Self: Research

After coming back to this brief I decided I was struggling with sketching out packaging layouts because they were boring and simple. Therefore I decided to expand my visual research to interesting packaging  with different finishes and processes. There was a range from illustration, to 3D, to photography to pattern and then there was the actual product itself. I found this hugely beneficial as although I didn't necessarily like the whole design there were elements that I did admire and thought I could apply with my branding. It widened my mind to the possibilities of layout and design for this packaging whereas before I could only change the scale and composition of a few simple elements.

I also thought about the brand and what it was trying to achieve in its brand identity. The key aspect was to encourage natural beauty in an younger audience therefore I made the connection between human natural beauty and environmental natural beauty. I felt this could be an interesting way to make it stand out on the shelf as well as reinforce there organic ingredients and brand moral.

I really liked the strong and powerful landscape photography and I felt there was a good connection with the colours and the brand palette. Also the brand logo reflects and many of the photography have reflections or symmetry. 

Meg: Mock Up

I did a mock up of the envelope template for Meg's stationary just to check the layout and tabs. It fitted fine but I made a few changes to the tabs just to make it neater and more professional once folded.

Merci: Mock ups

I created a mock up of the envelope to test out the net I had created. From this I made a few amendments to make it fold and stick neater. For example the bottom tab lined up with the side of the envelope which could look untidy if not lined up exactly so I slanted the edges from the corner point.

Self: Store Research

I went into department stores and boots to look at the cosmetics and skincare ranges and brands. I wanted to particularly look at a similar target market and price range to what my brand 'Self' will be targeting. I found that quite a few brands which express connotations of organic ingredients use the colour green and floral patterns. I wanted to detract from this common styling and not create the brand around this factor of the product but style it so it still expresses the goodness of the ingredients.

Meg: Designs

I showed Meg the two variations of the original line and the line varying in width and she preferred the original.

I then applied the chosen identity to extended stationary:

Letter head:

Envelope template:

I tried what it would look like if I let the lines run off round to the tabs on the back but I felt it looked messy so I decided to trim them so it only appears on the front. The inside of this envelope will be pink.

Meg: Development

After Meg had given me her CV information I lay it out using two columns and headings to section the information. The information she gave me was for her regular CV and not so much her professional CV so I cut the information she had written for her retail experience in her part time jobs. I then created a second CV which would act as more of a professional CV for the industry.

 Originally I had used a mix of the typeface used for her logo and a sans serif font. When coming back to it however I realised that they didn't work well together. I decided to change the sans serif typeface and use it for all the information and keep the other font just for headings.

 This I felt looked a lot better and more consistent.

 This is the business card in scale next to a regular business card size of 85 by 55.

When working on the reverse of the business card I did a 'X' in the script typeface I had chosen. I decided to look at this enlarged.

This was a lot more decorative and curly. I decided to see what it would look like as the signature instead of the one I had created.

 lower and uppercase 'x'

I tried it with and without a stroke with the brush effect  I had previously used. If I was to use this instead it would have to be without the stroke as I feel it looks better and a lighter stroke.

I also played around with altering the thickness of the stroke at the end to make it more like a lipstick smudge.

With this being a solid fill I don't feel it has the same effect as the other kiss so I recreated the line and tried the brush.

This didn't look as good I felt so I'm going to disregard it now.

I've decided my own 'x' is the way forward from this point.

Meg: Design Development

I really wanted to include the 'work my ass off' that she had said in our conversation as she wanted her identity to be fun but professional. However I really didn't no initially how I could incorporate this in. I couldn't see it as a logo and I couldn't see it fitting in the letters of her name so this left me a bit lost. I tried looking at the forms of both but couldn't see a link. 

I looked at lots of script, calligraphy and handwritten typefaces online in the hope of finding a typeface which had the right styling and flow for her name. I downloaded a few new typefaces and then looked through my own font library.

 I was really struggling to one find a typeface like the one I was envisioning and two find one which worked with her surname as she has a second capital. I asked her to send me her name written down as I know she has a very specific handwriting which I felt expressed her personality a lot. I wanted to use this as help in finding a typeface by examining the flow and curls. I really liked how she ascended the 'C' this would defiantly help in working with the two capitals. I considered using it create a bespoke type for her logo however it didn't quite have the dramatic flare that i'd hoped.

The bottom script typeface was most like the typeface I wanted however it only worked if it was all lowercase which meant her last name wasn't readable. Therefore I tried using it on the tagline 'i work my ass off' which is a slightly amended version of how she described herself to me. This worked a lot better I felt than her name and then made the decision to look for an alternative style typeface for her name.

I looked at a few sans serif and serif fonts trying to incorporate the minimalist and fashion atheistic.

I had decided to use the script type for the tagline and applied it to a long business card. This size stands out, is elegant and works well with the line of text. I initially thought of just using this on the one side and her details on the other.

 I added a hot pink stroke across as a dramatic yet simplistic detail. I changed the stokes brush to look like it was done with lipstick. 

I then turned this into a kiss. Feminine but strong

I'd remembered seeing a project that I really liked and was a fashion brand in previous research so looked back at it. This typeface was exactly what I was after, it was serif but had change of weight in the stroke of the lettterform like sans serif fonts used in high end fashion such as vogue etc.

Now I new what I was after I went looking again and found this typeface. I ascended the 'C' like how she wrote it and I felt it worked perfectly.

 I then combined the two elements and sent it to meg who said she really liked it. This was our conversation:

 I then trailed her suggestion of 'a**' 

However I didn't think it worked as well and took away the power from the statement which I advised her. She took my advise and decided to stick with it. She then sent me her CV information so I could create her promotional material with the chosen identity applied.