animation tests

I used the stop-motion app on my phone to do a quick test to see how it would look having my miners walking down the road

It is obviously rough and too fast, but I think this style will work well once I add in all the background imagery.

developing mono printing

I found a way to have multiple colours on the print, where  would ink up the stencils in one colour and ink the board in another which worked pretty well

But I would still prefer it if the white figures were the faded texture rather than that bold white.

So I came up with a new process which was initially very successful, first:

I ink up the board and just print ink

then I print again using the same board so that I have a background, I then ink the same board again and add the stencils which are inked up in red

This was the first print that came out using this process which I was really pleased with. The stencils have a really nice faded texture and the background is a block colour which is very difficult to achieve with mono printing, it also has the indentations from the stencils. And because it is printed onto the faded background it tones all the colours down a bit. I think this colour scheme works well with the theme too. 

So ideally I would do all my compositions using this process, but after a whole day in the print rooms trying the achieve the same effect, none of the prints turned out as good as this one, which was very frustrating. 

They didn't turn out that bad, but just didn't have the same block background colour I wanted, it was all a bit too faded but I can't work out what I am doing differently. I would ink up the board with lots of ink or with a light layer of ink but they still turned out the same.

But after asking around for advice, some people actually preferred the print that was slightly faded:

Because the faded bit looks like it could be another building in the background, it is more mysterious, and has more depth, whereas the other print is too flat. So I am unsure of how to proceed with these prints, but if I am constantly trying to chase the block colour print I might as well have done screen printing, because thats not what mono printing is about so I should take that into consideration too. But I am pleased with how they developed from the beginning, they are looking a lot more like finished pieces, and I feel like I have come across a lot of problems with mono printing that I have overcome. 

more monoprinting

I went back to the print rooms, with different sized printing boards, I cut them to rectangular sizes one about A2 length and the other about A3. I think using different formats really helps the prints look more like finished, composed pieces. I was testing out different colour schemes and compositions.

I've had some problems getting the prints to turn out how I wanted, with mono printings it is hard to foresee how they will look as it is a different turn out each time. There is big difference between the first and second print, but there are elements of each print that I like and want to find a way to put all the features I like onto one print - because although the compositions are turning out right I haven't yet managed a print that I feel could be passed as a final print.

I love the dense, bold colour of the background that comes out after the first print, but I would prefer the stencilled bits to be a colour rather than just right, I think the contrast is too much

I like the idea of singling out sections in different colours but I need to find a way of using other colours instead of white. I do like the faded texture but I think when it is all over it isn't very bold. I also keep getting marks on the print which I think is from the board still having oil or soap on it. 

What I like about the second print is the indentations left when the stencils are taken off the board, but it doesn't seem possible to have both the dense background colour while still having the faded, textural feel of the stencilled areas.

I want to find a way to solve this problem, I'm sure there must be some way, but the nature of mono printing is the faded colours with lots of patterns and shapes layered up. I think it is quite difficult to achieve a finished piece that is more of a composed scene rather than a pattern, but I'm sure I will find a way. 

type test

I did a test for the title sequence for the animation; I am pleased with the smoke in the background, I think the ink pad I used was effective in giving the wispy texture, especially when layered up. And I think it will look good when the smoke clears a bit and leads into a chimney on one of the factories. 

I'm not too sure about the text; I printed out different fonts and drew over them so it would still have the handmade feel to it. But it isn't very clear against the dark background and I don't think the enlargement as it comes on screen is very good, it seems a bit tacky. It might be better if I just have it fade on and stay for a bit longer because at the moment it is too quick.

more development (propercorn)

I have decided to focus on designing a set of stands for the brief, but I am still experimenting with compositions and media to use because I have not yet found a way of working that really suits what I want the outcome to look like

I like the use of watercolour and pen, I want to keep the handmade feel to it but not copy the packs design completely, but this method might be a bit too different

I saw this packaging and really liked the simplicity of it and thought I could maybe transfer a similar design onto my stands

initial presentation boards (propercorn)

We made some initial presentation boards so that we could present what we have so far but also have some practise for when we make the final boards, so that we know how they should be laid out and what they should be showing

We had a crit for the boards and this is the feedback I recieved:

STRENGTHS

- well researched in most areas

- good consideration of context, placement and audience

- good use of colour, is consistent with brand colours

- good visual representation of real world settings

- nice use of both handmade and photoshop to depict ideas

- have researched a lot of possibilities to expand the brand (e.g. window displays)

- idea of including ingredients

- great concept of 'light' and having the food float upwards 

IMPROVEMENTS

- finalise media choice and then experiment more with what works most efficiently

- look at more food/restaurant shop window displays and advertisements to see how they draw their customers in

- chose an artistic 'style' because the tone of voice in unclear

- develop more compositions

QUESTIONS

- are you hand-drawing or cutting out pictures of ingredients?

- how will you adapt your style to the target audience?

- do you have enough time?

- what media will you use?

- what shop windows will you advertise in for your target audience?

I am pleased with the feedback I got, I was mostly a positive response which is encouraging. I now need to decide on what area I want to focus on - whether its window displays, posters or display stands, and then I need to decide on how I will design in and what media I will use. 

fonts

Ive picked through a few different fonts for the text in the animation, these are my favourite ones

FRANKLIN GOTHIC

LETTER GOTHIC STD

ORATOR STD

ANDALE MONO

I chose 'ANDLAE MONO', but I wanted it to fit more with the handmade feel of the animation, so I printed it out and traced over the top

I think this looks a lot better, I will have the text in red so to keep with the colour scheme running through the sequence. 

re-writing the brief (propercorn)

After analysing the brief enough to know what we are being asked to do, it was a good idea to re-write the brief into something a lot more concise and to the point that stated exactly what I am planning to create in response to the brief. 

BRIEF
A campaign communicating the brand of 'Propercorn', advertising the different flavours and the fact that it is 'guilt free' and a healthy snack, and also to promote these aspects in places that will connect with the audience.

PRODUCT
- posters
- banners in shops
- shop window mural
- illustrated stand for the popcorn

TONE OF VOICE
- lively
- vibrant
- fun
- flavour

AUDIENCE
- women; young and busy
- health concious
- people who go to the gym, whole food stores, use public transport

CONTEXT
- propercorn is branding itself as arty, stylish, healthy and so wants to be seen in related places
- such as; art house cinemas, health food stores, london fashion week, selfridges, topshop

CONSIDERATIONS
- key area is the 'in-store' environment
- also places that the audience will be; consider journey to work, daily errands

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
- be faithful to the brand
- products need to be commercially viable
- focusing on in-store environments is preferred

DELIVERABLES
- a campaign
- advertising that will catch audience during their everyday lives

developing ideas (propercorn)

I liked the idea of a bus shelter that gave the 'propercorn experience', a space that catches the audience on their way to work or running errands as it is using public transport. I feel I want to concentrate on the flavours for this project.

I could do a series of bus shelter posters, but I also saw these creative bus shelters:

Although it is very extreme and would cost a lot, it would definitely get across the message of the variety and intensity of the different flavours of popcorn. 

I like the idea of designing a series of posters as well which got across the message of the ingredients making a big impact on the popcorn

I think good window displays can be very effective in luring customers into a shop, I researched into some creative ones, such as the Selfridges window displays:

I love the layering of parts of the scene, it makes it look more 3D, I came up with some ideas for a similar display which sort continued the narrative on the pack, looking at where the ingredients came from

The brief stated that it preferred the outcome to be more focused on in-store environments so I thought about designing some display stands for the popcorn

I feel like these could work quite well in a shop environment as they wouldn't take up too much space, but they will be vibrant and attract people to them.