I have taken extracts from my article that I believe have the strongest messages and portray independence and positivity. I have produced these quotes on Illustrator and have arranged for them to be printed onto T-shirts. I will photograph myself wearing the T-shirts as part of my final magazine design.
Curriculum Vitae
Southcoast Butlers
Live Brief
Myself, Jennie and Mon decided to work together on a live brief for a client Jennie knows. Southcoast butlers provides a luxury topless male waitor service for parties and special occasions. We emailed the owner to see if he would be interested in us working on a promotional offer and new drinks menu/mobile bar service for his company, he responded positively and was open to any ideas we had to offer. We analysed menus from different resteraunts/bars and also looked at the ingredients on various luxury cocktail lists to get inspiration for our own menu. We created some illustrations of cocktails which were hand rendered, however we didnt actually end up using them, instead we opted for a background which showed the torso of a male as this reinforces what the company is representing. Overall we felt pleased with the layout and typeface, it is bold and eye catching without being too over the top or stereotypical. We thought the promotional offer would definitely attract more business as the prices for this service are usually quite high. Klynton, the owner of the company responded positively and really thanked us for our work, he really liked the idea of the mobile cocktai bar which would be able to be brought to peoples houses and venues where needed and this is an idea he is considering putting into action for the summer.
Final Piece Proposal
Having researched superstitions, astrology and psychic readings, I have decided to produce a magazine or magazine insert for my final piece. Rather than focusing on others people’s experiences, I have witnessed the subject first hand. I will talk about my own experiences having seen a psychic and Reiki therapist to discover the truth in divination (predicting the future). I was sceptical about booking an appointment with a psychic. Before seeing Jackie, a tarot card reader, I entered as a ‘non believer’ but left completely open minded considering how much she knew about my current life. I have kept up to date with my horoscope from the Elle magazine website during the months of March and April and have been surprised by the accuracy. Elle provide monthly, weekly and daily predictions. It could be a possibility to incorporate my magazine with Elle, as either an insert or ‘pack of two’ as they do provide a lot of astrological information. I also think the majority of my target audience would be female, as they are more likely to buy the glossy magazines that provide the horoscopes. Acting as the journalist, I will write an in-depth article on my experiences and some scenarios that have recently happened in my life. The article will be of a ‘chatty’ nature, I will talk about relationships, my current work and money situation and my friends and family and how this is linked to my psychic predictions. I will also discover if as individuals, we make our own good fortune. I will incorporate quirky photography that links to my article and use shout-outs to bring the story to life.
Self Initiated Project: Learning Agreement
I intend to extensively research the history and beliefs behind superstitions, and astrological and psychic readings. I will explore how individuals allow them to become part of their lives and decision-making processes. I will research different methods of psychic reading such as tarot cards, palmistry and tealeaves. I have chosen this subject area as I am often led by superstitions and avoid certain situations regarded as ‘bad luck’ i.e. I would avoid putting an umbrella up indoors and would feel unlucky after seeing one magpie, which I believe would lead to unfortunate events.
I also read my horoscope regularly and try and find the truth within that relates to my everyday life. I will produce a series of contemporary designs that contain the history and beliefs of these subjects and highlight the lengths some people will go to in their search for other worldly inspiration. Superstitions in particular are old myths that have been passed down in generations so it will be a challenge to express this in a modern way.
I do not want to necessarily address these topics too seriously, as I do not want to brainwash people into believing myths or unproven psychical techniques. I will achieve my final outcome by researching current designs within the context of each subject. I will sign up to a website and generate an online survey to get an understanding of how these beliefs affect people’s lives both positively and negatively.
Another part of my research will be to observe people’s behaviours, as it can often be obvious if someone follows a certain set of beliefs that may seem unnatural to others, I will keep notes of these occurrences. During this unit I hope to visit exhibitions to see how existing artists have interpreted superstitions and psychic phenomena. Having never experienced psychic readings, I hope to visit a medium to witness the subject first hand.
