands; I like how BREAZE uses the entails of the brand and transforms it into a symbol, which I have started exploring in my own work. After experimenting with different compositions, I finally concluded that it is possible to make the company's icon obvious by manipulating the initials 'E.C' into a cupcake. At first the symbol looked more like a muffin, however, I was able to alter the proportion of the 'E' by making it taller and thinner in width (the 'E' looks wider and shorter when it is tilted at a 90 degree angle). With inspiration form House of green, I started considering my use of colour and how a simple background can interpret the company's purpose. I had decided to use the colour green in order to interpret the healthy and natural approach of the company, however, using green on its own makes the company feel undesirable and it doesn't bring out the cake appearance of the company. So, I decided to add orange to the logo because orange is natural and it symbolises energy and builds up the consumer's appetite.

I have also used James Martin as an inspiration because I like the way the colours are separated and simplified. And I have made use of the Clipper's typeface because I like the organic and stylist appearance of it, and I think the simplicity of the symbol goes well with the typeface.

I have been exploring different mediums such as ink, paint and pastel this week in order to gain texture, however, at the moment I am unsure which medium to use.

This week, I have been through a life drawing session, which involved overlapping six 1 minute drawings with a 10 minute drawing. I prefer my second drawing because I think the overlapping creates a sense of movement and I like how the top layer presents the viewer with the most detail. I dislike the last drawing however because I had to do the drawings in reverse; I had to do the 10 minute drawing with the six 1 minute drawings on top. I found this extremely difficult because I had to pay attention to the different lines and remember which layer was which; however, I could have increased the pressure I placed onto the paper each time I started a new layer, which would have made it easier to identify each layer. This life drawing practical has made me realise how to create a sense of movement effectively, which may come of use for any piece of animation or future project.

Over the half term holiday, I am going to choose my preferred medium and start researching corporative branding in order to gain some ideas for composition and layout of my business cards, uniform, compliments slip, etc. I am also going to make a start on annotating my sketchbook because I must admit, I haven't been working into it as much as I would have liked to. I need to pick up the pace a bit more. Over this holiday, I will also focus on presenting my portfolio for an interview at Falmouth University, which I hope to have as an option.

30th January - 2nd February 2017

This week, I have started a new project, which is called 'Eat Cake'. The brief is to design a logo for a new cake shop situated in London, which should promote the shop's use of organic and healthy ingredients. Using this logo, I am required to design business cards, uniform, signs, etc. I have started gathering ideas for this project, collecting imagery related to organic forms, fruit and any other logos that are related in some way to health or cake companies. I have noticed that many Cake companies use script typography and colours such as pink and white. I want to avoid using these characteristics because the pink makes the company look too artificial ad sweet,which is not the message that I want t communicate. additionally, the typography used in these companies make them appear the same, ad I want to be able to produce a logo that looks unique, and the typography appears as if it has been written with icing, giving it a feminine touch as well as promoting sugar (again, not the message i am trying to send). I have looked at the Clipper tea company and I like the typography they have used because it looks fresh and natural, and the colours promote health and cleanliness.

I have not been able to do any life drawing this week because i needed to go on an interview in Norwich University of Arts, which i found very difficult to travel to because i had to go through the London Underground, however, this allows me to get used to systems like this for next time and it allows me to practise my map reading skills. i found the interview a bit short, and i feel that they didn't ask a lot of questions, I managed to get a tour before the interview though. i liked the use of space and how the building becomes contemporary as soon as you step inside the building. There is so much character throughout Norwich and it feels like a friendly place. I will be happy if i got an offer from the university and it will give me more options to choose from; I will be able to compare courses and outline their pros and cons because no course is the same, there are different features within each course that may become beneficial for my CV.

During this week, we have been tasting two types of organic cake in order to feel engaged with the project and to gain inspiration for ideas and mark making. The first cake was beetroot and chocolate cake, which was very rich, gooey and moist. Whilst the chocolate cake with butternut squash frosting felt soft and gooey, and didn't have a distinct taste to it; the sponge wasn't as rich as the previous cake and the frosting took over. i preferred the beetroot cake because the chocolate bits gave the cake more texture and emphasised the richness of the chocolate. This practical has made me realise how organic cakes can be more appealing and it has given me ideas for presenting cakes and i am considering using the colour brown in my logo in order to create the illusion of a chocolate flavour and to make the cakes more desirable. It a=has also helped me consider the textures that i could use within my logo in order for the consumer to feel more engaged with the cakes the company sells. Afterwards, we drew store bought cakes in order to gain a idea on how to present cakes and gave us an idea on the differences between homemade organic cakes ad high sugar mass produced cakes. Mass produced cakes seem to have a cleaner look, and the smoother textures and fancy paper seem to make the cake more attractive. I am considering using this within my work and gain a contemporary look for my look. I have also used watercolours and pencil to draw images of fruit and veg in order to practise my mark making skills and see what compositions I can use in order to make the fruit and veg feel desirable.

Looking back at my mood board, I liked the idea of being able to see the ingredients within the cakes because it makes the cake feel fresher and the u=range of colours from the fruit and veg makes the imagery become visually stimulating for the consumer, and it also builds trust between the company and the consumer because they feel reassured knowing what is in the company's products. I am a bit worried with the way the project is being directed because i want to avoid producing anything too obvious and so far all i am creating is imagery with cupcakes. I am worried that avoiding this imagery will stop the consumer from recognising what the company is.

In order to improve, I need to start doing more research on colour and logos in general in order to gain a better idea on how i should present the company, 'EAT Cake'.

next week, i am going to do more research and start experimenting with new ideas and materials; i will not have many resources to experiment wth during the holidays, so I need to make use of the resources I have while I still can.