OUGD505 | MODULE EVALUATION

Design practice has produced some varied results. I wasn't extremely happy with my outcome for Licence To Print Money, but Product, Range, Distribution was one of my favourite outcomes for Level 5. A lot of this has to do with time management and realistic goals. 

Licence To Print Money already started off as a challenging brief, giving a lot of restrictions with size, colour and printing method. I was already working in a way I was unfamiliar and uncomfortable with, and trying to push that even further was evidently too much. The work I produced was not what I imagined it to look like, and also not very well produced. The idea worked conceptually but as I am inexperienced with the processes, it didn't work as well as it could have in practice. 

Product, Range, Distribution was a welcome change to processes that I wouldn't particularly choose myself. Firstly, the research stage helped me create all of the content I needed for the brief. Having a "blurred" focus before settling on a concept was very useful, as I researched into a lot of different areas and gained a lot of knowledge. I was able to work comfortably within photoshop and illustrator and freely create for an idea that I was passionate about. Working with illustrators who were also interested in the subject was motivating and ensured that I stayed on track with time management. They needed to be briefed on the subject and it was up to me to have everything ready to give them the information they needed. I found this really stimulating and had a drive to create the work and flesh out the concept. As this brief was the final brief of the year, I was able to give it my full attention and wasn’t distracted by any other modules or projects. 

Overall I feel that Design Practice has been a mixed module for me. The contrasting results come from being enthusiastic about the brief and being comfortable with the processes used. Pushing the brief too far when there are already restrictions in place is something I have learned to be cautious about, and that its fine to stay within your comfort zone sometimes. 

OUGD505 | STUDIO BREIF 2 | EVALUATION

Product, Range, Distribution is one of the briefs I'm most proud of in level 5. As it was the final brief, there was a lot of time and effort placed solely on this project. This allowed me to really focus on the deliverables and produce a well rounded submission.

Having freedom with the context of the brief was very refreshing, and choosing something social/political/ethical was extremely relevant to my interests outside of graphic design. Combining the two was really enjoyable for this brief.

The overall resolutions to this brief were produced to a high standard. Working with illustrators was something I'd done before this year (responsive collaborative brief), though setting them the brief myself was a much better experience. Being able to tailor their style to my project was also extremely rewarding when the final pieces were put together.

Creating something for a cause that I'm passionate about, and relating it to graphic design and the area that I enjoy made me more enthusiastic about the whole brief. I set myself high standards and was able to complete them. Using methods I was comfortable with (e.g. digital processes) allowed me to create quality work at a fast pace.

Overall this is one of my most successful briefs and I'm pleased with the outcome. The only issue I have with the deliverables is the activity folder. Proper planning could have made it a lot neater, rather than sticking the pockets on at the end.

OUGD505 | STUDIO BREIF 2 | PHOTOGRAPHS

Final, professional photographs of the finished resolution:

OUGD505 | STUDIO BRIEF 2 | E-FLYER

To increase the distribution of the activity pack, an e-flyer was designed to ensure parents that the booklet is extremely safe for children and not in any way trying to force a particular lifestyle upon them. As parents will be most likely purchasing this activity pack for their children, it's important that they are aware of the content of the pack and know that the purpose of it is to be informative.

The flyer also includes details of how to contact the brand if parents have an issues. The e-flyer will be accessible online and to parents who sign up for the newsletters. 

OUGD505 | STUDIO BRIEF 1 | EVALUATION

I started this brief with optimism and an idea I felt I could do well - as I'm extremely interested in the effects of climate change and sustainability. I wanted to push myself conceptually and create an interesting resolution that people could interact with.

As the designs developed, I felt that I was quite out of my depth with time management and the scale of the project. The aesthetic of the bank notes is also not what I had imagined. Reflecting upon my design decisions I feel that using real images would have been more effective, using a halftone effect for it to screen print.

