My Brand Identity//Development

From my research into whether business cards are still relevant in a digital age, I've decided that they still are and I'm going to create some. I've given a lot of thought to my brand identity, I was originally unsure whether to brand myself as Ness or Vanessa, but I think I will stick with Vanessa. 

People often recognise my hand-writing so I have experimented creating a logo which is my handwriting. I began by writing my name lots of times down on pieces of paper and scanned them in and vectorised it in Illustrator, below are the results. 

However, one thing my friend said to me was that my design work is quite clean and stylish. Which raises the question should my name be hand-rendered? So what I would really love to do (perhaps next weds) is go down to Rossington street and see about embossing my name onto some business cards, which could make it more clean...maybe. However, having my handwriting on a business card I think would give it a personal, friendly feel. 

PPP Update

This morning, John gave us an update on PPP and what we're expected to be doing. Admittedly, I haven't been allowing myself time on PPP and have fallen a bit behind. Some points raised were:

What are my aspirations? 
Seeing and Recording 
Time Planning and Management 
Further work into brand identity 
Looking at creating a creative CV 
Contacting Professionals and Networking 

My ongoing tasks: 

• Reflecting and evaluating 
• Creating Contacts 
• Ongoing commentary on your development as a creative professional 
• Brand Identity 

Looking for Internships

Next year, I would really like to do a couple of internships, and so have begun looking up studios and then emailing people in the hope of finding one in the UK over Easter (Leeds or Exeter) and hopefully one abroad for next summer. At the moment I am thinking currently thinking of NYC, Hong Kong or somewhere in Europe.

Visiting Professional: Evolution Print

This morning, we had Evolution Print visit us. Evolution Print is one of the premier printing houses in the region, formed from the merger of Evolution and Slater Print. The company is headed by Jonathan Newbould and Graham Congreve and employs 38 people. Their clients come in all shapes and sizes as do the jobs they do for them - whether it be a simple short run requirement, a complex printed design or a large-scale multi layered project.

They are commerical prints work with litho printers which work well for high volum print using Aluminium Plates (CMYK) using vegetable based inks. Paper - Gloss, Silk, Matt and Uncoated. 

Things they told us designers/clients get wrong: 

• Bleeds needs to be 3mm
• Business Cards and Spreads need to be single (they do all the pagination themselves) 
• They need a PDF and an original format 
• You can't get a sharp finish on uncoated paper
• Image size 300GPI

Below are examples of their print work they brought in: 

OUGD502: Visiting Professionals/Numiko

Numiko

Today, we had a talk from a visiting professional alumni Thomas Squire, he now has a job in a design studio in Leeds called Numiko. I thoroughly enjoyed the talk and it was great to see someone from our course do so well. He spoke with such passion about digital design and it was good to see what projects they have been working on. 

A point I found interesting was that he said that he hasn't really touched code since uni but he still designs websites, it is useful to know code but not necessary as that can be someone elses job -sigh of relief- 

Visting Professional: Numiko

This morning, Numiko, an award-winning digital agency based in Leeds visited us. I found the talk really interesting, inspiring and also motivating. It was also good as one of the guys, Thomas left Graphic Design at LCA this summer. Their clients include BBC, Channel 4, WaterAid, NHS and more. Below are is an example of the website they have done for Design Council this worked well as a responsive design. Across all devices (desktop, tablet and iPhone) the iconography and positions would change to fit the screen/pixel size and requirements, this would also change when the size of the window was changed. It impressive the amount of huge clients they have as well as the range of styles that they are able to work in well. What shocked me was the amount of considerations that go into the design of the website.

Research into Personal Branding

I've began researching into Personal Branding, I've deliberately been looking at colourful, bright eye-catching ones, as I tend to play it safe with colour. Below is Amanda Mohlin personal branding I found on Behance. I love how she has hand rendered name something I would like to do. It is really punchy and eye-catching, 

LS is the personal identity of Leta Sobierajski, including a logo, business cards and letterhead. The collateral is printed in a set of white and sunshine yellow with a patterned reverse side.

