Advanced Typography / Task 2: Key Artwork and Collateral

20/09/2021 - 11/10/2021 / Week 5 - Week 8

Ngu Kah Shin / 0347666

Advanced Typography / B' in Creative Media / Taylor's Design School

Task 2: 2A- Key Artwork; 2B- Collateral

LECTURES / Online Class

Week 5:

After the feedback for our previous task, Mr Vinod reminded us of the main intention of the previous task was for us to learn about designing based on a structural system. There are 8 variations with an infinite number of design layouts. He then spent 30 minutes talking about Johannes Itten, Walter Gropius and how every designer should watch 1984 and Animal Farm or they should not call themself as a designer LOL.

Mr Vinod proceeded to explain about our next task, where we will learn to visually communicate, create memorable designs and come up with an elegant solution in the form of composition using the element of surprise. It should almost be monogram-ish but not necessarily. We should create a few permutations of a combination and options of letterform that says or represents our name. We can use the initial of our names and this task would be brought forward in task 2B. Remember to observe the negative space of the key artwork.

Fig 1.1 Screenshot of lecture (21/09/2021)

Week 6:

Mr Vinod provided us with feedback for our work and we continued to work on our task 2 key artwork designs. illustrator bc it's scalable, vector.

Week 7:

think about all the principles of design, need more typographical elements

connected one item, maintain the same circle

exploit the form to create the poster

imagine u are using noodle soup, tofu is big as a bowl, so hv to cut them down into smaller pieces. work on poster more

INSTRUCTIONS

HTML Link:

Exercises:
Task 2A: Key Artwork

Before sketching, I went on Pentagram for visual research and idea exploration. I specifically visited their work on brand identity. Below are some of the examples of the work they have done for their customers, be it companies or events.

London Design Festival 2016 (Fig 2.1)

- campaign that celebrates and promotes London as the design capital of the world

- key colour: red, white

- key artwork: letterforms of title zoomed into at several points; focus on the minutiae reveals the negative spaces and elegant swashes of the characters themselves

Keap (Fig 2.1)

- company specializing in management software for small businesses

- key colour: green, white, black

- key artwork: arrow is built into the geometry of the wordmark; the arrow is modified and adapted into other forms whilst retaining the same approach

London Design Festival 2020 (Fig 2.1)

- campaign that celebrates and promotes London as the design capital of the world

- first international design event to take place since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic hence identity must be instantly recognisable

- key colour: red, white

- key artwork: expanded letterforms that grow to fill the space around it

Knotty Objects (Fig 2.2)

- identity, wayfinding and graphics for MIT Media Lab Summit

- key colour: black, white, monotone

- key artwork: twisting and turning; ribbon-like typography

We The 15 (Fig 2.2)

- representing 15% of the global population, this movement aims to end discrimination among the disableds

- key colour: purple, white

- key artwork: simple graphical elements; pie chart representing 15%

‘Building Cycles’ Spring Benefit

- brand identity for the Storefront for Art and Architecture’s Spring 2019 Benefit at La Marqueta in New York

- key colour: bright yellow

- key artwork: a custom typeface that evolves from fluid, organic curves to a more rigid structure and back again

Fisher Price (Fig 2.3)

- brand identity for the world's leading toy company

- key colour: blue, orange, white; bright, fun colours

- key artwork: iconic rectangle shape with simple, bold shapes with no sharp edges

Coqual (Fig 2.3)

- a global, nonprofit group that address bias and uncover barriers to advancement for underrepresented populations in the workplace

- key colour: bright and bold colours

- key artwork: headline and logo are used as a nameplate for brand presence as the framework establishes an editorial design for research reports which has magazine-like covers; modular design with simple grids of colour blocks

Great Jones (Fig 2.3)

- brand identity for a kitchenware company

- key colour: colourful, vintage colours

- key artwork: Great Jones key artwork/logo can also be disentangled to a simple monogram (GJ); lush illustrations and witty messages

Fig 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 Brand identity work by Pentagram (21/09/2021)

After a series of visual research and analysing how the key artwork relates to the brand, I proceeded to sketch out a few designs off the top of my head.

