Colour Relativity

The colour I dislike the most is yellow. Although I think that it has happy connotations, I feel that the colour is restricting in design and there are limited colours that it works with. From researching the colour I have explored the colours that work with the #fedd00. 

From this I have organised a number of colour swatches that I think work alongside #fedd00 and that would be appropriate on the cover of a simple children's book. 

                                                    

I originally looked at Pantone colour swatches to experiment with what colours work with the yellow. This allowed me to see the colours in person and the effect that the light had on the paper. 

I think that each of the colours I chose would work well on the cover of a children's book. This is because they are subtle colours that are not too overpowering therefore work successfully with the vibrant yellow. 

Agatha Christie

I got given the novel Unfinished Portrait written by Agatha Christie under the name of Mary Westvacott. As I had not read this book I read the plot summary on the internet. This gave me a brief understanding of what the storyline of the book was.
'In the midst of divorce, bereft of the only people in her life she cares for, Celia considers taking her life. But, while on an exotic island, Celia meets Larraby, a successful portrait painter, who spends a night talking with her, and learning her deepest fears. Larraby leaves Celia with the hope that he may be the one to help her come to terms with her past.'

I also looked at some of the original designs on the book cover. The image below is the first edition of the book which was published in 1934.

I wanted to take some of the colours from the original and bring them in to my design however to begin with I kept a simple black and white colour palette so that I could experiment with what typeface was the most appropriate and the layout of the cover. 
I decided to keep the design simple as a complicated cover wouldn't have been achievable in the time that I had to complete this task. This is why I chose s ample silhouette of a paint brush, with the added detail of a thin white line to define the shape. 

I then wanted to bring in the colour research that I had completed previously for a crime genre. I chose this deep red as it is suiting of the genre, however I decided it was not appropriate for Unfinished Portrait as it is overpowering therefore misleading of the storyline. From researching other designs for the book I noticed that many featured the 'Mary Westmacott' type in a larger format than the 'Agatha Christie'. This is because Agatha wrote under the name of Mary and it was not discovered that it was her for many years. I thought that this was an important element to have in the design.

I wasn't confident with the previous colour choice therefore I did a colour swatch of the blue background of the original design. I added the tabs of colour as I thought that there was too much negative space that removed the 'pop' that a book cover needs. 

Although I think that the blue suits the design of the cover as well as having involving an element of the history of the book, I thought that the shade of the book was too light and therefore not suitable for the genre of the book. Below you can see that I chose a darker blue as well as an off white for the background of the text. I chose this off white colour as I thought the white produced a glare that reduced the legibility of the text. 

I uploaded the above image to The Guardian as my contribution to the competition. From this quick task I have realised how much work can be done in a small amount of time and still finished with a professional standard. 





















Wikepedia, Unfinished Portrail (novel) Plot Summary 26.10.15

8. Summative Feedback

Aim: With this rebrand I wanted to have a design that fitted the brands upkeep in the modern fashion market, as well as having an appropriate design for the large target audience. 


Q: Do you think that I have achieved this? Why?

A: - The typeface makes the design look classy therefore would apply to your target audience
- Yes. However, it looks a bit more upmarket. To give it a more friendlier feel and appearance for the audience you want to target I would experiment with colour more. I like the chosen font.
- Seems very formal and may only appear to an older market rather than the younger ages as well.

R: The products sold at Clarks are of a higher end therefore from these comments I feel I have successfully created a design that puts this message across. 



Q: Do you think the typeface is appropriate for the target audience? Why?

A: - I think that the typeface has been well thought out and consideration of the target audience is evident. The letter spacing is clear, readable and appropriate
- Classy clean look that works for all audiences. Modern and approachable 

R: I wanted the design to be open and not limiting to one specific audience. These comments lead me to believe that I have been successful in this.



Q: Do you think that the colour is appropriate to the target audience and fitting to the high street?

A: - Approachable with no garnish colours, keeping the design clean and welcoming
- It encourages me to enter the shop and browse more than the original logo

R: I wasn't sure whether the colour choice would make the company appear too dull and boring. Receiving the first comment makes me feel more confident in the decision that I made and that is was the suitable colour choice. The second comment fulfils my aim of attracting the target audience to shop at Clarks.



Q: Do you think that the design is versatile? Why?

A: - I think that the lightness of the design would make it easy to apply to different products/applications in various scales
- It's not as versatile in terms of shape as the original, as the customer won't recognise the brand as easily.

R: I wanted the design to be readable and successful in any size as this was an issue I highlighted in the original design.
I don't agree with the second comment in terms of the name hasn't changed therefore there is still that element of familiarity. However, the original logo was handwritten and difficult to read whereas the new design is clear and spaced out therefore this may be the direction that the comment was taking. This is a personal opinion.



