Sunset Cottage - Evaluation

I suppose the most evident concern throughout this brief was how long it took us to complete, we initially started out thinking it could be completed in 3 weeks, however we were wrong given the issues of keeping in contact with the client. As she was a very busy lady she was always quite difficult to reach in terms of an open line of communication. This meant we had to wait for certain resources and have patience in responding.
Meeting the needs of the client was also quite difficult, this was because it felt like once we'd ammended certain aspects of the design & web, she then wanted more added to the workload and in the end we had to bring this issue up and say we've completed everything design and functionality wise we set out to complete.
This brief acted as a learning curve for both me and Greg, deepening our understanding of pricing and calculating invoices etc. We also learnt how to handle a client and keep a consistent and professional communication.
I felt the collaboration between me and Greg worked successfully because we were friends, we were able to speak openly about anything and everything in relation to the brief.
One thing I regret with this brief is not taking the opportunity to go into vernon street and bind the guestbook, the only reason I didn't do this was because it was being used only for photographic purposes.

Sunset Cottage - Final Boards

Research...

Design…

Sunset Cottage - Photography

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).