Archive for June, 2009

Flyer Design: For a Video Production Company: Phase Two

This post is a direct follow up to this post about flyer design, so that you can follow the development of the flyers’ design as a work in progress.

Feedback from the original design was that the fonts were not working. The adjustments to the brief indicated that the preferred development style for the client should reflect a chrome/metal/sexy vibe against a backdrop of plush, gentlemans club type texture. For awhile I mulled over these two concepts, and wondered how to bring them together. It was hard to move past the immediate images that sprang to mind with the theme gentlmans club, and I had to try hard to clear my mind of all the cigar smoke, wood panelling and worn leather wingback chairs imagery that kept wafting to the forefront of my consciousness.

As is usally the case with my design style, I find it best to just jump right in and start designing, and then let the design take me where it wants to go.

I then save my images in various stages of completion, go back to an earlier saved version and then take the design in another direction. In this case, I repeated the action a second time, ending up with three samples to present to the client. This client is on the other side of the planet – so naturally the designs were sent by email.

Here are the three working samples currently:

I changed the background image texture, to this one, which was supplied by the client, and introduced a molten metal/chrome type globule at the top. The still images were removed from the original flyer sample in favour of this simplified version.

The second sample looked like so:

The metal globule from the above sample, was transformed into a frame, to neaten the overall look and feel. The logo and company name were placed top centre, to make it the focal point of the flyer, and coupled with the spotlight effect (black radial gradient applied to the background ‘red carpet’ texture added to the focal point.

The last sample was a departure from the above two (it’s usually good practice to just go with it, at least once, because you never know where you’re creativity will take you sometimes, and it’s often in a new, fresh direction which may or may not pay off).

Here I revisited the still image concept (taken from one of the clients corporate videos). Using the most captivating of the three images the client supplied, I echoed the blue orbs of the still, by introducing faded red bokeh type orbs over the texture, which iteself was played down by applying a black background, and lowering the opacity of the texture.

The red orbs are meant to recall the blurry look of lights in the distance.  A pure chrome finish was applied to the contact details and as a frame backing to the still image.

Still awaiting client feedback on this one.

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Packaging Design: In the Equestrian Industry

I am an equestrian enthusiast. That just means that I love pretty much everything to do with horses.  Being able to work in an industry that reaches out to even *this* industry is awesome.

Here’s an example of how graphic design is used in the horse industry.

Packaging design for horse supplies!

In this case Absorbine Duraguard, which is a form of equine bug spray. There is virtually no end to the applications for graphic design, and this is one of the reasons that graphic designers will always be in demand in virtually every industry that exists.

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Blog Header Design: Interrupted Wanderlust


I’m currently working on a design for a blog header, for the blog, “Interrupted Wanderlust“. The author, is actually a freelance writer, and mom to three gorgeous kids.

The brief naturally specified that her three gorgeous bubkins were included in some way, and requested that each kid be given ‘equal billing’ – which I thought was really sweet.

Here you can see how the header is developing.

I started with a cleaner artistic feel, with just two polaroid style photographs. The blue is taken from her blog template.

I moved on from here, to a more tactile looking header, a wooden feel background, and I added some parchment style paper, given that the author is a highly qualified freelance writer, and tucked the photos in here and there, a bit like a desk might be at home.

In this latest version, the blog owner requested a more ‘travel’ feel to the header, given the subject of her blog, and this is why the elements such as the passport, globe, compass and airline boarding pass have been added. I’m eagerly awaiting the latest feedback from the client, as I’m really enjoying this project.

Isn’t it wonderful when you can do what you love for a living?

Update:  Client Loved it! Hurray!

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Flyer Design: For a Video Production Company

I have been working on an exciting project for a video production company. They’re an exciting up and coming (and in fact already award winning) company of young and excellent directors and producers who produce everything from corporate videos to music videos and short/full length motion pictures.

