Thursday 1 October 2015

OUGD504 - Brief 01 - Initial Design Ideas + Test Prints

After deliberating for a while on which folding technique to use for this brief, I had a quick flick through a book that was laying around in the studio called 'Folding Techniques' and came across this rather interesting method. It is incredibly straight forward but opens up a lot of potential. It is a simplistic yet intriguing fold and this is the one I have decided to employ for my leaflet design. The reader has to unfold the leaflet several times to reveal the content on the inside which is something that I envisioned. 



After I had decided on the folding method, I got to work on generating the copy for the leaflet. I knew that I wanted my content to be fairly formal but not overwhelming formal, I needed it to speak to a wide range of designers of all ages and background, because after all, every designer has their own unique design process, and I want my leaflet to be a very basic template for them to refer back to from time to time. Below is the content of my leaflet.

What exactly is a design process? Introduction

A design process is a way of thinking and working within the realms of graphic design. In order to complete a design brief successfully, a designer often works through a design process in order to produce exciting graphic work. As a creative, you may already be aware of your own personal process. Alternatively, you may approach each brief in a unique way with no process at all. Every creative type is different. This guide is designed to help you understand a few of the basic steps that combine to create an effective design process that you can apply to improve your practice. 

(1) The Brief: This is the beginning of the design process. The designer is either approached by a client or approaches the client themselves. They meet and discuss the brief, making sure to take note of the needs of the client, the time scale of the project, key dates, deadlines and pricing estimates. Here, the designer and the client come to an agreement. At this stage, the designer
 may already come up with some initial concepts.

(2) The designer then conducts research into existing and new information concerning the issues within the brief. Primary and secondary research is key to informing successful design work. Research can take any form, from collecting data from the internet to taking a series of photographs. It can be visual, contextual or theoretical. 

(3) The designer then begins mind-mapping, writing lists and creating thumbnail 
sketches in order to start to get ideas down on a page or a screen. The designer will 
still be researching and collecting visual inspiration from a wide and varied range
 of sources. Asking for other’s opinions and feedback is also crucial at this point.

(4) The designer then begins to generate a number of solid designs using any media or technique they see fit. These initial designs are then presented to the client for critique and review. This stage is crucial in leading to the finalised design. After listening to feedback from the client, the designer can improve on the work and begin to prepare it for production.

(5) The designer finalises the design and  prepares it for production, whether that be for commercial print or web. The final product is then delivered to the client. After production, the project can be evaluated in order to further develop the designers professional practice. 

Done! Onto the next one...

~
Digital mock ups, very rough layouts:








I mocked up my content in InDesign and did several test prints to see how the information would look displayed in this way. I was happy with the folding and the very rough layout of the content so I decided to experiment with cutting to add some more interest to the leaflet design. At first I just cut random shapes into the cover leaf of the leaflet with the intent of exposing content underneath. This looks okay but it needed to be more considered.

Test prints:






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