OUGD504 Studio Brief 2 | Evaluation

Brief 2 required us to find a Kickstarter project that interested us or somehow engaged us enough to create or recreate a logo for that product/company. The interesting thing about this brief was that it was live, which gave us the opportunity to actually send and pitch our design to the project creator; this was an incentive to think about how this could be done as you’re designing which I found very helpful.

A major thing I learnt from this brief was the importance of having a range of ideas and concepts before deciding on what the final outcome will be, even if they are just rough sketches. In the past I admit that I have come up with an idea at the start of the brief and run with that before even considering any others. Whereas this brief I did pages of sketches and doodles of anything that came to mind; this allowed me to compare and contrast different design ideas to see what worked and what didn’t, merge different ideas and think about how the rest of the branding could work with them. 

My final product was well received by my peers in crit groups and amongst friends which I am extremely glad about but looking back at my final logo design I’m not overly proud of it. When doing research into logo design at the start of the brief I saw a lot of clever use of negative space in shapes and lettering or a hidden aspect of the design that makes total sense once it has been pointed out to you and I wish I had thought of something more like that. I did try with the ‘hidden’ ‘W’ within the mountains but if I were able to take it beyond that I would be happier with the outcome. In the future I will just have to practice and seen time thinking more outside the box when it comes to logo design.

This brief has helped with my development as along the way I realised I was doing things that I hadn’t done in past briefs due to this one being live, such as thinking about how I could explain and convey ideas and how it may be perceived by a client. This will surely help me in future briefs and allow me to hopefully produce a clear, well constructed project.

OUGD504 Studio Brief 2 | Final Logo Idea

This is the final logo for WANDRD. The idea behind it is that it's a mountain top, and the 'snow' forms the letter 'W'. This idea is simlar to a previous design but from feedback received by classmates it was clear that it wouldn't work as a logo.

As well as a mountain top people have said it reminds them of a compass pointing North and an arrow head. These are both positives because they are both very 'adventure' based and fit the brand well.

OUGD504 Studio Brief 2 | Feedback & Development

The first developed idea went down well amongst most people but some interesting points were brought up in regards to the design.

As someone pointed out, due to the quite complex and somewhat detailed design, when it is scaled down, it may lose this detail and become not only unclear what it represents but the whole logo may be unrecognisable. I tested this out and it seemed that this was the case. 

Because of this, I decided that this couldn't be my final resolution because this logo will be used in a small scale on things such as bags and badges. Although I initially liked the design, it was clear that it wasn't suitable and that when designing a new one I need to take what I have learned here and apply it, making sure I consider all possible sizes and uses.

OUGD504 Studio Brief 2 | Type Choice

When it comes to the type choice for this brand I set out a few that I had in mind and decided to pick from there and also get the opinion of others.

OUGD504 Studio Brief 2 | Developed Idea 1

This logo was my favourite idea that I had and I thought that it would be my final submission.

The Shape

The logo is in a rounded diamond shape to represent a camping badge or patch that may be found on a bag, jacket or tent which links to the 'adventure' lifestyle. The stamp could also be linked to a passport stamp. It is like proof that something got done.

The Design

At the top of the design are four rows of horizontal lines; these represent the sky and the clouds. 

At the bottom are waves to represent water and the ocean. Then in the middle are mountains that also make the letter 'W' for WANDRD.

Development

When it came to putting the logo together it was quite straightforward for the majority. The only bit that caused difficulty was the water section. It took a few different variations before getting to the final one that can be seen above. The reason for this is that a few of the early ideas didn't clearly communicate that it was water at the bottom, or when the size was altered it looked strange. 

After feedback was taken into account and the logo developed, a final design was decided upon. The final logo had to be very accurately aligned and spaced to make sure the minimal aesthetic worked. If something was out of place or too close together, it would look messy and look simple rather than minimal.  

In the final logo each section (sky, mountains, water) take up 1/3 of the diamond. This is relevant as the rule of thirds is linked to the golden ratio which can be seen in nature and is a big part of WANDRD's brand and the concept of this logo.

Final Design

OUGD504 Studio Brief 2 | Sketches

After some initial research it is best to fill a page with possible ideas. By just drawing whatever comes to mind, it means there are more ideas and more designs to choose from. At this point there are no good or bad ideas, that can be decided later. 