Reflecting on my concept, it was appropriate to only design 1 bank note as the deliverables were being exhibited. My concept required designs for 7 bank notes as they worked as a set, and I decided to screen print 3 of my designs. This also pushed me back in terms of time as I could have spent more time developing and improving the designs rather than a lot of time printing them.

Having to make essentially 2 designs for each bank note (screen print and UV) pushed me further on the time aspect, and I felt that I could have improved on the finishes and quality of he designs if I gave myself more time. As I wasn't familiar or experienced with screen printing, I felt that this also hindered my design process. The lack of colours/details allowed on each scene had a great impact on the overall design. Not having access to UV ink in university also had an impact on my design, as I had to find my own source. As the paint failed, using a UV felt-tip was the only option for my design and it didn't show up as strongly as I had hoped.

I feel like I may have tried to push myself too hard for this brief. The final resolutions are satisfactory for the requirements of the brief, but I personally feel that it's not up to standard. A number of factors played into this, but mainly it's due to inexperience with the processes and trying to push the brief when I could have created something of higher standard that was conceptually simpler.

OUGD505 | STUDIO BREIF 2 | EXPANSION

As the popularity of veganism grows, there needs to be more content for children and parents. Expanding the project will see expansion packs of the current activity pack - e.g. new recipe cards and more food cut outs, but also brand new packs all together.

A website would also be useful for an expanding brand, where there cold be forums, blogs, tutorials, recipes and brand new vegan activities and ideas.

Parents could also sign up for a newsletter that gives them some ideas for fun activities to plan with their children. Eventually, there will be a wide range of activity packs for children to choose from and make fun out of veganism - something many adults seem to find restrictive and boring.

OUGD505 | STUDIO BRIEF 2 | PRINTING

Recipe cards - 
The recipe cards were printed on 300gsm stock and laminated so that they are durable and can be wiped clean.

Create a meal - 
The sheet and cut outs were printed on the same stock as the recipe cards and laminated on the printed side.

Stickers -

The stickers were printed on sticker paper and cut out with the vinyl cutter

Activity book -
The activity book was printed on 200gsm stock that was suitable for drawing on. The cover was the same stock at 300gsm to make it durable and allow it to protect the contents.

OUGD505 | STUDIO BREIF 2 | ACTIVITY FOLDER

The best way to fit all of the activities together is in a folder. The front and back has the same design on as the booklet to ensure consistency with the brand. The stock choice for the folder needs to be sturdy and hard wearing. The style of pockets should be fitting to the deliverables being placed inside them. The activity book will have it's own vertical pocket on one page of the folder, and the rest of the activities will neatly fit in a horizontal pocket on the other side. 

OUGD505 | STUDIO BREIF 2 | ACTIVITY BOOK

The activity book is the main part of the project and ties all of the other elements together. The activity book features colouring pages, cross words, nutritional information, puzzles and invites children to really think about their choices and life style. The content is in no way bias or misleading, and simply puts across the facts to children - in a gentle and open way.

The book starts off with a profile for the user to fill in, testing their knowledge of vegetarianism and veganism. They're invited to draw their favourite meal and colour in the foods they like, relaxing them into the book and becoming familiar with different foods.

Progressing through the book, it ties also in with the other products. Here, children are invited to decorate a (vegan) cake! The description hints to the recipe card that is included, and invites children to make their own version. This also teaches children that veganism can include fun, sugary foods.

Making sure children get the right amount of nutrition is extremely important, but on a vegan diet the options are limited. Here, a vegan eatwell plate is displayed showing the different food groups and how much of each should be consumed. On the opposite page, brief information about the different food groups are shown to inform children about what each one is for and why it's essential.

Other educational activities include a "Save the bee's maze", making home-made cruelty free natural soap, vegan junk food and information about what places offer good vegan options for eating out.

The final page of the book is titled "my progress", following the same format of the profile page, this invites children to update information about themselves and see what they have learned progressing through the pack. This page does not ask any leading questions, it invites children to display what they have learned. There is no pressure for them to change their lifestyle. 

