Dr. Me - Flags - Mid Boards

Dr. Me - Flags - Development 2

Because I'd done the majority of the planning and sketching for this brief, Suzanne created a digital mock-up version of the sketches, however I felt the communication of the fish wasn't strong enough, and if that wasn't strong enough, then the idea of maximum communication wasn't in play.

In light of this, I decided to create digital versions of the sketches, the results are shown below….

In terms of the colour scheme, I initially stuck to the Californian colours but then thought to expand the colour scheme and explore other natural colours that would compliment the nature of my flag.

As I kept developing the colour and texture of the design, I'd realised I was over-complicating the design and taking emphasis away from the actual communication of the design.

Applications

Although the brief was only a quick turn-around, I decided to test out the concept and see if I could successfully apply the design to Californian applications.

Dr Me - Brief & Development 1

Brief synopsis: Create a design solution for a flag in pairs that would ultimately be printed onto fabric and used within the exhibition. My partner was Suzanne Moore. The main focus for us was to experiment while still keeping the flag, looking like an actual flag. After-all that was the name of the 

exhibition. As this brief was set within University, we had a day to complete the design we wanted on the flag. After a long discussion with Suzanne we decided to explore negative space and turned our attention to ‘Noma Bar’ who specialise in such design. With this in mind we turned to a reasoning for the flag.

As you can see from these designs alone, Noma bar specialise in maximum communication through minimal elements. We thought this attribute would be perfect for a flag as a flag always represents multiple things.

Concept

The concept was to; Create a contemporary flag for a small coastal village in California, using the Californian flag as inspiration. With this concept, our flag had a purpose and also challenged the conventions of normal flags.  

Our task was to combine a bear and fish into one image, adopting negative space and also considering its communication. Below are the range of drawings I came up with, the last one being Suzanne's.

Final Resolution

Sunset Cottage - Web

Sunset Cottage - Development 2

For the client I decided to design a plaque that could be varnished in a weatherproof lacquer. This will give customers a more notable identity. The plaque would also stand out against the white walls of the cottage. Taking into account that the Cottage is white, I've decided to proceed to varnish this plaque as it will also make the design darker and hide the burn marks that have already been sanded.

Copper Plate - Embossing - Using such a procedure is beneficial to the client because she can be provided with the copper plate and if she found the right place to pressurise the plate, she can use it as many times as she wants for her business cards (obviously they'll need replenishing at some stage)

Planning the Vinyl: for the production process of the guestbook, My idea was to have the different photographs of the sunsets covered in a see through vinyl, this was to give the impression that the photographs had been spot varnished. This added a sense of luxury to the guestbook. Here you can see myself positioning the images and measuring accurately the size of each vinyl piece.

Introducing subtle uses of the cottage's branding definitely provides customers with that little 'extra' which will make their stay that bit better. For example; when customers hang their clothes on the hangers provided. The picnic pattern will sit snugly among the collar of their clothing...

Sunset Cottage - Development

The development of the guestbook... Initially the design was going to be horizontal to benefit the shape of the photographs, however after considering its purpose I thought a vertical design made more sense, this is because it would be opened at the end of people's stays, most likely when they're a bit rushed to leave. And I just thought a vertical layout would be more approachable than a horizontal.

Logo Applications. Potential to be used on glass.

Inspired by Picnic mats and what their connotations are, Picnic Mats are always considered to be used when the weather is nice, when people are enjoying family moments or with friends. When people are going on walks or small adventures. These connotations were perfect for the experience Sunset Cottage was offering. South-Lakes, overlooking an estuary, on the top of a hill.

Seasonal Changing Bus-stop:

The positioning of Sunset cottage is unique, located at the top of a hill overlooking various scenery. However this makes it difficult for customers to initially locate on the main roads. This can be resolved by taking advantage of the bus stop that is located at the bottom of the hill, on a main road. Advertising the cottage with different seasonal photographs stops the design becoming stagnant and also gives the impression that it is beautiful all year round at Sunset cottage.

Current Website...

New, Web Layout: The website works across multiple mediums. Supplying visitors with important and relevant information. Before this, visitors were greeted with a heavy amount of information and unclear functionalities. Now it's possible for visitors to efficiently return to the homepage by pressing the logo in the top-left.

Visitors would be greeted with a slideshow of beautiful sunsets, photographed in the South Lakes. By myself. These are complimented with comments left by previous guests of 'Sunset Cottage' (Collected through the visitors guestbook feedback I designed).