DISTINCTION DESIGN BOOK
JAMES WILLSHER
WHAT JOBS EXIST IN GRAPHIC DESIGN?
DIGITAL DESIGN
PRINT MEDIA
BRANDING
With the digital revolution now in full effect, and with certain parts of the industry, such as print, in a decline because of it, there is now a higher demand for digital designers in the graphics industry. This come in many different forms, and with different titles.
With print being the original form of Graphic Design, there are many jobs within this sector of the industry. Although the print industry is slowly dying because of the digital industry, there is still a big demmand for designers in print.
Branding is a form of design which incorporates both aspects of print media and digital design, focusing on the image of a brand/company.
These job’s can include:
These job’s include :
- Web Designer - Web Development - App Designer - UI Designer - UX Designer - Game Design - Game Development - 3D Design - Broadcast Designer
- Editorial Designers (handling layouts for books, magazines, newspapers, brochures etc) - Screen Printers - Letter Pressing - Music (Album Design, Posters, Flyers) - Visual Journalist - Content Developer - Typographic Designer - Production Artist - Illustrator
These job’s include : - Interior Design - Logo - Strategy - Marketing - Advertising (Print and Digital) - Campaining
This is image shows Studio Dumbar’s work for the Dutch Police in 1992. Their aim was to produce a strong sense of authority, whilst also recognisable as the police force. This rebrand is still being used today, and has won many awards.
DESIGN COMPANY RESEARCH
STUDIO DUMBAR
This is a brochure which Studio Dumbar created for Alzheimer Nederland, an Alzheimer insitution. They created a strong visual identity for the charity, using bold type with ‘vanishing points’ to represent the idea of alzheimers.
Studio Dumbar is an International Graphic Design agency, with Dutch heritage., specialising in branding., founded in 1977 by Gert Dumbar. With the growth of the company, they now situate in 3 countries, with their offices in Rotterdam, Shanghai, and Seoul. Studio Dumbar focus on creating visual expressions for companies online, and off, with an emphasis on strategy, communication, branding, and process-management. The company hires a range of international designers and creatives, with 7 nationalities in their Rotterdam office alone, to create a diversity in their portfolio. Studio Dumbar deal with a variety of clients, both large and small, from business and government, to cultural and non-profit.
This image was created by Studio Dumbar for Amsterdam Sinfonietta, visualising the emphemeral nature of music. This award winning design, with it’s modern identity and driven by bold logotype, is part of the visual image created for the independant music enseble to reflect the identity of the music.
I particularly like Studio Dumbar, as they work a lot with typography and in print media, however also work within digital media too. I also like how they help (dutch) governement projects too increasing the governments visual identity to be design concious and aesthetically pleasing.
This is a logo created for Nike, to promote Nike’s snowboarders football event in the Alps. The design uses a very clean design aesthetic with a straight to the point visual meaning.
DESIGN COMPANY RESEARCH
I LOVE DUST
This is a magazine cover for a suppliment which comes with The Guardian Newspaper. This particular copy of the magazine featured the American phsycadelic pop band, ‘Yeasayer’. I think the design reflects the idea of the band, emphasising on the idea of the pop culture behind the group. I Love Dust is a design agency which origniated in Southsea, and now has two offices, in Southsea, and Shoreditch. The company describes itself as a multi-disciplinary design boutique, specialising in creative solutions. The company has a range of functions to offer, including Design, Illustration, Typography, Packaging, Branding, and Animation. This gives I Love Dust a very diverse field of work in their portfolio. Describing theirselves also as “Trend Predictors”, it’s clear that I Love Dust is on point with staying up to date with what is visually appealing at the time and pushing it further to inspire other companies. The company now employees international designers to work alongside their British employees, collaberating both in-house and with global brands to creative innovative designs. I Love Dust is an award winning creative agency, working with some high-profile clients, such as Nike, Red Bull, and MTV, whilst also putting out a lot of their own products to the public. This is a typeface created by I Love Dust for Nike, to help promote their running equiptment. This was used to spell to create designs for t-shirts and such. I think this works really well and gives of the clear idea of the letterform, and the aspect of running.