I loved the thought process that went into this Personal Branding: "The idea was to create a personal identity and portfolio. The logo was developed from the initial from my first name where the uppercase ‘D’ would become an addition symbol. I love music and moon so the result when combined musical symbol, uppercase 'D' and full moon together that form simple me."

First Session Back//My Brand

In the first session back with John Watters we looked at our brand identity and how we want to build ours.  We looked in to being individual and executing our branding in a way that portrays us as we would like to be seen, as individual and unique. 

We watched a Tedtalk by Jacob Cass, a prolific Graphic Designer from New York,  this really highlighted the importance of social media as a tool for creatives.



Next, we broke of in to groups round the tables to discuss and evaluate our branding from last year. I was really embarrassed to show mine (I did a visual CV sort of thing), as I really rushed and left it to the last minute. We discussed about whether over the summer our personal image had changed. We gave and received feedback to each other.I am really keen to build a visual brand that is personal to me and individual! I am very keen to get started in my branding.

One problem  we did discuss in our groups is whether I want to call myself Vanessa or Ness! I feel Vanessa Cain is corporate and professional. However, from feedback  I was told Ness is more approachable and friendly. This is something I want to discuss with John.  

Below is some Design Tips I got from an e-mail from John, which I found really helpful. 

5 Design Tips for a Social Media Logo
There are several aspects that go into a logo design – colours, fonts, descriptors, and more. But, when you’re designing what we like to call a “social media-approved” logo, there are many other variables to consider as well:

Be mindful of your aspect ratio – A majority of social media sites will require you to convert your logo to a square (or nearly square)-shaped thumbnail. Your logo doesn’t need to be a perfect square, but should have the capability of being easily converted to one. It’s best to make use of all the space you have so your logo won’t have to be compressed or reduced to fit into the small space. Try not to create ones own problems. (Remember Mo?)

Be consistent – With an effective social media strategy, your logo will be seen on a variety of sites – Facebook, YouTube, and your personal site to name a few. For this reason, it’s best to have one logo you use for every site. This is also helpful in case a site requires you to crop or resize your image – you want a logo that looks the same, regardless of what’s done with it. Use detached text and graphics – When designing, make sure your text and graphics are separate elements. This will help if it ever needs to be converted to a different size. In fact, some companies use a single graphic or single letter in social media for ease of use. 

Simplicity matters – If you have an intricate logo, you run the risk of some of the elements not being recognisable when it’s resized. For this reason, you should avoid long taglines, thin lines, and detailed graphical elements.
Limit colours and shades – A logo that uses 2-3 colours will work better on a “busy” social media sites because it stands out and won’t get lost in the backdrop.

7 Ways Your Logo Design Impacts Social Media Marketing

Whether you like it or not, social media gets many aspects of your business “out there” and visible to a wide audience. And your logo has a strong impact on how you are perceived in the market. It lets your customers, colleagues know what you’re offering and can even help them remain loyal.
It can help increase followers, friends, and shares – A professional and attractive-looking logo on a webpage or blog post is more likely to be shared with friends than one that doesn’t look reliable or trustworthy.
It increases perception of your business size – Having an attractive logo and branding will make your business look professional and bigger than what it is – even if you’re a team of two or three that work in your pyjamas from your bedroom.
It shows professionalism and increases trust – A well-designed identity shows that you company are a professional and more importantly, can be trusted. Customers will get the sense that your company should be around for years to come.
It communicates your story – Your story can be communicated in many ways, from a meaningful picture or a constructed and communicative element of your personal identity.
It helps you stand out from competitors – A logo that’s visually interesting and relates to your clients will help your business materials – from your website to all print materials – stand out from the competition.
It drives brand recognition across platforms – When a logo/identity is used consistently over many platforms, customers will get several impressions of the logo, thus creating more memorability. Since many people are visual learners, they’ll remember your brand better when they see it, rather than hear or read about it.
It helps make your customers happy – An attractive and effective logo will appeal to your customers and make them happy to be associated with you. This includes everything from the logo’s colours and fonts to its overall image. You want customers/others to get a good “feeling” from you.

