New from Old 2

Tapioca.

I have decided to re-brand Tapioca, I think this product is going to be the least popular, as nobody really likes it.

Initially I wanted to try and push Tapioca as a natural product, emphasizing the use of eco-friendly processes and bio-degradable packaging. I would be aiming this at people who experiment with new foods, mainly vegetarians/vegans and people conscience of healthy eating.

After discussing this idea with Justin we decided that these is the area of people who would already be buying this kind of product so all I would be doing is pushing the advertising in the same direction which doesn't really answer the brief.

Now I was heading in the right direction and knew my demo graph I started to lay down some design ideas. I wanted to promote different types of Tapioca in a slick and up to date style to attract a new type of people to try it. Many people probably don't know how much you can do with Tapioca pearls, sticks, flakes, and powder, so I would include a leaflet in each box with a quick recipe for a dessert or as an addition to a main course.

I tried black to represent slick and elegant. I will also try these packages in different colours.

Suttles Website Brief

After replying to an email sent out about a live brief to design a website for Suttles, a company that owns quarries and sells stone online, I received an email with the full details including company logo and layout requirements. Suttles had just had a re-brand so they want to incorporate this feel throughout the website.

I met with Matt Desmier and we discussed how I would approach the project and to make sure it can run along my uni work. I am now in contact with Emma Ansell from Mushroom Marketing who wrote the brief. We have organized a meeting for next week so we can discuss the project in more detail.

I am only required to do the layouts for this website as they have people in house to do the back end stuff.

New from Old

Another day, another brief. We were given a list of food items that we see as redundant and we have to re-brand one. We need to either market this item as new and improved or collectible and retro.

I haven't settled on which I am going to use yet but I am swaying towards a couple.

I recently an article in CR about Golden, a design company that has formed from the collapse of The Designers Republic and they recently did a re-brand for Lurpak.

Robert Louis Stevenson.

Our next brief for this unit involved each of us choosing a name from a hat and then designing stationary for that person. I got Robert Louis Stevenson, the author and poet.

Research research research. I have read a couple of his books but too long ago to really remember so I ventured out to Boscombe to explore the charity shops. First second hand book I came to... 2 mint condition early edition hard backs.

After reading up some stuff on the internet and reading his 'Essays of Travel' I started sketching out ideas for a design. I wanted to use a traditional serif typeface to represent his time in England so I decided on Baskerville. He also spent a lot of time in Somoa, the place in which he called home, so I included a traditional Somoan design which would be embossed on the business card.

A kind off ivory card would be used for the business cards and a heavy weight paper for the compliment slip and letter head. I have shrunk the business card down to 55mm x 55mm as a lot of the Somoan art is circular and symmetrical, and this size would still fit your wallet.

Here's a rough version of what I want my designs to look like.

Ken Deegan

Check out Ken Deegan's work. He just completed a 4 year Vis Com course.

Ken Deegan

Thank you!

As the first part of Visual Communication in Context 2 with were given a short brief about saying Thank You. We were given the opportunity to say thank you to someone, we have to consider why we want to say thank you and what would be the best way of communicating this.

After lots of thought I decided to thank Tim Berners Lee for inventing the internet. I thought this was fitting as most of us use the internet everyday and don't even think about it. I though the best way to communicate this message was by building a basic website showing my thanks and giving people the opportunity to say thank you for something they use everyday and probably couldn't live without.

I am experimenting with text and layouts at the moment, so once that's done I will get it ready for the web.

Kate Moross

With brands like Lynx, Pepsi, Cadbury and Topshop filling her portfolio, Kate Moross is really turning some heads. I love the way her style flows across everything from photography to illustration and animation to layouts.

Kate Moross

2009 Pentawards Winners

The only competition devoted solely to Packaging. I think Turner Duckworth's new Coke Cans are sweet! and if you scroll down to near the bottom there is some beautiful work by French design agency Partisan Du Sens.

2009 Pentawards

Wax on, Wax off, Wax on again.

We have been trying hard to get the SurfWax all sorted in time for some crisp winter surfing. Having some more samples sent from California and some new contacts made through Tradekey in China are proving pretty reliable.

Once wax passes the test we have to decide on scent we want and shape of the block. Thinking standard block is best because it will be easier to package. Still going to use old JEP (Jersey Evening Post) as source material, but are going to have to coat it with something to stop it sticking.

I have been busy working on the text for the labels which we are printing with a stamp that we are getting made and still need to look into inks that are suitably eco friendly.

We have a couple of retail outlets willing to trial the wax and a friend of ours in Jersey at NUTZ Surfboards is also keen to be involved.

30 creative and unusual wine label designs

Photos.

Here's a few shot from my 35mm Pentax. Shot last year but just developed them.

Some sketches, just testing out the tablet.

Flexaret Illustration.

I hadn't used my Wacom in a while so I dusted it off and had a little sketch.

What The Font!!!!

We all know them times when there's a font and we just can't find what it is! Well here's the solution.

WhatTheFont

You can upload an image, whether it be a label from a wine bottle or a photo of a road sign and it will find what the font is or it's closest friend. If this doesn't work, you can upload the image into the forum and let font geeks from around the world do the hard work for you. Bloody useful.

Back Again.

With summer fading rapidly in my memory we are back to start our 2nd year Visual Communications. So new year and I have decided to start a new blog(but please, don't forget to check out the old one at www.olliebartlett.blogspot.com)

Summer for me was filled with activity, managed to get away to France for a few weeks to sample the delights in Hossegor and spent the rest of my time working my ass off! But boy was it worth it.

Beginning of June we, meaning me and my girlfriend, decided to start a company. I would use what I had learnt in the past 4 years as a designer and she would massage my feet and feed me cheese as I worked. I spent the next month or so starting a brand. CreativeMedicine. The thought behind it is that we are creating design to make you feel better , in a somewhat dull environment a little injection of creativity can really transform things.
I won't go into the whole story because I am quite tired, but it is going well, we focused our energy on designing and printing clothing as a way to get the name out there, good quality clothing, sick designs and industry standard printing. We sold enough over the summer months to look into expanding with possibly a small studio in Jersey. We have been in talks with surf & street wear shops and are soon to be supplying to some small retail outlets.
Along side this I have had some other work doing illustrations for a zoo and branding work for a variety of companies. Our most recent venture is SurfWax, we are having samples made of various waxes to test then we are going to package them using recycled newspaper and stamp them with vegetable dye ink with the website.

So all in all a pretty productive summer. I am excited about some fresh briefs to see what this year will bring.