DESIGN COMPANY RESEARCH
EFFEKTIVE DESIGN
This is a promotional design from a series Effektive created for The National Theatre of Scotland. The designs were produced into a5 fold out flyers, and a2 posters. Using simple type and photographic imagery to relate to the context, I think these work really well and reflect the level of maturity behind a theatre well.
Effektive Design, is a design company which is currently located in Glasgow, Scotland. The company is a diverse creative collective, which describe themselves as ‘a young, but established design and ideas studio’. The company works in areas such as; Identity & Brand Development, Print Design & Production, Digital Design, and Design for Environment, but also offer services in other areas. This gives them a diverse portfolio, with high profile clients. The company was founded by creative director, Greig Anderson, after gaining 7 years experience in both Glasgow and Sydney.
Ironically, this is a design that Effektive Design have created to promote themselves to companies they approach. This is a fold out piece which gives information as it unfolded and de-constructed. I really like the design aesthetic, using a limited ammount of colour, and the use of a grid structure.
This is an example of the branding which Effektive created for a creative agency called ‘Boost’, based in Toronto, Canada. From creating the logo, to producing a theme for brochures, stationary, letters, etc, they created a strong identity. I really like the use of the triangle in the logo, and it’s repetition in design in different sizes, to subtly emphasise the logo.
What I particularly like about the company is how they work in a design aesthetic to which I favour, using simple shape and colour, often with the combination of photographs, built up with a strong grid structure, and a simple sans serif typeface. But whilst being very simple, being very pleasing and outstanding.
DESIGN COMPANY RESEARCH
BERG
This is a promotional flyer for a celebration for Berg’s online screen print shop, Editions of 100, in colaboration with the clothing store, Urban Outfitters. The prints which were for sale at the exhibition are all designed in a similar aesthetic, and incorporate other mediums to compliment the clothing store’s raw environment.
Berg is another design agency, based in Scotland. The design company specialises in; Branding and Identity, Digital Design, Editorial Design, Environmental Design, Publish, and Public Art. Unofrtunately, there was not much about their background on their website, however, there was a lot I liked about them - They use a simple design aesthetic, with clear influences from european design styles such as Swiss and Dutch. - They have a mixture of clients, with high profile clients such as The Tate, and Urban Outfitters. - Have a portfolio of mainly print and brand based work, which is the side of design which I prefer most.
This was a collaboration with another design company, named O Street, for the Scottish Mental Health Arts Film Festival, 2011. Having been given a tight brief, and told they had to use the existing imagery, Berg created an identity inspired by the exisiting logo for the corporation. Using the idea of the two angles in the logo, the main imagery in the design, with the use of type, takes on the same idea. I think the clean and strongly legible.
This a published book for the photographer Daniel Freytag. The idea behind the design applied, was to give a neutral feel which would compliment the images, and retain a focus on the images, considering tone, colour and compisition. The book in consistant within in style, using simple ideas such as the repetition of a dot, to represent the lens of a camera.
This is some design done to support the branding of V&A’s retail sector. Using the existing logo for the V&A, WNA to it further adding dimension to the design, and putting imagery into the 3rd dimension. They also experimented with the stock the design was applied to, to increase the idea of ellegance.
DESIGN COMPANY RESEARCH
WHY NOT ASSOCIATES
This is an example of branding by WNA for a Belgian, where they produced everything, from the name, identity, and brand guidlines. Why Not Associates is a British based Design Company, located in London. With almost 25 years of experience, WNA works with clients large and small, and from business, government, and the public sector. Some of their clients include Nike, Virgin Records, and The BBC. WNA is a company which is always update with the current design styles, whilst also containing elements from existing styles, such as Swiss and Dutch design. Their services include: - Corporate Identity - Digital Design - Motion Graphics & Television - Commercial Direction - Publishing & Editorial Design - Environmental Design.
