Micro Genre: Batik Printing

In Africa, where batik was originally imported by Dutch merchants from Indonesia , paste made from starch or mud is used as a resist instead of wax. The most developed resist-dyeing skills are to be found in Nigeria where the Yoruba make adire cloths. Two methods of resist are used: adire eleso which involves tied and stitched designs and adire eleko that uses starch paste. The paste is most often made from cassava starch, rice, and other ingredients boiled together to produce a smooth thick paste. The Yoruba of West Africa use cassava paste as a resist while the Soninke and Wolof people in Senegal uses rice paste. The Bamana people of Mali use mud as a resist.

Batik is a technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to whole cloth, or cloth made using this technique originated from Indonesia. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a canting, or by printing the resist with a copper stamp called a cap. The applied wax resists dyes and therefore allows the artisan to colour selectively by soaking the cloth in one colour, removing the wax with boiling water, and repeating if multiple colours are desired.

Materials

• Pencil and Paper
• Muslin
• Scissors (fabric scissors, if you have them)
• Newspaper
• Drop Coth, Tarp, or Plastic Sheet
• Fabric Dyes
• Containers with Lids for the Dyes
• Water and Whisk (to mix the dyes)
• Beeswax (you can buy specific batik wax)
• Crock Pot or Hot Plate and Pot (to melt the wax)
• Tjanting Needles
• Paintbrushes for Dye
• Latex-Free Rubber Gloves (optional)
• Large Paintbrush for Hot Wax
• Clothes Iron

OUGD503: End of Module Evaluation

When evaluating on this module, it’s important to look at both the successes and the issues that occurred within the module when producing and designing work. The most successful aspects of this module was producing real work and responding to live briefs. Firstly producing real work for real clients was eye opening and it was good to feel a sense of achievement when they liked and approved of your work, especially if it exceeded their expectations. For example when working for a client and producing branding for their events company, it was exactly what they were looking for and when all the work had been produced they couldn’t have been happier and were very grateful. It was also enriching to work alongside a client together, sharing ideas and analysing what works for them and what doesn’t. 

Another aspect of responding to live briefs was working and doing work for real companies, such as the Grown Up Chocolate Company, researching into their existing branding and creating a strong identity which would fit alongside their current one. 

I’ve learnt a lot about branding, the difference between branding, identity and a logo. Working with new forms of graphic design such as branding and packaging was enjoyable and interesting to have that opportunity. I also enjoyed having such a range of briefs to choose from and be able to have time to create commission work and work for other people, rather than responding to hypothetical briefs. 

This module also came out with lots of added positives, firstly winning and being chosen for the Whitecote Banner Brief meant I earned money and also got the opportunity to go into the school and give a talk and also possibly having work experience. This alongside working with real people and companies made me appreciate my work more and recognise my talent much more than in other modules. The work I produced in this module has definitely been my favourite and personally I think it is my best work so far. 

Overall the clients and collaborative partners I worked with were successful with only a few minor hiccups, which made the designing and the module go a lot smoother, it also meant that both sides were happy and it was good to work with different people and meet people from different courses. 

I feel I managed my time well, with this brief more than ever. I managed to fit the briefs I planned to complete from the beginning on time and to my best ability. Leaving enough time for production and photography. It also helped to improve my time management by working to other people’s deadlines such as clients, live briefs and collaborative partners all at different times. 

Some elements which could have been improved were working on one day briefs, it was extremely difficult to complete and be happy with a brief within just one day, therefore the designing nearly always went over a day and actually lasted two or more days. This is something that can be worked on, to help speed up my design process, whilst also creating meaningful designs. 

Some aspects of client work was difficult and testing when they see something different to you, or they want specific aspects of the design changing which you, as the designer, don’t agree with. When this happens you have to learn to accept to listen to the client, but try and encourage them and give them your best advice, but sometimes they still don’t take it.

An aspect of collaborative work which was difficult was finding a collaborative partner in the first place, it was hard to find other students who had enough free time to work on a project. The illustrator was also short for time and therefore some of the aspects of the design, specifically the key visuals. In evaluation I would have preferred these to be more developed and individual to each visual, however I appreciate that the illustrator was busy with other projects.

Finally another aspect of the branding which could be improved was the limited resources available. It would have been better to have the business cards on thicker paper, however we printed them on the thickest paper available to us which was only 300gsm. If this was done again, we could have gone with an outside supplier instead.

