BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN LEVEL 06 Module Code OUGD303 Outcomes 1

Module Title FINAL MAJOR PROJECT

FINAL MAJOR PROJECT STATEMENT OF INTENT

Name: Charlotte Warren

Blog Address: c-warren0912-fmp.blogspot.com

Rationale:

“Strong branded packaging design through the surface application of type and layout”

– I intend to continue on with my focus of packaging design. I am mainly interested in the surface design of packaging and applying type and layout to this.

– As type and layout is a main interest when it comes to my design process, I want to use FMP to make sure I really understand the the fundamentals of this in order to gain a more professional way of working. This will also hopefully allow me to then gain a more professional visual aspect. I will be using packaging and print based work as a way of applying these skills which will contain strong aspects of branding.

– I want to further explore the elements of branding and identity; how it works and how I can fit packaging design into this.

– Although I will be focusing mainly on print based work, I would like the option of applying type and layout to screen. (I am not interested in the creating aspects of websites such as coding/html, I would just like the possibility of being able to design for screen).

– I would like the work I produce to reach a higher end, more contemporary target audience meaning my work has to have a more sophisticated and professional element to it which I aim to improve on during final major project.

– My aim is to constantly be producing work which I am happy to add to my portfolio. This will benefit me when getting myself out into the real world if professionals can see I am focused within my design practice.

– I am highly interested in producing packaging which would feature in the retail industry, this means having a strong idea of customers wants and needs aimed at specific target audiences and also being aware of existing design which could potentially be my competition.

– When producing something with the intention of it existing in the real world it is important that I make sure my work is always put into context. To give my work the potential of existing outside the design studio, I need to make sure I reach the expected standards of what packaging design should be yet still push these boundaries in order to create new and innovative design.

Subjects / Themes

– Food – I am highly interested in packaging design within the food industry, particularly for higher end audiences. The kind of places which take my interest are more upmarket stores such as Waitrose, Harvey Nichols and Marks & Spencer.

– Restaurants/Cafes – This ties in with my interest of food however this is where I would like the chance to incorporate branding/identity aspects to my work.

– Retail – Looking at the relationship between packaging, branding and identity for higher end target audiences in the up-market retail sector.

– Fashion – Within day to day life I have a keen interest in fashion. I am taking part in producing the fashion yearbook however I would also like to have another element of fashion for a brief as final major project in order to add a wider range of subjects to my portfolio which I am able to design for.

– Sophisticated and higher end design for upmarket retail– Simplicity – I really like the use of simplistic type and layouts as I think this can often add a more

sophisticated element which can reach my target audience. – Contemporary design informed by current trends within the design industry as well as emerging

trends found and informed by my target audience.– I feel I am more visual as opposed to concept based however I realise concept is a very important

element when it comes to designing, especially when trying to reach a specific target audience. I want to make sure I focus more on concepts during final major project than I have previously done to make my work have a stronger purpose and be more realistic if applied to the real world.

– Realism – add concept and the appropriate distribution to make it work in the real world

Design Disciplines / Creative Development

– Packaging design has always been my main interest. I want to mainly focus on the surface design of packaging so applying type/layout skills.

– I am interested in design for print and would like to focus more on print finishes in the aim of creating a more professional standard of work and also to reach my higher end target audience.

– Stock – I feel recently I have tried to be more considerate about stock choices than I have been previously been and using final major project to do this more, I feel will highly benefit my design decisions and outcomes.

– Type and layout – mainly applying this to print based work and packaging as well as using packaging as a main feature in branding and identity.

– Branding and Identity – Applying the skills listed above to create ranges and add context and realism to my work

– I am interested in typography however I feel that type design is not a very strong skill I have. I'd like to incorporate it slightly when designing and creating logos for identities however I do not wish to fully learn all the technical aspects of designing a typeface or for the purpose of body copy or other uses.

– Relationship between type and layout and applying this to packaging (also in a branded range)

Practical Skills / Workshops – what, why and when?

– I want to improve my skills when it comes to photographing my work. Producing mainly packaging design means I need to be able to take good product shots to show all elements and dimensions of my final pieces to show them at their best.