This is a quarterly fanzine produced for London College of Fashion, which showcases the students work in a different aesthetic each issue. This version is in a fold out form, with a limited colour pallette, and using simple grid structures and illustrations, which I think works really well. I have a particular interest in fanzines and this caught my attention.
What I particularly like about WNA, is that their portfolio includes a lot of editorial work, which is a sector of Graphic Design which I’m particularly interested in. They also utilise an aesthetic which I can relate to in my own work.
COLOURFUL CHOSEN TARGET COMPANY -
CONCEPTUAL AL I
TY
KEY FEATURES
OR
IG
E AG
IN
IM
Having chosen to target Studio Dumbar, I have taken not of the 8 most important factors I think will need to be regarded in producing a piece of work suitable for them. Although these are very basic areas, I think it is important there is a emphasis on all of them.
TYPE
SA NS
T IS RN
DE
MO
SE RI F
STUDIO DUMBAR
DUTCH DESIGN
DESIGN IDEA ONE -
MASK ILLUSTRATION
The idea of using a mask within a piece of work to promote myself provokes the reciever to find out who is behind the mask. My idea for this design would be to take a photograph of myself, and also illustrate/ create a mask to layer over the photograph. The more layers involved would be better to slowly reveal my identity.
DESIGN IDEA TWO -
ZINE/POSTER
This is an example of a zine, which on one side of the print, contains the spreads from the zine, but when onfolded, contains a poster on the under-side. Obviously, this illustrated example is not visually what I would want to produce, and the size/shapes is not necessarily how I want to produce the zine either, but I think it could be an engaging product.
DESIGN IDEA THREE -
ORIGAMI/FOLD
The idea of using origami/folds as the starting point for my project is due to my obsession with folding paper. Usually out of boredom, frustration, or impatience, it is something that also reflects my love for precision and angles. There is much more that I can do with this idea other than just use the folds to produce a product.
DESIGN IDEA FOUR -
LAZER CUTTER
Having used the laser cutter for a previous project (see calendar photo), I have always wanted to use the machine again. I thought producing a poster or some sort of promotional piece on the laser cutter would be experimental and give the recipetent something different. It also not as easy to throw away and discard as it’s not something you can just put in the paper bin.
ENVELOPE A5 FLYER
DESIGN IDEA FIVE -
PACKAGE
A6 FLYER
POSTER
Inspired by the promotional packages ‘Don’t Panic’, found in major cities such as Brighton and London, containing flyers, posters, and other promotional products, I thought I could re-create a similar product, focusing on promoting myself. I think this could work succesfully as it will make me work in a variety of shapes and sizes, and will focus mainly on type and image.
SERIES DESIGN IDEA SIX -
TYPE
ON CA TI AP P
LI
E AG
This is a brain-storm of a few aspects I considered being the stamp.
IDEAS
IM
To emphasise the stamp, I thought the stamp could be produced to an over-sized stamp, in which you could add a wick and then use the stamp as a candle.
MULTICOLOURED
I had the idea of producing a wax stamp as they are regarded as being high class and give a personal touch to a letter.
IG
CA
-B
ND L
E
ZE SI
WAX STAMP
SCENT
DESIGN IDEA SEVEN -
MODEL
This idea considers creating a model of myself, reflecting the illustrative side of me. This could then be supported by printed work, which can emphasise on the attributes of Studio Dumbar. This is an example of a model I’ve already created. This was made using a medium called “Super Scupley”.
DESIGN IDEA EIGHT -
SCANNER CAM
This idea is to create imagery using my scanner. Using a scanner to create the imagery reflects a sense of fun in my character, but also being experimental and different. I’ve also found a modification online which allows you to use a scanner to capture imagery from a longer range, however, this modification seems quite time consuming and may not be as succesful as anticipated.