In conclusion, this module was great for making me enjoy designing again, working on projects that I enjoy. It was really motivating to make work for clients and real people and for them to be happy with it. Also winning competitions was really encouraging and hopefully I can enter more and do more commission work. It was great working with an illustrator, where we were both able to bring something different to the table and I could focus more on the design work. It was a good way of becoming involved with the university more and meeting new students and people. It tested my time management skills and allowed me to get a grasp of what working freelance would be like. It was also a great chance to get yourself out there and enter well known student competitions. Overall I think this module went really well and was my favourite module so far.

YCN: Submission Boards

Grown Up Chocolate Company Identity: Final Product Shoot

Events Branding: Final Product Shoot

The Grown Up Chocolate Company Identity: Evaluation

When evaluating the design and identity as a whole it was important to relieve some final feedback. Firstly looking at improvements that could be made, specifically with the key visuals. It was mentioned that they were hard to see, especially when placed on the packaging. It retrospect the designs that the illustrator handed over would have ideally been reworked and developed if timescale wasn’t an issue. A bolder, stronger illustration for each of the visuals and also making sure each visual had it’s own unique illustration relevant to the ingredients. Another aspect was the colours, specifically how well they colour scheme went with the colour of the logo. However it was noted that the colour of the logo couldn’t be changed and therefore made it hard to work with. 

Moving on to positive aspects of the design, the illustrations work well as it was noticed that they incorporated both boys and girls in the design, making git appealing to both genders. It was an issue that the designs would be too feminine, however referring to feedback, this wasn’t the case. The typeface and illustrations together were seen to work successfully as all feedback said that it fitted alongside the existing branding without being too similar. The design also achieved the right balance between promoting it as a healthy bar, as well as communicating the existing indulgent, handmade image, the illustrations and colours help to achieve this.

In summary Relive is a strong, wholesome identity which is successful in answering and achieving the aims of the brief. It works well across all media and deliverables, it is innovative and communicates the values of both the bars and brand without shifting too far from the existing brand’s identity therefore it still feels a part of the Grown Up Chocolate Company family. 

Events Branding: Evaluation

When evaluating the final outcomes, the most important aspects is client satisfaction. The client was extremely happy with the designs and couldn’t have wished for anything more. Therefore this shows that the design was successful, in the way that the client was pleased with all aspects of the final outcomes, specifically the logo design and stickers. The client has now applied the logo to social media. The client also thought the designs represented her brand well, therefore the final outcomes were successful in answering the brief and defining the brand. The client also thought that their personality was reflected well through the designs which was an important aspect to them.

 Feedback from other creatives also came back positive, saying that the colours, logo and typefaces represented the brand aims well. The final outcomes achieved the aims of communicating, originality, class with an elaborate design. The design definitely achieves classy and originality, however the elaborate element was hard to achieve due to the nature of the production costs and methods, they needed to be relatively cheap and easy. 

Improvements which could be made are the thickness of the business cards, if there was thicker stock available that would have been more suitable. However the thickest stock was 300gsm therefore we had to make do with what resources were available. Another aspect which needed to be looked at was the reality of printing and producing the packaging. creating a large number of these wouldn’t be sustainable, therefore in the future this would need to be revisited if the brand became successful. 

In summary the design worked well due to the clients satisfaction, the final outcomes were deemed successful, however when produced in the industry there would be different production methods and different stock choices to improve the final outcomes and makes production easier and cheaper. 

Whitecote Banners: Evaluation

When evaluating the designs and taking on board feedback, one main issue was that the yellow colour of independence was hard to see from a distance, however this couldn’t be helped as the colours were set in stone, it was tried to be overcome by using darker tones, however some people still saw this as an issue. 

 The typeface works well as it is friendly and readable especially so for such a broad age group, as long as adults and teachers. It was pointed out that the words written in all capitals may make it harder for younger children to read or comprehend, however from a distance it makes it easier to read and stand out more. 

 The colours work well as they are bright and vibrant, and include primary colours, which from research s an important part of designing with children in mind, it makes the banners more engaging and add colour to what was a dull, grey environment. The white space on the banners balances out the colours and will also brighten up the space as well as adding colour. The touch of emerald green as the border, not only frames each banner and makes the stand out more, it also adds a personal touch to make it unique for their school and be a representation for them. 

 In conclusion the designs worked well, however it is hard to imagine how they would look full size and in the actual space, although mock ups are made, it really needs to be seen in person. The banners represent all the schools morals and manifestos and most importantly, the awards, whilst also making a statement and creating a welcoming space to the school for all ages. 

Penguin Book: Evaluation

When evaluating the design, first of all looking at it’s innovation and uniqueness, it is very different to the existing covers within this genre. It doesn’t use red and only has an image of a pig in a loose term and in a much more conceptual way compared to the other covers.

The colour blue especially makes it stand out, it works well as it contrasts against the shadows and the white type, but also has deeper connotations with the Russian propaganda posters and the idea of night ,which is when the pigs deceived most of the animals.