– I feel I have a very good knowledge of using Photoshop however I still lack some skills in InDesign and Illustrator. This is something I want to address by using more of these programs during my fmp.

– After last module it became apparent that I needed to speed up my decision making process in order to allow me to trial and error my work, and then leave me with enough time to resolve and produce final pieces more to their potential. This is an issue I will be addressing from the very start.

– Layout and grid. I want to try and be more professional when applying type and using layout within my work. I learnt a lot from the type module last year but feel I have neglected this knowledge slightly.

Brief 1: D&AD – Ministry of Sound Deadline

Rationale:Brief - To create 3 typographic posters for the event Saturday Sessions.– This will be primarily type and layout based.– I want to also use this brief to incorporate type design which will be used specifically for the brief rather than a typeface that could be used elsewhere. – I will be expanding this brief further than the competition brief set and produce cd covers etc in order to incorporate packaging design. – As this brief is for Ministry Of Sound it will also have to be strongly branded with the use of the existing logo and themes previously used by them, in order for it to be recognisable. – It will also be strongly branded with my own logo/typeface I create for 'Saturday Sessions' which will need to be applied to all the product in order to keep a distinctive theme across the range.

Brief 2: YCN - Graze Deadline

Rationale:Re-fresh the design of the Graze brand including logo, packaging and to create a direct mail marketing campaign.This is primarily about the brand/identity with a large focus on how this is applied to packaging design.

Brief 3: Fashion Yearbook Deadline

Rationale:Collaborative brief with Ellis Thynne, Becky Tipping and Kim Sandford to produce the yearbook for the fashion course.A strong focus on layout, type and grid with a small branded element due to it being one out of two year books. This means we will need to be working closely with the other fashion team in order to keep the two books consistent in terms of layout/colour/type. The books need to stand alone yet still work together as yearbooks for the course as a whole.

Brief 4: Cafe/Deli Branding Deadline

Rationale:The initial idea for this is due to my interest in packaging design for food products with the fact I want to incorporate a branding and identity aspect to it. I want to propose a cafe/deli in which I will create all the branding elements such as the name and logo and apply to the packaging and other elements features inside the cafe such as signage, uniform, business cards, etc.This will be mainly print based and about the branding aspect however I want packaging to be a large element of it.

Brief 5: Waitrose Deadline

Rationale:When it comes to food packaging in retail one of my favourite stores is Waitrose. I love higher end, contemporary packaging that you wouldn't necessarily see in regular supermarkets and so creating packaging for here would be my ideal job. I want to create a range of products which you would find in the kitchen left out on display eg, olive oils, spices and create attractive contemporary packaging for the reason that they would be constantly on view.– Mainly packaging based.– Strong focus on my target audience (upmarket, sophisticated).– Keep the existing Waitrose audience with the potential of also attracting new customers.– There will be an element of branding as I am producing a range of packaging for an existing store.– A focus on stock and finishes to reach an element of high quality and sophistication aimed at the target audience.

Brief 6: Fashion Branding

Rationale:I'm highly interested in fashion but i've never really used this element in any of my design work. Although the fashion yearbook is an amazing opportunity for this, it is only one publication and I would like to be able to incorporate some element of my other focus areas of design such as packaging and branding. I've decided in order to do this I will create my own small fashion brand. I could propose this to be an online store or propose it as a little boutique. I will create packaging for a range of clothing items, tags, signage, a lookbook or catalogue promoting the clothes range and possibly even a range of designs to feature on the clothing such as t-shit designs.

– This will be strongly based around the brand and identity however another main element of it will be creating different forms of packaging.

– This is where I need to focus on creating a good, strong concept in order to give a brief like this more meaning. (this will be decided later on when I have done initial research and fully defined what this brief will be about in order to give it a concept and more reason)

Contextual references / Designers / Studios / Companies (specific)Contextual references:

– I am highly influenced by packaging design which surrounds us day to day, so simple things like visiting supermarkets and stores keeps me informed and up-to-date of what already exists in the real world.

– Collecting samples of packaging helps to inform me of things such as the surface design, the shape and forms which help me make appropriate decisions in my own work and also stock and materials.