DESIGN IDEA NINE -
PHYSICAL ITEM
Inspired by an article in the free magazine, Plus 1, this idea is regarding sending a physical item to company, unpackaged and with a sense of contraversy and risk. Within the postal system, the item could become bruised/ broken, but it’s the idea of risk I like. Unfortunately, as Studio Dumbar is in Rotterdam, I don’t think this would work sucessfully.
IMAGES FROM PLUS 1 MAGAZINE ISSUE 11
This is an idea of what the very basis of the product would look like. I think I’d back the actual design with this, using sandpaper as the ignition for the match.
DESIGN IDEA TEN -
FLAMMABLE POSTER
This image taken from the book, “Experience”, by Sean Perkins inspired this idea of giving the reciever the idea of burning the image.
This idea is to allow the recipitent (Studio Dumbar), to be given the opurtunity to burn my work, with the suggestion coming from me. I think this could be an engaging and thought provoking idea, and could be related with the idea of me being a bit crazy and sinister. The only thing is, that it could be slightly hazardous, and might turn out quite simple and slightly boring.
PRODUCING A GRID
Whilst still considering what I was going to produce, I wanted to use the decision maker as a starting point. From here, I then converted the folds used to create the simple origami into a grid. This grid structure has a big appeal to me as it uses 45 degree angles which is an interesting angles to work with. I also think the connection can transfer to my personality and my habits, and influenced the project later on.
OUTLINE
SHADING
GRID EXPERIMENTS
This is a set of experiments produced using the decision maker grid I created. By just playing around with bitmapping the image, I created some imagery which could go on to influence the direction of my design, whether it’s used as a texture or a background, or part of a collage.
LES - JAM G N E A
J.W
Carrying on from the production of the grid structure, I thought I would then create an identity for myself.
TYPE AND UT O
PRODUCING AN IDENTITY
LES - JAM NG E A
LLSHER D WI E
- ALL A B GN SI
S
J.W
I first thought of producing a logo which could be included in any form of work I chose to select. This then transcended into the idea of creating a stamp which I could put on the products packaging, or use in other ways which were suitable.
J.W
TYPE AND UT O
LES - JAM G N E A
J.W
LLSHER D WI E
TYPE AND UT O
Using my initials within an angle to emphasise the idea of my style being focused on typography, and angles.
J.W
J.W
- ALL A B GN SI
S
J.W
- ALL A B GN SI
S
LLSHER D WI E
A simple logo using the a speech bubble shape to host my initials. Less meaning behind the idea but can also work with the idea of me being talked about.
With the basis being the decision maker grid, this is my favourite J.W logo, creating the subtle idea of type and angle, whilst also looking original and elegant.
J.W
This design is a development from the initial design, utilising the angle to point towards my name, and then the type supporting the idea of the logo.
This logo is less representative of me, however, I thought the idea of axes could give the sense of hard work, reflecting my work ethic.
This final logo is a very simple logo, however utilises the 45 degree lines from the grid structure.
IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT -
STAMPS
After producing the logos to use within my work, to give an idea behind a branding of myself, I took the designs over to the laser cutter, to produce a variety of stamps. Intentionally, I wanted to create the stamps to work with wax, to create a high quality finish on my product, however, the materials I made the stamps out of (one set out of acrylic, the other wood), did not work with the wax. However, they are still useable as regular stamps which I think look really nice and give a hand-finished touch. This example is of the wooden stamps as they work better than the acrylic.
TYPE
IN PACKAGING THEME DE MA CIS KE ION R
TI RA
ST
LU VE
This is a brain-storm of a few aspects I considered being the stamp.
IDEAS
IL
To emphasise the stamp, I thought the stamp could be produced to an over-sized stamp, in which you could add a wick and then use the stamp as a candle.
TS BI
I had the idea of producing a wax stamp as they are regarded as being high class and give a personal touch to a letter.