From feedback it was taken that it is very imaginative, and although readers may not know what it is straight away after reading the book they may have a better idea. The concept behind it was to have a hidden meaning on the front cover to represent the style of the story of an allegory, which means a hidden meaning, moral or story within the book. 

Some criticism was that it was difficult to read on the back cover, therefore may have to make the back cover darker to make the white type stand out more, or create some kind of ornamentation to go behind it so it stand out more. 

In conclusion the design works well and answers the brief, it’s innovative, stands out against the existing covers, and executes a strong use of typography within the title on the front. It also successfully shows knowledge and inside information that only people who have read the book would realise or understand completely. 

Buddy Scheme Logo: Evaluation

Overall the design is successful in answering the brief as when asking in feedback what the design communicates, words such as friendly, relaxed and familiar came to light. The initial aims of the brief to create a welcoming, inclusive design has been achieved. The illustration is  successful in representing the scheme and the coffee cup relates to what the buddy scheme represents and consists of. It reflects a community feel through the way and where coffee is usually drank. It also represents the incentive of being a part of the buddy scheme, receiving free coffee vouchers when attending meetings int he cafe. 

The colour represents the university well and stands out amongst other logos and posters around the university. The typeface is legible and works cohesively alongside the illustration. Another reason the design is successful is the fact that it is in vector form and therefore works well in both print and on screen which was an important aspect of the initial brief.

When evaluating improvements and how the design could be developed further, one aspect would be perfecting the illustration or collaborating with an illustrator to design it. Another would be to experiment with placing the logo around the university and see how it would work within the environment. However due to the nature of this brief being a day brief, time was an important aspect, if there was more then those could have been developed.

Grown Up Chocolate Company Identity: Final Feedback

• Key Visuals - The artwork on the key visuals is hard to see, the design is too intricate. Also would have been better to have a different icon for each to make them more visually different and recognisable, without reading it. Another piece of feedback was to not place all three of the icons on the packaging as if they were to be produced, this probably wouldn't be the case. The designs have already been produced and printed, therefore this feedback will be part of the evaluation of the design and identity. 
• Colour - Feedback about the colour, firstly came back that the grey/taupe colour doesn't work well with the colours of the logo. However they understood that the colour of the logo cannot be changed and it's quite a hard colour to match other colours too. This colour also is harder to see and read and may become lost in the packaging, however mixed feedback said it worked well and then it was visible. When printed more clearly and in better quality it is more visible and clearer. The colour palette of the packaging works well as it's muted and and clearly represents the natural ingredients of the bars.  
• Collaboration - The collaboration worked well, apart from the visual icons, would have liked these to be more individual and a stronger illustration and visual.
• Illustrations - Speak about how to make the packaging and illustrations more gender neutral, seems to have achieved this within the design having illustrations of both men and women. The flowers aren't too feminine and the packaging relates and will be of interest to both men and women.

Grown Up Chocolate Company Identity: Illustration and Layout Change

Grown Up Chocolate Company Identity: Final Landing Page

Buddy Scheme Logo: Similar Logos

• Circular in shape.
• Darker colours.
• Usually monochrome.
• Joined together.
• Cohesive
• Black and white
• Squared shapes
• Illustrations

Grown Up Chocolate Company Identity: A3 Prototype

A practise prototype, trying to print the design at A3 size. This was successful, and works much better than printing the design at A4. All the ratios on the design work well, however the logo and identity name on the front may need to be made bigger. 

 The tasting note and institutional information are much easier to read and the illustrations and text is much clearer at this size also.

Buddy Scheme Logo: Final Design

Buddy Scheme Logo: Final Developments

Further developments of the designs, shows the blue colour being used as this was the most successful as stated in feedback. The two typefaces of Keep Calm and Proxima Nova Alt Bold have been experimented with. Also there has been experimentation of the placement and sizing of the typefaces. 

Below is the chosen successful design, the type sizing works the best and is in proportion. The next steps are to mock the logo up in context to see if it works. 

Buddy Scheme Logo: Further Developments

Below shows further developments, responding to feedback from the previous designs. The designs have been developed and tried out in the different colours and with the most successful typefaces. The most successful colour from feedback is blue, as it's bright, but not too bright and it also represents the university. Another aspect of the colour blue is it represents and stands for the same ideals the buddy scheme exists for. For example, it's reliable, relaxing and approachable. 

After selecting the colour blue for the final design, it was experimented with trying the different typefaces. The issue with the blank and white space in the coffee cup illustration was resolved by moving the words across. It also makes the design more balanced.

Next steps are to experiment with size and placement of the type before deciding on a final design.