Surfboard

My brother wanted me to design his new surfboard. He said he wanted a geometric shape. As we both love the series Twin Peaks so we tried to incorporate something black lodge inspired. The black lodge is possible the most iconic scene from the series.

Final Outcome

OUGD402 Evaluation

Evaluation

1.  What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

This module has enabled me to see the different avenues graphic design has to offer.
I’ve also have learn how to evaluate and give feedback on peoples work as well as my own, this has been really beneficial to me as I have extended my vocabulary and learnt how to give honest and knowledgeable feedback. 

2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

The year has really changed and challenged me as a learner, an individual and as a designer. Reflecting on the work previous to the course and in the first few months has really shown me how far I’ve come. Not only that but I now know specifically what drives me as a designer. I still think I need to continue pushing myself out of my comfort zone.

I have found that the workshops have enabled me to see what influences me, who I am and where I want to be which has been a major driving force in keeping me motivated. I have become more confident, self sufficient and also more engaged when it comes to private study and working within groups. Also the fact that the staff and tutors are so passionate about their subject area.

I feel I have learnt so many things this year both in design and about me as a person which comes hand in hand on this course. My knowledge behind software, terminology and graphic design has significantly increased and I have felt I've come a long way as a designer.

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

I think I also have a strength in communication as a designer, I think i've acquired a lot more confidence in talking to people and networking which has been beneficial in previous modules and will continue to do so to create contacts.

A strength of mine is the capability to experiment with different methods and designs. I liked to take risks as a designer and if I make a mistake I can take it as a lesson learnt and not something to dwell over. 

I also work well independently as well as within a group. 

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

 A weakness of mine I would say is the final production of my work I think I'm not very good at assembling my work and how it looked digitally sometimes comes out not the way I intended when printed. I think due to me being stressed and rushing. I need to take time to focus and take things at a slower pace. 

For next year  I want my blog to look more professional, with good quality photographs of my work. I also want to know more about types of finishes, so for next year I need to manage my time better so its not a last minute rush. I also have difficulty in illustration, I want to be a better drawer. I think is something I just need to keep practicing, especially over summer as I will have free time between working.

5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

1. To be more critical on work I have looked at and sourced because it will enable me to improve my feedback and analytical skills further.

2. Look further into design blogs, studios

3. To keep up to date with blogging including feedback from every module and studios tasks. I feel it is a really important module in the development of me as a designer as well as an individual as it will allow me to reflect on what I need to improve on.

4.  Be less stressed about deadlines and work, I come across laid back but in my head I’m pretty stressed out. So definitely in be more organised and up-to-date with my time keeping.

5. Contact more professionals and studios

OUGD402 Final Outcome

 Final Outcome

Overall, I think its impossible to brand myself, just yet as I have only started out as a Graphic Designer. I decided to create a visual CV.

PPP Presentation

http://issuu.com/vanessacain/docs/untitled-4

Today I delivered my 7 minute presentation to the class. I think it went alright I was slightly nervous. I just tried to remember to take my time saying stuff and just generally pacing myself. 

OUGD402: Presentation

Presentation Topics

As an individual...

I can be quite shy at times and not very confident in myself, I can address this issue by making myself step out of my comfort zone because in the past this has always worked.
I worry a lot and sometimes and I need to address this by becoming more organised.


As a designer...
I sometimes play it safe by sticking to what I know, I have notice this by the way I tackle a brief that I am unsure of/not enjoying. I tend to go for simple vector designs and colour schemes that I have used before. I need to push myself and experiment more.
My weakness's also lie in some of the more practical things such as book binding and manual printing. I wish I had more of a knowledge to these types of finishes because I think they could make my work step up a level. I need to time manage my time better so I can fit these things in whilst the facilities are at my grasp.

I think some of my presentation/finishing skills of my work could do with improvement. I think it is important that you end a project on a high. I sometimes struggle with the finishing touches, like folding and gluing work neatly and sometimes the paper stock I have chosen is not durable for my product. I will address this issue by practicing and taking my time at the end.

I was originally worried that I would not have enough to say, but after brainstorming my interests and stuff I think I have plenty to say!