I hope to include photography and illustrations to produce a set of designs to support an event and display them in a visually interesting way. I want to create a range of imagery that is inviting and draws in both people who believe in the subject and those who may show a new interest. During this unit, I hope to learn further technical and practical skills. I would also like to improve on my illustrative skills for a series of imagery in my final set.
To manage my time I will produce a timetable to organise my research, ideas generation and producing the final outcome.
Design Bridge
Competition Brief
Brief: To create packaging for a 21st Century Scotch whisky brand that challenges category convention and rituals and appeals to an international female consumer. The Scotch whisky packaging category is steeped in a rich history of codes and imagery. Almost all of the brands we are familiar with started way back in the 1800’s and most still echo that historical period in their physical manifestation. There is an overt theme of masculine prowess, ‘heather and weather,’ ancient castles and a world of ‘glens’ and ‘macs’ of conservative traditions. But what could an authentic, modern Scotch whisky look like in 2012?
Design Bridge asked for students to create packaging for an innovative, new brand that is firmly rooted in the 21st century, is progressive and challenges the category conventions. They are looking for a name that reflects the brand’s positioning (the product is a smooth, premium blend of highland and lowland whiskies sourced from small distilleries).
Due to this particular spirit being a Scotch whisky, I named my product Òrach, the Scottish Gaelic word for golden. This represents both the colour of the whisky and the packaging. I have chosen a feminine bottle shape predominantly made from frosted glass. The logo and floating leaves would be clear glass, as I did not want to stick a label on such an elegant bottle. I have created a clear plastic container for the bottle that displays the alcohol units, ingredients and volume. I believe this would make the perfect gift or for a female whisky drinker.
Website Evaluation
Overall, I am positive that my website reflects me as a graphic designer. Throughout the design process I made many minor changes to improve the navigation and aesthetics of the site. Originally, the banner appeared on the homepage only, I have now copied the banner onto the about and contact page to show continuity. I have also created a non-introductory banner to appear on each of my portfolio pages so people do not feel ‘stuck’ on a particular section. For this reason, I have removed the ‘G.Nash’ logo, which unfortunately did not look as effective as I’d hoped. I also received a comment that the logo slanting downwards portrayed negativity, something that hadn’t previously crossed my mind. After a tutorial, I removed the photograph of myself on my about page to prevent me from being judged as a person, as ultimately my portfolio is the most important feature.
I used Adobe Muse to create my website which had a similar concept to Adobe InDesign. I used a master page for my footer and Tumblr links etc. to appear on each webpage. Muse allowed me to create a sitemap to arrange my home, about, contact and portfolio pages. I was worried that Muse would restrict me from displaying my portfolio affectively but I read the online tutorials and found a slideshow option. I wanted to avoid putting my email address and contact information on my website. Muse itself did not have a contact form, but I was able to insert html from foxyform.com onto my contact page. This website allowed me to choose a form box colour and font to in keep with my website design. The code entered in a text box automatically transformed into my contact form.
Ideally, I would have created my website using Dreamweaver to produce a more professional outcome. However, in the short period of time I did not feel confident with the html coding and was worried that I wouldn’t have a live website ready for the deadline. I would definitely consider extending my knowledge of Dreamweaver to create a new online portfolio once I have graduated.
I will continue to update my website as I produce additional portfolio work. To keep the grid structure, I will update the work in groups of four or add work to my existing pages. I hope to add rollover states on my links which change colour/fade when you hover over them with the cursor. This would mean creating two separate layers in Photoshop and inserting them into Muse. I would be given the option of changing the normal, rollover, mouse down or active states. I may receive feedback from my contact form, so I will be prepared to make changes if advised.
To summarise I have enjoyed the challenge of making my own website and am very pleased with the outcome. It was interesting to explore the history of the web and how web designers go to great lengths to get their websites high rankings. I am grateful from the advice given in tutorials and from peers to amend my website for an overall professional outcome.
