OUGD503 - Gilly Cuts audience research

I wanted to find branding examples for a target audience similar to my own which is both men and women however I will focus mostly on students. I looked for simplistic yet formal branding similar to what I hope to create. Rather than noting down features, I want to use this blog post as a mood board in order to help inform my own experimentation and practice.

Headrow House

Printworks

The new identity for the London event space, Printworks has recently been given a transformation by Leeds based graphic design studio, Only. This bold design uses block lettering placed around an invisible spherical tube in different ways, mimicking that of the printing press previously in use at its location. This clever link is something that could help inspire the identity for this hairdressing branding. 

OUGD503 - Gilly Cuts Time plan

Our uni calendar shows that I have a two week period for independent study. Within this time I want to prioritise this project and try to get it near completion. I have decided to plan my first week to help me start my work for the brief.

Monday

First ideas for logo,

look at different colour schemes and fonts,

initial sketches for different media

Tuesday

Meet with client for feedback,

develop ideas based on feedback,

choose typefaces, colours etc,

start mocking up different media such as business card and flyer

Thursday

Critique with uni peers for further feedback,

develop ideas based on feedback,

experiment with social media ideas based on chosen identity,

Friday 

Finish business card and flyer and prepare for print on weekend,

work on social media aspect,

OUGD503 - Gilly cuts initial research

To help inspire the start of this brief I looked into the identity of hairdressers I could find online. I studied closely which designs worked well and which didn't and added noted for my own use further in the project.

I found André Torres' resolution to the Carmo Maia Hairdressers on Behance. The strong use of colour links each piece of work together well. Good use of negative space adds a modern touch to the project whilst the added use of illustrations within posters is unique and eye catching.

The colour scheme stays through different media. The light blue line through the invoice and letter shows this however also portrays the company as being more formal.

Monthly's branding and identity shows how the target audience can influence the final design. The clear focus on males can be seen with a simple black and white colour scheme and minimal design. Although my client wants his service to be available for both men and women, ideas can be taken from this to influence my design.

As I have been asked to produce a publication for this brief, the above work for Monthly has shown how this can be done. Clever use of layout using large imagery and white space alongside text has given me ideas for use within my own work.

Using image with strong text worked well above on the website. This gave me ideas for use if I do decide to create a website for this brief.

Simple calendar on the reverse of the card is so easy to use because of its minimal layout.

One of the first things I noticed was that more modern hairdressing and barber identities used a minimal theme throughout. I felt this worked well to suggest formality and quality of service.

I also decided to look at other mobile hairdressing services to see how designers had worked on the brief however found the design to be poor. I noted this to my client over text noting that with some successful and professional looking design, the business is more likely to attract a range of clients.

OUGD503 - Gilly Cuts brief

Recently I took on some client work where I was to produce an identity for a new mobile hairdressing business. This project included the design of further media so I decided to sit down with my client so I could work out my brief and his ideas so far. From this I found that:

I was to produce an identity for my client that portrayed their business as being professional and formal yet affordable. This brief will also focus on students as the target audience however I must still attract a wider group of people so the business is not limited. Identifying what this audience will want is essential for the production of a successful final resolution. I will explore this through research

This brief will test my communication with the client as it is essential I can receive his opinion and feedback. Although I have been asked for a number of set deliverables, I also have the opportunity to push the project and explore the brief further.

I have been asked to produce:

a logo,

business card,

informative publication/lookbook,

and flyer

however have also been asked to look at additions to the brief such as social media and possibly a website.

My next step will be to research the appropriate for the progression in my project.

OUGd504 - Final Video

I talked to Simon about my app once the design was finalised and was navigable using Adobe XD. We discussed how my app may be difficult to understand without added annotations but also found that they weren’t necessary.

This conversation led me to bring my video into Adobe After Effects where I would be able to add text, audio track and the Monotype logo into the final video.

Past experience with After Effects during the workshops earlier in the term meant I was confident enough to make my video quickly and to a good level. I added text in different places in the video that I felt may need explaining. For this I used Malabar Bold, a typeface I found that was used consistently on Monotype's website. I also wanted to add an audio file suitable for the work produced. After looking through a number of instrumentals I decided to use the beat from Spaceship by Kanye West which was successful in bringing my final video together.

OUGD504 - Evaluation

One thing that I feel has helped my project considerably has been my broad research on Monotype as a company. From evaluating their history and looking at design features they themselves have used, I believe my response has suitable links  that work well to fit within the brands aesthetic. My ‘social media of typography’ app gives users multiple different ways to find a font. This is something that will attract a large amount of users. 

Because this design for screen project allowed me to write my own brief, I was able to set myself points and targets to help guide me smoothly through the work. Such points included creating an app that was immersive and engaging by not only looking at the user interface but also the user experience. I did this by considering my design conscious target audience throughout my project. Having a good understanding through research and crit groups lead me knowing the most suitable ideas and features to include in my app.

There were however a few things I felt could be improved. Because of limitations in Adobe XD there were features I had to change from my original wireframes which could have worked better if they were as first planned. One such example was not being able to add keyboards. Although this wasn’t necessary within the final video, would have better demonstrated some of the features. Another exmple was the navigation bar at the top of the screen on each page which went out of view as you scroll down the content. Both of these problems couldbe solved by a develper. This point also demonstrates the importance of choosing the correct developer for the work that is being produced. The lecture and further research has informed me about the use and importance of working with developers during a digital design process.

Overall, I feel my design layout provides clear links to the target audience has in turn helped with the user experience. I feel that putting this first has helped me design a mre interesting brief as I was able to explore what other people would want for an app such as this.

OUGD504 - Adobe Xd

This brief asks me to create prototypes for my brief that are working, animated or navigable. Despite taking part in a number of After Effect workshops to improve my animations skills, I have found the beta program: Adobe Xd to be very useful in the design process. Rather than spending time animating each individual moving element, I can work on the app as if I am using it. This gives me a better idea what it will look like as a finished product and brings me closer to professional design when I would use a similar program to show the client.

One useful feature of Adobe Xd is being able to record yourself as you try out the app you've created. Once I have inserted all images into my app I will use this feature. I then hope to insert this video into Adobe after effects, adding an iphone to the background. I hope this will then make it more engaging for the viewer.

My first experiment with Adobe Xd can be seen below. Although some icons and links are not yet working and photos are missing, I feel it is slowly coming together.