Q: Do you think that the design is appropriate for the brand? Why?

A: - Works well in practise, asthmatically please and eye catching
- It reflects timeless style
- Yes, it reflects the formality and quality of the products

R: Clarks is a high end shop therefore through the comments it has been clear that I have been successful in demonstrating this through the design of the logotype. Having a timeless style is something that I learnt about reading Vignelli Cannon and is something that I wanted to achieve with the rebrand. I think that this is important because a brand like Clarks that has history should maintain their status in the market. 



Q: Do you think that this is the most successful design? Why?

A: - I prefer the 'J. Clark' as a rebrand
- I think it is successful, simple and clear

R: After receiving this feedback and reading through the comments made. I have noted that many of the comments have not been expanded to explain why, even though it does ask in the question. To overcome this issue in the future I will word the questions differently to ask directly, for example, 'Why do you think this is the most successful design?'

7. Experimentation

From the feedback I received I have decided to continue with the typeface Optima, with a black and white colour palette. As I wanted to experiment down a different route of design I have created a visual of the logo on a shop front so that I can compare and contrast how successful each experimentation process has been.

I think that the overall appearance of the logo design is professional, clear and is appropriate for the varied target audience that the company caters for. This design would sit perfectly on a high street as it is simple and flat. However, seeing the design in this context has highlighted to me that the  C and l being so close together could be read as a 'D'. To overcome this issue I will adjust the kerning so that each letter is more distinctive. 

Although it is only a slight change, I have adjusted the height of the L and K so that they are the same height as the C, as well as adjusting the kerning. This solves the issue of seeing the C and L as a D.

To continue down a different experimentation route, I have decided to use a sans serif font, to give the company the option of following a more traditional branding look. It will also be good to compare the sans serif and serif fonts together on the shop front. To do this I am going to complete peer feedback. 

I chose the typeface Didot as it is a font I picked up on whilst browsing the company website. It is also used in this stamp which is featured on the website.

This adds an element of consistency to the branding of Clarks.

The results from peer feedback:

Optima
- Gives the brand a more upcoming modern image
- More of an approachable feel
- Isn't out of your everyday price range
- More welcoming to all age groups

Didot
- Reflects the traditional image of the company
- Don't like the contrast of thick and thin lines
- Links well to the history of the company, shows consistency

This feedback gave me a finishing point to this particular design route. From the feedback it is clear that Optima (image below) is the most appropriate font for the brand. 

I wanted to experiment with changing the name to show a different approach to the rebrand. James Clark was the founder of the the 'Sheepskin slipper' in 1825, which is something I found in my initial research. 

I didn't want to use James' full name as I think that it will confuse the target audience as they may believe it is a whole new company if the name changes so much from the original. So, not only have I tried out a new name, I have also taken colours that are featured on the website and in store to try and create a consistent theme throughout the company that gives a more approachable family feel. I wanted to continue using serif and sans serif so that there is always the option to go for a modern or traditional appearance.

From doing feedback on the four colours, the 58585a and d3e6e2 were the most popular choices. I decided to see what visual effect they created when being shown on the shop front. This is also an option for the company to decide as they make use both colours for their store - showing one on a black background and the other on a white background, depending on the style of the building the shop is located in.

If I was pitching to the company I would show them a range of the final resolutions that I have designed. However, I think that going for a modern approach to the rebrand will draw the attention of the target audience back to the shop as it shows consistency with their upkeep in the fashion market as well as being more appealing for families and individuals.

As well as having a visual of the logo on the website, I also wanted to design a simple piece of advertising to display the final logo design. To do this I researched some of Clarks advertising to get an idea of the type of layout that they already use.

As I wanted to have a visual piece of advertising I decided to take inspiration from the above images and organise a photoshoot. The aim for this shoot is to capture a natural photograph of a female wearing a classic boot. I would like the image to be focused on the feet rather than having the whole figure in the photograph. I think that this directs the audience more, especially those who are not familiar with the company. Below are some of the photographs that I took.

 I decided to continue with the first image as I felt it was the most successful. I took the composition that I had seen in the research and recreated it with the photograph and logotype. I have three variations of the design which I am going to gather feedback.

1.

2.

3.