Towards my monogram/key artwork sketches, I attempted to:

- include my Chinese surname a part of the monogram

- incorporate my "job I would have wanted to pursue if it wasn't designing" (prompt given by Mr Vinod)

- preserve simplicity but still has the potential to expand into a collateral artwork

Fig 2.4, 2.5 Key artwork sketches (21/09/2021)

Heavily inspired by Risograph, the art of printing layer by layer, I decided to incorporate this art style as a part of my key artwork. The general idea is to merge a part of my Chinese surname with the 'E' in my name Ellis. The irregular shapes with no standardized form are also a metaphor for the fluidity and variability of my ambition. Ironically, it became the same reason I ended up not progressing with this idea as I realised the key artwork would not serve well as a monogram or logo.

I restarted from the sketch stage and eventually came up with the idea of using the 'lli' of my name ellis as a part of a fork. The fork idea was inspired by my dream to open up a cafe. I tried out a few colour palettes as well. Satisfied with the outcome of the key artwork, I proceeded to do more research on branding and signage specifically for restaurants, cafes and eateries.

Fig 2.6 Key artwork sketch (25/09/2021)

Fig 2.7 visual research (25/09/2021)

I moved on from the sketching stage and went on Adobe Illustrator to digitalise the key artwork into vector illustrations. A few different styles were tried out; from American diner-inspired checkered pattern to doodle-ish strokes similar to noodles. I also implemented the colour scheme from the visual research I did earlier. The colour palette chosen should be bright and bold which radiates fun and welcoming energy.

To have a clearer direction of where the key artwork should go, I made a neon sign (Fig 2.9) of the key artwork/logo on Adobe Photoshop. I followed tutorials I found on Adobe Photoshop

Fig 2.8, 2.9 Progress work (25/09/2021)

Fig 2.10 trying of different paper bag designs (25/09/2021)

FINAL SUBMISSION

Fig 3.1 Key Artwork 1 - JPG

Fig 3.2 Key Artwork 2 - JPG

Fig 3.3 Poster Design - JPG

fig 3.4 Poster Design Simulation - JPG

Fig 3.5 Animated Invite - GIF

Fig 3.6 Collateral work (Stamp Card Front) - JPG

Fig 3.7 Collateral work #1 (Stamp Card Back) - JPG

Fig 3.8 Collateral work #1 (Stamp Card both sides) - JPG

Fig 3.9 Collateral work #1 (Stamp Card) Simulation - JPG

Fig 3.10 Collateral work #2 (Reusable utensils & pouch) Simulation - JPG

Fig 3.11 Collateral work #3 (Takeaway container) Simulation - JPG

Fig 3.12 Collateral work #5 (Neon sign) Simulation - JPG

Fig 3.13 Collateral work #5 (Neon sign) Simulation - JPG

Fig 3.14 Collateral work #6 (Paper bag) Simulation - JPG

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Fig 4.1 Key Artwork 1 - PDF

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Fig 4.2 Poster Design - PDF

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Fig 4.3 Collateral Artwork #1 (Stamp Card) - PDF

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Fig 4.4 Collateral Artwork #4 (Takeout container) - PDF

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Fig 4.4 Collateral Artwork #4 (Takeout container) - PDF

Fig 4.5 Collateral Artwork #5 (Paper bag) - PDF

Task 2A (Key Artwork- exploring and deciding on final design): 12h
Task 2B (Collateral work- poster, animated invite, flat lay, etc.): 20h

FEEDBACK

Week 6

General Feedback: think of what you would like to become if you weren't a designer. artwork should be simple and can be easily manipulated in other forms, such as posters, ticket design, merch designs on mugs,shirts, tote bags

Specific Feedback: a little bit too complicated for a key artwork

Week 7

General Feedback: think about all the principles of design that need more typographical elements

Specific Feedback: exploit the form to create the poster imagine you are having a bowl of noodle soup and the tofu is big as a bowl, it is not appealing. so you have to cut them down into smaller pieces; work on posters more

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Ellis Ngu Kah Shin [0347666]