What I was aiming for:

Before I started sketching I already had a very vague idea of what sort of logo I wanted; I wanted it to be an icon, very simple and very modern. Although this was in my mind when putting pen to paper, anything that I thought of after one sketch, I immediately drew that as well, even if it didn't fit my 'simple and modern' idea.

OUGD504 Studio Brief 2 | Specific Brand Research | Shore Projects

I feel like WANDRD's current logo doesn't really represent how they describe their brand. Their logo is just type, sans-serif, with the 'W' and the 'A' joined, sometime in a black box. To me, this is very sterile and formal, not at all 'adventurous' or appealing as a creative, which is who they're aiming the bag at. I did some research into some modern out-doors brands such as Topo Designs, Alpine Modern, and Shore Projects.

Another brand I really like and think will inform me on my design decisions is 'Shore Projects', a watch company that brand themselves on the sea. There logo is very simple and they switch from using the icon to the logo-type very often.

OUGD504 Studio Brief 2 | Specific Brand Research | Element

I feel like WANDRD's current logo doesn't really represent how they describe their brand. Their logo is just type, sans-serif, with the 'W' and the 'A' joined, sometime in a black box. To me, this is very sterile and formal, not at all 'adventurous' or appealing as a creative, which is who they're aiming the bag at. I did some research into some modern out-doors brands such as Topo Designs, Alpine Modern, and Shore Projects.

Element

This is Element's logo that hasn't changed in about 20 years. Element are very environmentally friendly and brand themselves based on the fact that they use sustainable materials for their skateboards and products. Their logo, as you can see, is a tree inside of two circles, I see this as them showing that they are guarding the environment.






Again, I looked into backpacks and found that there is very little branding on them, although there is more than on Topo's.

Element are primarily a skateboarding brand, which means their logo is obviously has to be able to fit onto the bottom of the deck and still be recognisable. With this logo it can be shrunk down to a very small size and still be clearly viewed.

OUGD504 Studio Brief 2 | Specific Brand Research | Topo Designs

I feel like WANDRD's current logo doesn't really represent how they describe their brand. Their logo is just type, sans-serif, with the 'W' and the 'A' joined, sometime in a black box. To me, this is very sterile and formal, not at all 'adventurous' or appealing as a creative, which is who they're aiming the bag at. I did some research into some modern out-doors brands such as Topo Designs, Alpine Modern, and Shore Projects.







Topo Designs

This is Topo Design's 'map' logo. I really like this design in general but I think my favourite aspect of it is the fact it's just lines. The primary colour they use is this red but because it is so versatile they are able to use different colours without losing the detail and the overall brand aesthetic. At first I didn't know it was meant to represent a map, but I still liked it. Then when I saw that it is called 'map' it became clear to me.

As WANDRD are currently focusing on producing backpacks, I then looked into Topo's backpack collection to see how their logo and branding influences the design. As you can see they only have a small patch that includes their logo and their name that is placed at the front of the bag. Although it is only small, the fact that it is placed on a white rectangle on all coloured bags means it is easy to recognise. 

WANDRD describes themselves as 'passionate photographers, travelers, commuters, creators, and explorers' so I feel it is only natural that as the brand grows, it will eventually branch out into other items and accessories for camping and traveling. Topo have done this very well by producing things such as water bottles, camera straps and blankets. The bottles above show how their logo can be easily used in a number of ways, whether it be just the icon, icon and the type or a patterned designed with the logo. 

OUGD504 Studio Brief 2 | My Chosen Project

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wandrd/the-bag-for-photographers-travelers-and-adventurer

I have chosen this project which is a bag for traveling, camera gear, students, and 'adventures' created by 'WANDRD'. I chose this bag as I really like the concept (although not a first) and the design, except from watching their videos and reading up on their brand, I don't feel that their current logo and branding fully communicates what they claim they're about.


WANDRD

'Life wasn’t meant to be planned. It was meant to be lived. There are those who find solace in the comfortable, the road oft traveled - we are not the company for them. We exist to encourage the unexpected, the deliberate leap into the unknown. Yes, we make camera backpacks, but only to provoke the WANDRD'

Video: https://d2pq0u4uni88oo.cloudfront.net/projects/2022702/video-593601-h264_high.mp4

Current Branding: Logo, Type & Colour

This is WANDRD's current logo/logotype. The black, minimal aesthetic, to me, doesn't at all represent or convey the idea of 'adventure' or even anything to do with the outdoors.

