Evaluation

Firstly i would like to state that this project was a great project. Not only was it fun, it also helped me gain confidence and also i felt it helped me to progress my skills further in the design segment. The fact that this project was a live brief to design the Central Bedfordshire College refectory really made it more interesting. We got to design for a client that was going to put our efforts into use for something that we will later see everyday. This is what really inspired me to try and come up with really unique and creative ideas and designs that will not only link with my clients requirements but impress the students that see it. 

The most important stage that inspired me the most throughout this project was research. I had to go off and do some detailed primary and secondary research on the refectory as it stands, cafe's and restaurants and other things in these places that were stated in the client brief e.g logos. This stage was a great experience as i got to see different things such as layouts, signage and other aspects relating to their company which helped inspire me to closely relate my final designs to my clients requirements. I did this by keeping my colour scheme almost the same as costas. I also gathered inspiration from the coffee island menu in regards to the shape and applied it to my menu.

My strength in this project i feel was the design aspect because i got a chance to get really creative in something that i enjoy doing. I feel that this stage was easy going and flowed well for me as it was the fastest part of the project to complete.

My weakness in this project i feel was the research stage. This was boring for me as i don't like going out of my way to find information which made me lack in my research work, however it was an interesting experience when i got into it as i see different things that inspired me for my own designs.  

To make my work even more effective than how it stands i feel i could have put in a lot more effort and also plan my time out a lot better. I feel that sticking within my action plans to keep up a good body of work would of helped this. Also i could have kept in contact more with my client so that i had a real feel of what she liked and disliked about my designs.

Overall this live brief was a thumbs up for me. My reason for this is because it really felt like i was in the industry which is how i want it to be because its practical and also early training for my future ahead.

Final Designs

Design Development Stage (Things i could include)

After gathering all aspects of research and reading my clients brief over, i was inspired more which gave me a better idea of what to include and what not to include in my design development stage.

• Firstly i really like the colour of Costa's logo and so does my client so i could include this colour scheme throughout all my designs to keep the flow.
• Secondly i could include a creative way to show the menu of hot and cold drinks such as different shapes of the menu just like coffee island so customers automatically pick it up and look.
• Thirdly i could include simple but effective text that my client wanted me to add so it can be easily read and also look good at the same time.
• Lastly i could include my own made imagery to be placed on certain signage to give it a better effect an also more noticeable.  

Corporate Identity

At this stage we had a deep class discussion as to what is and makes up a corporate identity. We came to a final decision about what makes a corporate identity. Its not just about the branding and the logo as it goes deeper, Its more about the communication that personifies the personality and character of a brand. We looked deeper into the personality aspect and came up with some ideas on what main things company's include to give a positive corporate identity. 

These were the things we came up with:

• Logo
• Website
• Sinage
• Uniform
• Straplines
• Music
• Colour
• Employees
• Furnature
• Product
• Building
• Visual Material (Typeface/Brochers)

Apple is one of the most top brands out there at this stage of time and is an example of a strong corporate identity. This image shows one way how they show and change their personality through their logo.

Artist Of Influence

Hannah Firmin

Hannah Firmin is an illustrator, expertised historical and decorative artist, own limited edition prints & artwork for exhibition and many more.

Here this artist uses great creativity in her work which i really like. I feel that using fruits, animals and other objects in her work really set off a formative look which jraws your attention however her designs dont really look modern which makes the images look boring. This artist uses deep and bold colours which i feel makes it stand out and also helps enlightens your mood a little.

The colours bold colours used i might consider in my own design because it really stands out and helps catch the eye. 

http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/HannahFirmin/gallery/0

Alex Broeckel

Alex Broeckel is a professional designer with a background of 12 years as a professional 3D Artist. He spent most of his time building and lighting digital environments for the entertainment industry. He worked as a Lighting Technial Director on famous movies like Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban & Roman Polanski’s Oliver Twist.

Here I like this artists type of work because of his unique creativity which really shows in his work. I feel that the digital creativity really stands out and makes you want to see more as his work really is outstanding and interesting. Creating things that are quite bizarre such as adding a tree with some land around a bottle really sets a great effect that goes really well together to create an amazing and rare piece of work.

Having creative images like this would go well on the advertisement posters as they will draw a lot of attention because of the uncommon media used. 

http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/AlexBroeckel/gallery/0

http://www.boostinspiration.com/illustrations/fantastic-illustrations-and-concept-art-by-alex-broeckel/

 

Sam Bevington

 

 

 

Sam Bevington is a London based Illustrator, Designer and sometime Animator
specialising in poster design and custom type.

 

I quite like this artists work style because of the unique look he presents. I feel that the colours used are great as they are very bright and positive which is great as it catches your eye which then engages you to his work. I feel that putting his designs on newspaper is different but really looks superb because of the creative look it gives. The type used in most of this artists work is nice and bold which makes it easy to read, it is an extra feature that draws attention and also makes his work bounce out at you.

 

The type used is bold and thick which I may consider in my designs as this feature helps attract attention and also makes no problem when reading.

http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/SamBevington/gallery/0

http://thebevlak.com/

 

 

 

 

The Refectory (Now)

This is Central Bedfordshire College's refectory as it stands at this moment of time before the final re-branding.

Here in our refectory as you can see the main colour scheme are shining primary colours. These colours i feel really give the refectory a bright look which does lighten up your mood however the colour used dont suite the purpose nor the audience. My reason for this is that the colours are really intense because of the tone they used which i felt was quite youthful. The refectory is supposed to be a nice place to hang out and eat lunch but i feel the colours dont set of a good environment to make you want to that because they are a little in your face also all the torn posters on the walls make the environment feel cheap and quite immature. The opening and closing times are displayed on a simple piece of A4 paper that has no colour, tedious type with no colour and horrific images which i feel doesn't set no mood which really doesn't make it a welcoming place to be. The menu is also displayed on a simple piece of A4 paper with no colour, boring type with no colour and also no images which i feel doesn't help draw attention from potential customers as it gives no effect and no positive expectations. Right now there is no logo, just a simple red sign that says refectory in white bold type which i feel stands out but looks too simple for the audience the refectory is trying to reach out to.

Colour

Here there are a range of colour experimentation's that i produced on Photoshop to learn the basics of a colour wheel.

First i started off with looking at a basic colour wheel and learning what colours are what and what they are suitable for as these are the colours that i could be using in my final design. After this stage we then had to create our own in pairs which we found a little challenging because we couldn't find the right tone of each colour however it was a great learning process. After understanding the colours we then had to upload a blank colour pattern template to Photoshop and then apply a set of complementary colours. Complementary colours are two colours that are oppersite eachother on the colour wheel so i chose the colour blue and orange. I chose the blue and orange colour scheme because i felt the blue would give it a calm look while the bright orange helping it to loom out. I then had to choose another set of complementary colours to see what other effects it gives. This time i chose the colours yellow and purple. I chose these two colours because the purple looks really mature and healthy while the yellow is very bright and golden which i feel makes it look bold and clean. After understanding complementary colours and how they work we then had to upload one more colour pattern template to Photoshop but this time apply 3 analogous colours. Analogous colours are three colours that are directly beside each other on the colour wheel so i chose one colour to dominate, a second colour to support and a third colour to mix with either grey, white or black which are accent colours. I chose the colour yellow to dominate because it really emerges out which i feel helps catch the eye. I chose the colour yellow green because it looks  natural while looking dynamic with the yellow. The last colour i chose was lime green which i mixed with white to give it a bleached effect. I felt this worked well because it helps the colours in the patterns to stand out while it still looking bright but not overdone.