You can visit their website by clicking on the first draft of the marketing and promotional flyer that I’m designing for them below. They’re definitely a company to keep an eye on. I’m really enjoying the project too, as it’s developing my design style beyond the ordinary.

If you do visit their website, then please tell ‘em I sent ‘cha okay?


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Planning a Wedding

Planning a wedding is exciting right!?

One of my favourite (and toughest) graphic design gigs is doing wedding stationery.  It’s exciting to pour over designs and styles with brides-to-be, but it can also quickly descend into chaos if for example, your printer doesn’t install the font you embedded in your pdf file that you sent through, and you get 500 invitations produced in the wrong font.

Thankfully this has never happened to me, and I have a printer that is worth her weight in gold (at the very least!), but this sort of thing can happen if you’re not careful, and absolutely fastidious about every phase of the design process.

I imagine that things could be worse, if  for example you were the jeweller and somehow misinterpreted the design brief for the engagement rings, but at least those can be melted down and redesigned!

Here’s to your contiuned success on your graphic design journey. Just remember to proof, proof, and proof again, and then get your bride-to-be to SIGN OFF on the final proof.

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Graphic Design in Pharamceuticals

Another area in which one finds graphic design, is pharmaceuticals! It’s an area of advertising design (okay, theoretically it’s  packaging design). It is an area of the market that I find absolutely fascinating. I mean, when it comes to paediatric medicines one has to be careful so as to make the packaging attractive, and child-related, without making it SO attractive to children that they are reaching for the medicines like candy.

Just this morning I was reading a liporexall review, and it occurred to me…with the plethora of diet pills available on the market today – if faced with a client looking to market their new diet product, how do we, as graphic designers make it memorable, attractive and eye-catching – and of course totally unique?

*That* is a good question to ponder, while I tackle the 24 simultaneous projects that I have going right now!

Man I love this business!

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Graphic Design Jobs Are Everywhere

Until I started graphic design, I really did not understand the incredible scope and broad applications that graphic design touches.

It literally touches nearly every single part of our lives.

Not just advertising, and corporate ID which are the more mainstream, well known applications, but what about the exciting world of product packaging, or television, or well, don’t even get me started on the internet, it really is a world of opportunity!

Yesterday I opened a new bag of disposable diapers and upon seeing the Elmo and Sesame Street cast of characters as an update to the more regular Winnie The Pooh variety, it dawned on me just how big a field of application, the world of graphic design has.

You can work practically *anywhere* and in any industry. So there should always be jobs for graphic designers, and just about everywhere around the globe.

How exciting!

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Apple iPhone: Is It The Only Phone Worth Having?

My gut feeling when it comes to cellular phones is that yes, it is.

prod-iphoneI mean look at it! If you’re a Mac user, it’s a no brainer. The iPhone. Is. It.

But then I looked closer. Given the country I’m in, and the exhorbitive cost of internet bandwidth, and cellular phone contracts, a phone that offers you unlimited on device browsing (as opposed to the 250mb limit on the iphone imposed by cellular service providers in this stupid country), seems like a far more logical choice.

But, I have a solution.

Cellular providers in this country have chosen to limit the on device internet usage of a phone SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR BROWSING THE INTERNET, and yes, that is BEYOND DUMB.

So, me?

I’m leaving the country.

Problem?

Solved!

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The Ultimate Mac Office: Floor Covering!

Back to my favourite topic quickly – furnishing your home office in a stylish enough way, to suit your iMac! Because iMacs deserve fresh and funky workspaces, for you to be creative in. It’s a fact, if you try to put an iMac into a room with floral wall paper, it will actually stop working, and Apple will come and forcibly remove it from your home.

Of course I’m just joking, but all joking aside, you can’t possibly have no taste if you own an apple computer, so let’s take a look at some fresh rugs currently available on the web!

Here is my favourite at the moment: It’s so ‘vector-ey’!

But if you’re more of an ‘at pixel level’ person, and bitmaps are more your sort of thing, have a look at this one, it will really blow your hair back!!

Awesome hey?

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