I get the concept behind the logotype where the 'W', the 'A' and the 'N' are joined up to represent a path and someone 'wandering' but other than that I think it is very sterile and far too minimal.

I'm not sure exactly what fonts they use but it's again very modern. It's a sans-serif and fairly geometric, the light weight adds to the minimal look. They use the same type for both title and body copy.

When it comes to colour they use primarily black and white, which is very modern and minimal but when it comes to logos it always looks good, although some colour does go a long way in conveying your brand which is why I think it needs improving.

The bottom image can be found on their website and I don't think it fits with their brand at all other than the logotype, and even that has been split into two parts. This is the only image used with colour so it seems out of place. 

OUGD504 Studio Brief 2 | Brief & Initial Thoughts

By the sounds of this brief I think it will be really interesting and engaging, especially the fact that we are choosing a project that is currently in the works and there is a possibility of the work being used in a practical sense by the company/project.

For this project I will start by doing some general logo research, I will look into things such as; what aspects make a 'good' logo? How important is colour? Icon, type or both? This will be my initial research then I will most likely go on to look into more specific brands that relate to my chosen project.

OUGD504 Studio Brief 1 | Evaluation

OUGD504 Studio Brief 1 Evaluation.

On the whole I am happy with how Studio Brief 1 went. I started the brief by researching different types of folds and methods for actually making the leaflet; this contained more research than usual due to the amount of possible ways to make one. In past briefs, such as the poster one at Level 4, there were a number of poster types, but nowhere near the amount of variation as a leaflet. This quantity of research definitely helped me get through the brief and taught me that even when you think you have all the research and information you need, keep getting more. I realised that in the past I gather all my research at the start of my deign process and then move on and don't do any further research after that point. But in this brief I did ongoing research throughout the project and this proved to be very useful; so much so that I realised this is what I should have been doing all along and is definitely what I will do in future briefs.

In regard to my final outcome, I do like it but there are certain elements that, looking back, I would change or plan differently. The plan for my leaflet was for it to be A6 size. This however, wasn’t possible due to the length of my leaflet when it was fully folded out; the university printers can only print double sided on a maximum of A2, where my leaflet needed to be printed on A1. To avoid not having a double sided leaflet I compromised and scaled down my leaflet slightly so it would fit on a A2 sheet, meaning my leaflet is now a tiny bit smaller than A6. In the real world I would not encounter this problem at this scale, but as we are limited to university resources it was unfortunately the case for this project. 

One other thing I would change is my body copy type setting choice. I used Helvetica Neue Light, which on screen looks great and works very well, but even after a few test prints I thought it was ok, but looking back now they weren’t and it still isn’t. When it came to my final print I realised the kerning was too tight, resulting in the type looking messy and untidy, when it should have been spaced out further. Although it doesn’t affect the legibility, it does affect the aesthetic, so if I were to do this project again I would widen the kerning. 

Overall I think this brief has helped me learn a few things that I can use to progress through Level 5 and future briefs; such as thoroughly experimenting with type settings in order to achieve the perfect body copy, research techniques and also working with more colours than just my usual black and white go to. 

OUGD504 Studio Brief 1 | Final Design (Print)

OUGD504 Studio Brief 1 | Final Design (Digital)

OUGD504 Studio Brief 1 | Response to Feedback

I am very happy with the feedback I received for my almost-complete leaflet. The two 'negative'/constructive pieces of feedback were helpful; especially the comment about the justified text. The other (not being able to follow the layout properly) was not a big deal because that was just one person's opinion and I had already experimented the alternative and I, along with other people, thought it looked better while also being easy to follow.

OUGD504 Studio Brief 1 | Crit Feedback Development

Justified Text

A major piece of feedback regarding the leaflet was that the justified text didn't work very well due to the fact there isn't a lot of text, therefor creating large gaps between words. Once this was pointed out it became clear that it was in fact a big issue that needed to be fixed so rather than having the columns justified it was changed to normal. 

Comparing the before and after it is clear to see that changing this was the right thing to do. 

Back Page

For the back page some people said it doesn't have to link directly to the topic so rather than it being more information, a picture works well to fill the space, draw people in but also doesn't look too busy and bold.

The back page is a single picture of a designer's workspace split into rectangles on each page fold. It was done this way because if it was a single picture, the ink would crack and come away from the paper due to all the movement and constant folding. Now it is split into sections, it reflects the different stages of the process and also prevents the ink from cracking.