OUGD203 Evaluation

Final PRD Presentation boards

Final YCN Presentation boards

P/R/D - Product shots

I took several shots of the branding range and a few focusing on specific aspects. As the publication was relatively short, I took photographs of each DPS layout. As I was proposing a blind debossed cover, I added this in Photoshop. I edited the levels of each image slightly to increase the brightness and contrast.

P/R/D - Online media

Twitter is almost becoming a necessity with any upcoming business and as Woodside requested this, I set up an account, using the logo as the twitter profile picture and the orange used throughout the brand identity as the background colour and links (#ce6122).

Also, Andy suggested that he will start using Instagram to take photos of builds in the initial stages, throughout the development and of the final outcome. This could then be directly linked to Twitter and as a result, show up on his website through a Twitter feed. This in turn adds a personal aspect and clarity to the company and its approach, allowing potential clients to view all stages of a project.

P/R/D - Finalising the website

I finalised the navigation and how the hover over states would look and began looking at how the contact section of the website would look like. I went on a few websites for building companies and a few of them seemed to have a contact form for the user to fill in their details. I looked at how I could incorporate this but decided to solely use text and quick links to their contact details.

This is (sort of) the final design design - showing what it may look like when the user scrolls through (unsure entirely as it is not live yet). There is still a bit of content to add in the contact section but I will go through this with Woodside to see they say.

P/R/D - Website development

I was thinking that even though I will get the website coded through someone else, it would be difficult to maintain and add content with multiple pages, ensuring that all links work and so on. I thought it would prove more beneficial for me (and my brother-in-law) to create a one page layout. 

I was inspired mainly by the site created for Build 2012 and others such as Beaver Lab. I wanted to keep the same visual aesthetic as the business card and other branding materials so I initially looked at how I could incorporate the grid / table I used for my contact details within the navigation. 

I started with an orange background which would hold the logo and brief text to give insight into Woodside. I also added contact details towards the top right but as this is one of the pages, I may remove this. 

The navigation links will take the user to the specific area on the site, despite being one page (I think it will simply link to the relevant #div). The navigation will be in the same place on all parts of the site to ensure consistency. 

I used the same content featured on the publication but instead broke it up into 3 different headers in order to break the content down and make it easier for the user to find the relevant information. I used the font I created for the headers and Gotham for the body copy (as in my publication). I decided to alter the spacing however, to create more space. I used a white background to ease reading and positioned this below the 'home' section.

I wanted to break up the content even more so I imported one of the photographs I took (the one used in my publication - though this may change), aswell as the quote from Munro Summers Architects. I looked at different positionings but settled on the centered composition with a black overlay to create more contrast.

I then began to add the portfolio section, using the content previously formulated in the publication and using the same type setting as the 'about' section on the website. Rather than overloading the site with multiple images, I decided to use 'sexyCycle' - a script which creates an image gallery which is controlled through a click. The images can be of varying in sizes which is useful as I have been given portrait and landscape photographs for each project.

P/R/D - Publication mock up

I printed off some test layouts in black and white to test the legibility, clarity of images, and whether it would work as a whole within the publication. I need to fix the alignment of the full scale image (bricks) as although I tried to alter the positioning before printing to account for the binding, it has still not lined up correctly. Also, I have left space above the images on the right page but not accounted for this in the 'Pine Road' DPS. I need to look at how the photographs will look and keep it consistent.

There is still a few more DPS to go, including another full scale photograph featuring more content, but I will use the same (or similar) layout to what I have currently been using to ensure consistency. I am pleased with it so far and intrigued to see how it would look once printed.

P/R/D - Publication development

I looked at digitally printing the logo onto the greyboard but when printing, it was accidentally scaled to fit. However, it was useful to see how it may look. I also jotted down the layout order so when designing digitally, I knew what needed to be printed on the reverse of what.

I started to experiment more with layout and composition, looking at various formats in presenting the given information. I used a different photograph for the review from Munro Summers as it provided more contrast against the white text and referenced the materials moreso.

I used the orange to draw emphasis to the client testimonial as I believe potential clients would want to see reviews from past customers, simply to provide reassurance. Again, I used DIN 1451 mittelschrift to ensure brand consistency.

I looked at incorporating the quote into an orange content box to draw even more emphasis but it didn't seem to sit right alongside the photographs.

For the final print, I will use the following layout specifications to account for the binding. 

P/R/D - Publication development

I started to design some initial layout ideas based on the drawings I did and the format I devised. The first couple of pages would give insight into Woodside and the following pages would feature works from their portfolio. These would include images, brief information and a client testimonial.

Due to the small nature of the publication, I used a 3 column grid per page with a 4mm gutter to create some extra white space. I used 16mm margins on each side to account for the screw binding.

The first feature page would be a brief insight into the company, outlining what they do, what they offer and what differentiates themselves from other building & joinery companies - the copy of which was provided by my brother-in-law. I decided to break this up into a short summary followed by a few paragraphs which explains in more depth.

I also wanted to feature a review from one of the architects Woodside work with - I intend to include a couple of these double page spreads simply to break up the content and have a full scale visual. I used the photography I sourced, focusing primarily on the materials they use.

I included the name and a link back to the architect to add credibility. I also added speech marks either side of the quote. I used DIN for the main copy (to ensure consistency as this was used on my business card designs) and Gotham book for the source text. 

I then started to explore how I could arrange the content for the portfolio pages, ensuring the client review stood out against the body copy. I decided to use Gotham for the main content due to its clear legibility and structured form.