Studios:– Glasfurd & Walker– Pearlfisher– Atipus– The Consult– Boxhead– Founded

Companies:– Waitrose– Marks & Spencer– Harvey Nichols

RESEARCH ACTIVITY:Food Packaging, Branding and Identities

Deadline Ongoing

Details:– General visits to supermarkets are more specific stores of interest such as Waitrose and Marks &

Spencer to keep on top of current trends of the design of packaging within these stores.– Collecting examples of packaging to refer to form, function, craft and materials.– Visits to restaurants/cafes to look at the branding aspects which will cover a range of elements such

as packaging, menu design, signage, uniforms etc.

This will be ongoing research throughout my Waitrose, Graze and Cafe Branding brief.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY: Deadline Ongoing

Layout, Type, GridDetails:

– I want to focus on learning more in-depth of the fundamentals of layout, type and grid. This will help me to produce a higher, more professional standard of work ready for when I leave the course.

– I will do this by looking at books such as 'Design Basics: ideas and inspiration for working with layout, type and color in graphic design' and applying skills to all work I produce during final major project

– I felt I learnt a lot during the type module in second year. Much of this information I am able to refer back to.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY: Studio Visits

Deadline Mainly until easter for context research

Details:I want to visit studios around the UK in order to

– Gain more knowledge of the working industry– Gain feedback and advice on the work I am currently producing– Gain information and research on how different studios work which I can also use within my Design

Context Publication.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY: Fashion Branding and Packaging

Deadline

Details:Similar to the food packaging and branding I will collect samples of packaging/sale tags etc from fashion stores. I will also look at signage, in-store displays and online fashion stores.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY: Stock and Print Finishes

Deadline

Details:I want to try and focus a little more on stock and print finishes to help widen my knowledge, learn new skills and hopefully achieve a more porfessional standard to my work.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY: Trends and Contemporary DesignDetails:This is order to influence my own work and to keep me up to date with other designers working in the subject area I wish to work in which could potentially be my competition.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS / TEXTS - (Harvard Referenced)– Campos, C (2010) 'Promotional Packaging and Design', Prompress, Barcelona– Boylston, S (2009) 'Designing Sustainable Packaging', Laurence King Publishing Ltd, London– Mason, D (2001) 'Experimental Packaging', RotoVision SA, Switzerland– Davis, M (2009) 'The Fundamentals of Branding', AVA Publishing SA, Switzerland– Herriott, L (2007) 'The Packaging and Desgin Templates Sourcebook', RotoVision SA, Switzerland– Jacques, J, Evrad, B (2010) 'The Packaging Design Book', Taschen, Germany– Eldridge, K (2006) '1000 Bags, Tags and Labels', Rockport Publishers, Massachusetts– Hargreaves, B (2004) 'Eat me: delicious, desirable, successful food packaging design', RotoVision,

Sussex – Kaye, J R (2002) 'Design Basics: ideas and inspiration for working with layout, type and color in

graphic design' Rockport Publishers, Massachusetts– Denison, E (2008) 'Print Production and Finishes for Packaging', RotoVision, Switzerland– Gibson, D (2007) 'Restaurant Graphics', Laurence King Publishing Ltd, London

MAGAZINES / JOURNALS / ARTICLES – (include publication date and details)Elle/Vogue – up to date fashion trendsGrafik Magazine

ON LINE REFERENCES / WEBSITES / ARTICLES (include specific urls)http://thedieline.comhttp://lovelypackage.comhttp://lovelystationary.comhttp://designspiration.nethttp://behance.nethttp://pinterest.com/seemaloni/perfect-packaginghttp://www.packagingoftheworld.comhttp://www.vegware.comhttp://www.graphicdirt.com

OTHER REFERENCE MATERIAL (Films, events, exhibitions, conferences)

ACTION PLAN – use this section to identify specific tasks that you need to complete in order to resolve the brief.Brief What do you need to do? Deadline

1D&AD – Ministry of Sound:

– Typeface/logo design– 3 Typographic based posters– Packaging for a promotional CD

March 9th

(submission)

2YCN – Graze:

– Logo design– Packaging– Promotional mailer – Research the existing brand/packaging

3Fashion Yearbook:

4Cafe/Deli Branding:

5Waitrose:- Research into the Waitrose brand, existing packaging,

6Fashion Branding

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