The stock for the booklet should be durable and suitable to draw on. The designs should also not be visible through the stock either as it will be printed double sided - so the stock should be quite thick. The size of the booklet will be A4, to allow younger children to read the smaller print and have more freedom on colouring pages/puzzles.

OUGD505 | STUDIO BREIF 2 | STICKER SHEET

The sticker sheet was designed by Meg. The sticker sheet consists of a variety of farm animals and vegetables. Children can use these stickers freely, there are no instructions!

After I received the images off Meg, I had to prepare them for print. The stickers were all placed together on 1 a4 sheet will be printed and cut out using a vinyl cutter.

I also added a "I'm Vegan!" sticker to the bottom for children to wear if they decide they want to become vegan!

OUGD505 | STUDIO BRIEF 2 | CREATE YOUR OWN MEAL

As part of the activity pack, I wanted to give children some freedom when it came to food. Many people see a vegan diet as restricting and boring, and for children even more so. Including this meal creator in the activity pack allows children to take whatever ingredients they want from an array of carbohydrate and protein sources along with vegetables to plan out a meal. They can then show their parents what they'd like to eat and encourage their vegan lifestyle. It also teaches children how to construct a proper meal for when they are older and can cook for themselves.

The pack contains an A4 sheet with a plain dinner plate:

The cut outs will be created so they replicate the amount of space it would take up on a regular dinner plate. In the pack I have included 30 different foods so there is a good amount of choice. This could be extended eventually with expansion packs.

OUGD505 | STUDIO BRIEF 2 | RECIPE CARDS

After receiving positive feedback from my peers, I continued creating the deliverables for this project. Included in the activity pack will be 5 recipe cards for children. As children will need help cooking, I tried to include recipes that are fun, tasty and can be made with minimal assistance. 

The 5 recipes include: 
- Bananaberry pancakes
- Tropical Smoothie
- Epic Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Finger Sandwiches
- Potato Veggie Burgers

All of these meals are vegan, and theres a balance between main meals and snacks, savoury and sweet. I showed a mockup of one of the recipe cards in my feedback:

The recipe cards feature a lot of colour to grab the attention of children and make it look fun. Each recipe card will also feature an illustration. I talked to Meg about this, and she responded a few days later with the finished illustrations! 

The illustrations really tie in well with the designs I have so far. Having a visual representation on the cards is important as a lot of text may bore children or not grab their attention. Showing them what they can make will allow them to decide whether they want to do it or not! 

As these cards will be used in the kitchen or a messy environment, the stock needs to be hardy and easy to clean. This is a consideration for the printing stage of the project.

OUGD505 | STUDIO BREIF 2 | INTERIM FEEDBACK

After creating initial designs, getting feedback off peers was important to see if the project was heading in the right direction.

The question that was asked of them was: "Is the project suitable for the age range (6-11), and does it come across as 'forceful' rather than educational?"

Responses: 

- I love this idea, I think it does come across as educational and NOT forceful, as it is very colourful, child friendly and not "preachy". I also agree that the age range is suitable, however personally I would just say 6+ as the design and likeability of it means it has potential to appeal to older audiences! 

- Really nice idea! The illustrations and type choice are successful and appropriate to age range. Content is good, I don't know if 6-11 would make pancakes though, maybe address they need adult help? 

- The Kaleasaurus Rex is quite possibly the cutest thing ever. The overall approach is gentle and not at all pushy which is refreshing in comparison to work by peta etc. The book could come with vegan kids snacks? Or be given to kids in vegan shops? All in all, very cute and I want kids so I can give them this! 

- It seems like a very well thought out and researched project. I particularly like the story about The Kaleasaurus Rex - its humorous and well designed. I also love the logo - very expressive and friendly. I would play around with type on the recipe a little. As a kid, I used to go on the internet just to play games, maybe make a game aimed at children that can inform but also be enjoyable. 

