This week...

Type collaboration

• Initial concept ideas for basis of monthly font
• Logo & overall brand design - initial ideas and concepts
• Contextual research - type specimens, prints etc
• Blog design

Formula

• Contextual research - websites, logo design, copywriting etc
• Logo design - research into potential font choices
• Brand identity - how do we want to promote ourselves; who are we?

Museum branding

• RESEARCH - What is Warrington Museum? Who is the target audience? What exhibitions does it hold? What is its current means of advertising?
• Explore potential deliverables - think range / scope
• What initiatives could I explore to increase brand awareness
• Initial design ideas & concepts

Film magazine

• Research into British independent film making
• What are its competitors? Does it need to be sold independently or is there a gap in the market?
• Contextual research (for cover illustrations & branding)
• Initial concepts and ideas (logo design)

Brief 3 - Some changes

So me and Yaf have been thinking about our type collaboration brief — unfortunately Max isn't well (get well soon gregory) but using the basis of what we already have, we have been looking into how we can further develop the brief.

Form & Writing

The name Form & Writing we created defines the two areas to the brief

Form — Contextual references and our investigation into type (Blog)
Writing — Our own typefaces and application through print (Typefaces, specimen & prints)

As we have decided on creating a typeface every month, we thought it would be fitting to release the fonts as of January next year with the intention on completing a font every month for potentially 6 months to a year. We could start the development of the typefaces now, however, to ensure we have content to publish.

Time plan (month)

1 wk - Research & investigation
1 wk - Design development
1 wk - Product development
1 wk - Prints & application

Monthly themes

So rather than deciding on a theme each month, we decided to devise a multitude of potential concepts to base our fonts on — one of which could be picked out of a hat. This could be filmed to show it is completely random and published on our blog as part of the contextual research.

Brief development - Time plan

Stages of design

1 — Idea generation

2 — Research & investigation

3 — Concept development & clarification

4 — Design development

5 — Evaluation & selection

6 — Production & resolution

7 — Presentation & submission

With the time plan, allow room for things that might arise — problems with printing and / or clients, hard drive failures, money issues, etc. Not everything will go to plan and the time plan will ultimately change and adapt. We still need a basic plan to stick to but ensure it's not set in stone.

Basic time plan - applying each brief to a timeline consisting of 10 segments.

Brief 3 - Type foundries

Ten Dollar Fonts

I started to look into various online type foundries who sell fonts — from large corporations to independent sites in order to gather research for our own project. For the PRD brief last year, I created a font which I am now selling on Ten Dollar Fonts, an online resource for (predominantly) designers to purchase headline and more experimental typefaces. This was a great opportunity to sell my work as Dan, who owns the site, has an avid following due to his promotion on various design blogs & sites.

Vllg

Village (Vllg) source fonts from a range of various type foundries. Along with the fonts they sell, they also offer a range of products using the typefaces you can purchase — something we can look at for our own project. I came across this site when searching for a brand font for mine and Lukes studio. The type specimens in particular are brilliant.

Type specimen

The following type specimen is for Calibre, a geometric neo-grotesque typeface inspired by German street signage. The publication outlines its origins and its engineered geometry. Street signs are a common place for engineered type as its intention is to solely provide clear and concise information that passersby can easily read and understand.

Lineto

Similarly to Vllg, Lineto collate fonts from a range of sources, all into one online resource. You are able to try and experiment with the fonts before purchase which is handy if you're unsure as to what to buy. They provide an extensive range of different font styles including serif, sans-serif, experimental and script.

Colophon Foundry

Colophon Foundry are an independent type foundry set up by the designers of The Entente, a Brighton based studio. It states on their site that although they sell their own fonts, they also provide a platform for other designers to distribute their own products. Some are limited edition and some come with specimen publications which you can purchase (Design context)

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