HA
ZINE IDEAS
IN FO RM AT IO N
IRONIC
DOUBLE SIDED
SCAN IMAGES
This is a series of portraits which I created, utilising a scanner as a camera. As the light source of a camera slowly moves along the device, an momevent in the exposure creates a malfunction in the end product. Experimenting with the way I moved during the exposure, I created a range of images in which I choose from to add a perculiar portrait into my product.
I have chosen to use the image in which I’m wearing a balaclava, as it restricts my identity, but with the use of glasses, exposes one of my characteristics. I’ve put it into a lined halftone effect with a 45 degree angle to emphasise the elements of my grid.
ZINE LAYOUTS
Portrait 8 page zine
When creating my zine, I want to be able to make it out of one sheet of paper, allow to produce a series of pages and for the zine to be unfoldable into a poster. The best way to achieve this is by folding the page into two colums of four, then cutting down the center of the colum between the middle four pages. I can either create a portrait paged zine, or a sqaure zine. To be able to utilise my grid structure however, I chose to
use the sqaure zine. I think this will work nicely to create an less ordinary spread format.
Square 8 page zine
PACKAGING GRID
To encase my zine, and act as a package, I want to create something emphasisising on the idea of folds in my project. To do this, I folded a piece of paper to create a square space in the center. This works well as it leaves the zine at a 45 degree angle, which fits with my decision maker grid structure. The next stage is to create a design for the packaging.
In the bottom three images, you can see the development of imagery which moved onto my final design, using halftone and photographic imagery.
E
BOUT T YP LA AL
Playing around with the basis of the grid, working along with the idea of shading within the design, I experimented a variety of design styles and ideas.
AMES WILL -J S R DESIGN HE
W
J.
This is a selection of design ideas which I created for the inside of the packagaing.
D ANGL AN ES
PACKAGING DESIGN IDEAS
REVERSE PACKAGING DESIGN IDEAS
This is the development stage for the outside of my packaging. To create and element of revelation within the product, I dropped elements of the inside design leaving a stronger emphasis on the idea of the grid. The bottom two images are the final designs chosen for the packaging.
HOW TO MAKE A DECISION MAKER
For the pages of my zine, I wanted to use the creation of the decision maker, the basis of my grid, as a background for the pages. This is a demonstration of how the decision is made in 6 steps. which suitably works with the ammount of spreads that I have in the zine. I like how the shapes slowly decreases in size. and takes on a variety of shapes with different line structures.
ZINE DESIGN IDEAS
These images are the development of designs for my zines. I started with the front cover being the center of the packaging, as I think it worked well to link the two together. I then started to think about what information I was going to present, and the way I was going to present it, along with the idea of not putting an information to emphasise the designing.
ZINE DEVELOPMENT
ZINE DEVELOPMENT
FINAL ZINE DESIGN
Through the design process, I have come to this as my final zine design. Using the creation process of a decision maker as the background to my design, with the halftone portrait as the fill, I have involved type with my information which fits in the structure of the grid.
REVERSE POSTER DESIGNS
This is a series of ideas for the poster on the reverse side of my zine. My idea was to reveal the full image, with a small ammount of type with my name. In these images, I mainly play around with the type, with the left image utilising the grid structure created from the decision maker.
FINAL REVERSE POSTER DESIGN
In the end, I chose to keep the design simple for the poster, allowing the majority of the image to be revealed. To achieve this, I just added a small ammount of type, and my logo into opposing corners.
PACKAGING SIZE 420mm x 420mm
FINAL DESIGNS ZINE SIZE 292.8mm x 585.6mm
This is my final designs for the package, and I’m really happy with how it all turned out. You can still see a clear idea of the folding grid, which was the starting point of the designing process. I particularly like the way in which the package slowly reveals me and the image of me, with each layer revealing more about the way in which I design, and actual information about me.
JAMES WILLSHER DISTINCTION/DESIGN PROCESS GRAPHIC DESIGN/SOUTHAMPTON SOLENT