Module 1 – Semester B – Corporate Branding Identity
During our first week back in January the first brief was assigned to us, this was to create a fully functioning corporate identity, which included: A logo, Practical Applications, Colour Palettes, Typography analysis and a few other details. Before starting the brief we were given 6 choices of companies to create unique identities for, these all had a different theme and all required special consideration to create an end product where the final outcome was reflective of the brief itself whilst still maintaining originality with careful consideration to the process of creation.
Before starting the brief I asked my tutor whether creating my own brief was acceptable, I was given the green-light and so I decided to create my own corporate identity.
Overall this brief was a lot more challenging than I first thought it would be. My initial thought process going into the brief was that a logo and a brand would be easy to create however 5 weeks in to the project and only then having a good logo soon made me realise that the process is far more intrinsic than I first thought. Because the logo is a key element in the name and image of the brand it was the aspect I spent so long on perfecting.
The progress made from early weeks to looking at the end product is astonishing, however I feel as though a critical analysis of this is good regardless.
Pro’s of Corporate Identity Brief –
- Learning how to adapt early ideas to create something new at an even higher standard later on
- Understanding the importance of Typography
- Studying colour and the impact it can have on a brand
- Not being afraid to drop an idea if it doesn’t evolve as intended
- Learning how to use new software adequately
Con’s of Corporate Identity Brief –
- Focusing on the corporate element didn’t allow for development of the ideas regarding the game
- Despite the time-frame being big it doesn’t allow for massive amounts of change to the corporate brand to a professional standard
Overall I feel as though the logo I created worked to a professional standard, the applications it found itself on looked to be of high quality and the brand was believable. My only criticism towards it is that the iterations had to change no matter what formats it was put into. On documentation the logo worked best with the font stacked on top of each other with the flame by it’s side, whereas applications on ipad and on business cards it had to change to cater for the differences in size. This complaint albeit small is the aspect that annoys me the most and would improve if possible.
Module 2 – Semester B – Picture Book Brief
The second brief for semester B was assigned to us in week 6, this brief was to create a picture-book for children aged 5+ and required us to tackle a difficult subject matter whilst still making it digestible for a younger less mature audience. During the early stages of the brief I was clueless as to what to base my ideas around and often found myself focusing solely on the corporate branding identity brief as this appealed to me far more, however once I had spent time at the drawing board I found an illustrator who appealed to me and then my ideas started to flow better.
This brief didn’t appeal massively to me and it made it much harder for me to work at, however I still feel as though the final result is at a high quality standard, despite a few areas where improvements could’ve been made like, Typography, Supporting Graphics, and Narrative the brief as it progress became more enjoyable it was a good experience regardless of whether I’m happy with the end result.
Pros of Picture-Book Brief –
- Understanding supporting vectors change atmosphere of a narrative
- Using new software to create high quality vectors
- How to effectively use colour to make a narrative more engaging
Cons of Picture-Book Brief –
- Having the mindset of being bad at illustration put me off the project despite it being engaging
- Limited time for experimentation of ideas
- Trying new techniques with the software resulted in mediocre final output (Regarding Colour, Typography)
Overall I feel as though the picturebook brief was my weakest module, whilst the final product was of a medium to high quality standard, I feel as though minimal effort given with regards to supporting graphics and the background throughout majority of the book lets down the overall product. The aspects I do like and feel as though are well executed are the illustrations throughout the book and the careful consideration of colour throughout.