Feedback:
- I think that the black and white image adds to the classic design that you are going for with this advertising however the bright yellow makes the piece stand out more
- The caption works well as it brings the piece together and makes it work well as a whole
- The colour designs are not limiting to a specific age range however I think that the black and white has a more dated appearance
- Appropriate and suitable for the company, caption is legible and works well with the composition of the design

From this feedback I have decided to go with design 3. I would agree with the comments made that the bright yellow adds excitement to the piece, making it eye catching and drawing in the target audience. As the focus is not of the whole person, there also shows no age restriction to the product which is important when catering for a larger target audience. Although this was only a small piece that I had a limited time frame on, for future projects I would like to reserve more time for displaying the final outcome as I think that this is an important way of displaying the design for the client as well as having the confidence as a designer that the design would be versatile in any media that it may be featured on. 

Colour

Following study task 01 I have made other notes on Colour from the presentation slides provided, highlighting key terms that I have gathered an understanding of. 

Understanding how the eye works:

The eye contains two types of receptors:

Rods - convey shades in black, white and grey
Cones - allow the brain to perceive colour


There are three types of cones:
Type 1: is sensitive to red-orange light
Type 2: is sensitive to green light
Type 3: is sensitive to blue-violet light


When a single cone is stimulated, the brain perceives the corresponding colour. This result of a physiological response means that the eye can be 'fooled' into seeing the full range of visible colours through the proportionate adjustment of just three colours: red, green and blue.

Key Terms:

Receptor - an organ or cell able to respond to light, heat, or other external stimulus and transmit a signal to a sensory nerve

Rods - a light sensitive cell of one of the two types present in large numbers in the retina of the eye, responsible mainly for monochrome vision in poor light

Cones - one of two types of light sensitive cell in the retina of the eue, responding mainly to bright light and responsible for sharpness of vision and colour perception

CMYK - (cyan, magenta, yellow and key(black) a subtractive colour model,, used in colour printing

RGB - (red, green and blue) refers to a system for representing the colours to be used on a computer display

Colour - the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations of the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light

Primary Colour - any of a group of colours fro which all other colours can be obtained by mixing

Secondary Colour - a colour resulting from mixing of two primary colours

Tertiary Colour - the resulting colour formed when an equal amount of a primary and secondary colour are mixed. the primary and secondary colour must be beside each other on the colour wheel

Spectral Colour - a colour that is evoked by a single wavelength of light in the visible spectrum, or by a relatively narrow band of wavelengths

Hue - a colour or shade

Tone - the particular quality of brightness, deepness, or hue of a shade of colour

Saturation - the intensity of a colour, expressed as the degree to which it differs from white

Chroma - all colour, including shades, tints and tones

6. Further Research

Marks & Spencer










Although M&S is not specifically a shoe shop, they carry the same clientele as Clarks. Their simple logo is recognisable and adaptable in any environment/size. This is mainly because they have used a thin sans serif font with a two colour scheme palette. 



Start-rite

I wanted to look at Startrite as it is a leading children's shoe makers. This means that it is in direct competition with Clarks children's range. They have used a serif font all in lower case to represent the eighteenth generation family business (tradition, retro style) but also keeping it appropriate for their young target audience.




















  

Colour Theory

'Consider how colour is most often used for the covers of fiction books from different genres'

As we had a group of four we each chose a genre that we were familiar with and chose a colour which we thought represented a typical colour choice for a book cover as well as a less conformist interesting option. We chose to use a Pantone + colour guide to make our decisions.

Crime

Decision behind colour choices:

Typical colour - The deep red is similar to a blood red, relating to the genre appropriately.

Less Conferment Colour - The neon orange stood out as a colour we all related to warning and the police/service uniform. These are areas that are typically addressed in this genre therefore we think is an alternative choice colour to use for a crime fiction front cover.   

Fairy Tale

Decision behind the colour choices:

Typical colour - young target audience therefore soft colours are more welcoming and appealing. 

Less Conferment Colour - Mysterious, relates to more of an adult audience

Humour

Decision behind the colour choices:

Less Conferment Colour - Vibrant loud colour that reflects a comedians personality and the way they come across on stage

Typical colour - Ironic colour choice that is typically associated with humorous chickflicks 

Western

Decision behind the colour choices:

Typical colour - Traditional colour choice that relates to the scenery a western film is usually filmed in; dust, rust, desert 

Less Conferment Colour - Modern example of a childrens western playing on the idea of a cactus

5. Reflection

After having a week to work on this brief and receiving feedback, I feel confident that I am on the right track to completing this brief. I am going to continue with my work taking into consideration the comments made in the crit group to develop my designs further. I would still like to explore a number of approaches, having a range of responses to the brief. To do this I am going to do further research into shops that the clientele of Clarks may also visit to see if there is a theme within the brand logos which I can apply to one of my design routes.