- Really good, you have produced so much quality work. Maybe address the pancakes being an activity to be done with help? You could do like a "Wheres Wally?" but with veg. Include animals as friends, not food! 

- Doesn't come across as forceful at all - the illustrations have a very soft and friendly appearance. Perhaps 6 is a little too low for the age range - as some of the words in the word search may be too big for them and they would need parental assistance for cooking the recipes, however it's effective in being educational! Maybe you could create a few small packs more specific to each age group, e.g. the pack for really young kids (6 and below) could include colouring pages amongst other things, then the pack for older kids cold contain more recipes and more complex word searches? 

Analysis: 

The feedback was extremely positive, with the only issues concerning the age range. Some felt that the age range could be limiting to the success of the activity pack, while others felt that 6 could be too young for some of the activities. The suggestion of making a separate pack for a younger audience is a great idea but unfortunately due to time constraints of the brief it wouldn't be feasible. 

Overall the positive feedback on the project so far means that it's heading in the right direction, is suitable for the audience and isn't being forceful on the children - which is one of the main concerns for this brief. 

OUGD505 | STUDIO BRIEF 2 | INITIAL DESIGNS

After discussing with the illustrators what kind of images I had in mind, I started to plan the activity book. I looked into different activities children could do in the book, including colouring in, word searches, mazes, crosswords and word jumbles.

It's important to keep the content engaging for the target age range. If the content is too simple, they will get bored of it, and if it's too complex it will be too difficult and they won't enjoy it.

Front Cover

The front cover has to be attention grabbing and inspiring to get parents and children to engage with it. As the book promotes veganism and sustainability, it made sense to brand the pack "VEGAN". Using a couple of different hand rendered typefaces, I began experimenting with creating a logo which can be applied to all of the different deliverables featured in the pack.

Bellaboo

Besom 

Zesty Lime

Bellaboo was the first typeface I used, it's long thin strokes representing a more serious tone than the other fonts. This typeface was also limiting as it was only available in uppercase. 

Besom is a very loose looking typeface with quick strokes representing a more hand-rendered approach. This will appeal to children as it is easy to read and they'll be able to relate to the sloppy looking letters, e.g. the G has been done in one quick stroke. The typeface also comes in lowercase. 

Zesty Lime is quite similar to Besom in it's approach, being quick and having a carelessness about it. The typeface is limiting as it's the least legible of the 3 due to it's extremely thick strokes and contrasting weights. 

From this analysis, Besom is the best typeface to represent the brand. It can also be used for headers inside of the book to keep consistency. 

Logo design: 

The logo takes the word "VEGAN" and places it in a circle, giving it more of an iconic value rather than just being a logotype. It creates a recognisable shape and looks fun. This works in conjunction with the front cover and simple leaf illustrations: 

Activity Book

Looking online, I found some examples of word searches and crosswords suitable for primary school age, and used these as inspiration for the ones I created:

A simple layout and clear instructions are important with puzzles to ensure that children are focussed and engaging. Taking this into account, I designed the first set of puzzles. 

After I had received some of the initial illustrations, it was possible to begin making the book more engaging and colourful. A simple border design really boosts the minimal looking pages and makes the page look really fun.

Other activities also benefit from this simple inclusion, for example circling the words that vegans and vegetarians can eat. This activity teaches children the differences between vegans and vegetarians, and shows them they can gradually eat less animal products if they want to. 

Recipe Cards: 

The recipe cards are an important deliverable for the activity pack. These cards are able to teach children fun ways to cook that are totally cruelty free. They need to be engaging and exciting for the children, and also not inconvenience the parents too much (as the children may need to be supervised). 

A total of 5 recipes will be included on the cards that children would want to cook. As children don't often cook the main meals, these are more like snacks they can enjoy between meals. 

Bananaberry pancakes - 

The VEGAN logo will sit on the back of the recipe card in a colour corresponding to the recipe. For this particular card the logo is a dark peachy red. An illustration of the food is also going to be included on the recipe card to show the finished product and inspire the children to make it themselves.