Brief development - Rationale statements

1) Formula brand design

A collaborative investigation into studio practice with a focus on brand & corporate identity.

I am going to devise the brand identity for Formula in collaboration with Luke O'Brien with the intention of setting up a studio practice during this last year at university to continue post-graduation.

Products —

Logo design
Brand identity & guidelines
Print collateral (business card, letterhead, invoice)
Promotional materials (mailer)
Web design
Business plan

Range —

Brand application across promotional materials
(business card, letterhead, envelopes, invoice, mail shot, signage, invites)
Potential to create a set of prints / print collateral to sell

Distribution —

Mail outs to potential clients & other creatives
Online delivery through social media (Twitter, blog resources)


2) Film magazine

A research driven investigation of the independent film industry with a focus on editorial design.

I am going to create & print a self-initiated independent film magazine as the brief will allow me to investigate print production and specification, explore my type and layout skills and create a brand identity across a range of media (including a proposed ebook & app). It will also provide research which I could utilise within my dissertation (and vice versa).

Products —

Brand identity (logo design & ?typeface?)
Publication / magazine
Cover prints
Advertising & promotion
Digital media (ebook, app design)

Range —

Brand identity and application through promotional materials
Set of cover designs (various illustrations — also used for prints)

Distribution —

Retail promotion for magazine
Promotion within cinemas
Online delivery
Phone application


3) Type collaboration

A research driven investigation into font design with a focus on print and online delivery.

We are going to explore and investigate type design within our surroundings to ultimately create our own set of typefaces and accompanying prints / type specimen publications — it will allow us to develop our typographic skills and provide the opportunity to create a fully functioning font. We will also experiment and explore publication design, print processes and print production.

Products —

Brand identity (Form & Writing)
Monthly font design
Online resource (blog) documenting contextual references
Font specimen (publication)
Prints using fonts

Range —

Brand identity applied to a range of media (online delivery, printed publications)
Monthly typeface based on a pre-determined theme
Set of prints using the fonts we create

Distribution —

Type events & talks (hand out promotional materials)
Online delivery and through social media
Design blogs or potentially publications


4) Museum branding

A contextual investigation of design for the culture sector with a focus on promotion and advertising.

I am going to propose a rebrand for a local museum as the current identity is uninviting, bland and lacks ambition and drive. The project will provide the opportunity to explore brand identity and application in more depth to create a multitude of potential design resolutions.

Products —

Brand identity (logo design / brand mark)
Signage and wayfinding
Online media (website, social media, app design)
Iconography design
Publication and other promotional materials

Range —

Brand identity & application across a range of media
Proposed design range for specific areas / exhibitions of the museum (wa finding)

Distribution —

Local advertisements in newspapers / within the environment
Social media
Local schools / colleges

Promotion pin up

I put my promotional work on the board amongst the others and made a makeshift shelf to sit the mailer on. It was good to see what everyone else had proposed — really great concepts, now I need to rethink mine. I was chuffed with the end result but know I can do more to ensure it stands out. 

I intended to have my logo somewhere on the mailer, either as a stamp or a sticker but as the vinyl cutter wasn't working, I had to make do without — hopefully I'm going to order a hand embosser so I can blind emboss the mailer packaging.

Brief development workshop

What skills will the brief allow you to develop?
What contexts will the brief allow you to explore?
What content will the brief allow you to research?
What products will the brief allow you to develop?

General notes (moreso questions I need to ask myself) —

You need briefs that will allow you to develop your skills
Is the brief research driven? Led by the product?
Is there existing content or do you need to do more extensive research?
What subject matter / context do you want to explore?
How do you prioritise your time effectively?

Brief development - Want / Need

So these are the finalised lists of my wants & needs for the 3rd year. A lot of the responses seemed to cross reference from one sheet to another yet others were relatively specific. The questions in particular (although difficult to come up with 40), helped clarify what I needed to know / ask in order to achieve the best I can. These lists ultimately aided with the brief workshop today and brief development in general.

Promotional materials