4. Feedback

Before attending the crit group I printed out design sheets so that when I was talking through my design process with this project, the rest of the group could write their opinions on which font and colour they thought was the most appropriate for the brand. 

Some of the feedback I received was:

- Lots of variations of typefaces to develop logotype further

- Great understanding of brand - wanting to be appropriate for all age ranges

- Good focus of target audience

- Green colour reminds me of specsavers, prefer darker blue/black/grey

- Look at younger target audience

- Range of typefaces and colours explored with reasons

 

The most popular font was Optima. The overall decision was that a serif font dates the company and doesn't represent the companies more modern approach to branding. However, I may come back to the serif font when exploring a vintage style, similar to some of the research I have collected. 

From receiving this feedback, I am going to narrow down the font styles that I experiment with so that I can continue with a number of direct routes. 

Feedback _YSP Logo

Below are the feedback comments I received after presenting the process I went through to reach my final design for the Yorkshire Sculpture Park logo. This feedback has highlighted areas that worked well, alternative routes that could have been taken (which I can apply to another brief) and also how important it is to see the final design in the media that it will be shown in.

- Thought as an outsider (not just a designer) 

- Thinking about what it would be like when you actually visit (relates to building and angles of park)

- Good development working using past decisions

- Research brought into design

- Good range of ideas

- Block shape designs were good as they stood out at small and large scale

- Concidrered a number of routes in the time available 

- Using the landscape to create logo is a good idea

- Good understanding that some designs work and some don't, with reasons    why

- Good critique of own work - viewing from a non-designer opinion

- Genuine interest in the company shown

- Excellent to use and appreciate versatile logo design

These comments reassure me that I designed an appropriate logo for the Yorkshire Sculpture Park that fulfils my aim of having a versatile design. If I were to complete a similar project I would like to experiment further with each of the different directions that I might take, rather than just developing the final design. I think that this is important as an interesting direction may come of a design that starts off as being something that I am not that confident in. 

Symbol Experimentation

To start off experimentations I have taken inspiration from The Hepworth Wakefield logo. I like the way that they have taken the simple shape of the building and used the block white colour to give the shape a recognisable symbol for the gallery. 

The main building of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) as well as the Underground Gallery and other buildings on the site have been designed by the architect company Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. The interesting angles and shapes of the Visitors Centre inspired me to create a similar logo as the one above for YSP. 

I chose the #3b5721 colour as it represents the colours of the landscape background that forms round each sculpture. I experimented with block colour as well as an outline as I felt there was details to be explored within the building. This is why I looked at two angles of the building, one approaching the entrance of the building from the left side and the other straight on. As the logo will feautre in large and small forms, I think that the block colour would work best, although the detail is lost.

To follow a different line of experimentation I wanted to focus on the landscape that forms the natural background for each sculpture. 

I wanted to keep the design simple so that it would work in different medias and sizes. However, there are two ways that these designs can be interpreted; two lines that interact with each other or as a silhouette of the yorkshire moors. 

I decided to take this design further to incorporate the idea of a sculpture into the hill.  

    

The first design above doesn't represent a hill clearly enough for the direction I wanted the logo to take. To develop this further I took the outline of the sculpture by Jayme Plensa and incorporated it into the first landscape forms that I created. I still wasn't happy with the design as I feel that the two don't represent YSP strongly enough. To take this in a new direction I went back to my research on the landscape and I was inspired by the skyline of trees that surround the scenery. From this I had the idea of adjusting the positioning of the face to create a leaf shape. 

  

                           

From researching the grounds at the YSP I chose a maple leaf as it meant I could make a more interesting and detailed design. I think that the abstract design works better when the leaf is facing upwards. This adds a sense of positivity to the design which relates to the teaching aspect of the sculpture park as well as allowing the symbol to be presented with type easily. 

To come to a conclusion with this project I have taken the two designs that I think have been the most successful and presented them below. I think that the leaf design is effective, however it is difficult to see that the shapes are made from the side of a face therefore the message is not as clear to read. On the other hand the block shape of the visitors centre would be recognisable to those who have already visited the centre and to those who were looking to visit.

                                          

I have chosen the shape of the visitors centre as the final logo design for the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. As the brief states that the logo must work with type and on its own, I went back to my inspiration of the design (The Hepwork Wakefield) and decided to place the type inside of the logo. 

I wanted to experiment more with the final design. I went back to the YSP website and took inspiration from their current logo which you can see on the right side of the below image. This shape is used on its own as well as the image showing showing through the type. I wanted to create a similar effect with my design which is what i have experimented with below. This demonstrates that the symbol can work alone, with type, and with relatable imagery.