Wednesday, 29 January 2014

Personal Branding// Mock ups





Here are some mock ups I produced on illustrator and below are the following items...

  • Business card.
  • Post it notes
  • Mole skin book
  • Envelope
  • Branding on Ipad 
  • Branding on Iphone
I wanted to do this to see what a selection of random object with my branding on would look like. According to my Dad it looks quite old fashioned and reminded him of the penny black, which was a stamp made in 1840s. I don't agree too much with him but I can see where he is coming from. 
The next plan is to start designing for print, I want to make:
  • Creative CV
  • Promotion pack
  • Business cards
  • Envelope and letter
  • post it notes
I also want to do some digital stuff like mock up my website and apply it to different applications. 

Tuesday, 28 January 2014

Personal Branding// First Examples

1)


Here I have taken the portrait route and overall the outcome is very clean and legible. It doesn't say much though. I hope you understand what I mean by that but when looking at it, it seems very bland and unpredictable. Not so much unpredictable but it doesn't say I massive lot about who I am as a designer. I really want to make something striking but at the same time I want to make something simple. Finding the in between is something I will be able to work out hopefully during the time of this brief.

As you can quite clearly see this isn't a massive difference compared to last years business card but like I have already said I do want to keep the logo and simplicity.

The business card will be printed from instaprint in the end. However, I do want to mock some of my own up using stock I have found at college. I want to use a technique called triplexing. This consists of layering three types of stock on top of each other. In the end you are left with a sturdy finish that can visually look most striking.

2)


I like this example and I think this could be extended further. The back of the card is much more interesting and isn't bland compared to my first example.

The middle has been left blank so I can write in my own hand writing to my client or whoever I have given my card to. This will make the tone of voice kind and welcoming if they decide to contact me again. I'm not sure about the lines I have put in to make this space more obvoius this coiuld probably look better.

3) 


In this example I have centralised all the information at the bottom to suit the rest of the design. I am going to leave this for now as I want to get some feedback from my peers. I do however want to get on with the rest of my self branding which includes the promotional pack and website etc.

Looking at my business card now I feel I am almost there with it. I am happy with the front but the back still isn't quite perfect. I just need to play around with some more stuff and see what happens. Black and white I think is the way forward with my self branding. I really want to use colour but can't seem to find colours that suit me a a designer. Realistically I would love very vibrant colours but I'm worried this could give a false message. White gives the idea of starting fresh. A designer that can gain input in any situation.


Personal Branding// Secondary Research// Buisness Cards

Secondary Research// Buisness Cards

Last Years Business Card




As it happens I do actually very much like these business cards, well except for the back as it didn't print properly! I am going to carry my logo across as its striking and visually I just quite like it! The back however I am going to change a great deal. Something isn't quite right with it so I am going to spend time seeking inspiration and then hopefully I will be able to find something that will really work with the rest of my business card

You may have realised but I have decided to start with my business card before anything else. To me this makes sense. Create visuals over the business card and then apply these visuals to everything else.

Over this time designing my card I must think about why this suits me as a designer. I also want to explain on the card what I specialise in. This happens to be something I have been trying to work out during my first days of college and it is quite hard. On the one hand I very much enjoy editorial based work and this is something I would happily be involved in in the near future. Then again I enjoy packaging, the idea of designing and then constructing. 

Below are some secondary examples I managed to find on websites and blogs over the internet. I will only choose ones that appeal to me and with that I will explain why they appeal to me.
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Glare


Glare: Found on designspiration I adore the simplicity that comes with these two examples. I must quickly point out that simplicity is something I am considering sticking with as it makes you seem clean and organised. Having a Business card that is clustered and even ineligible can make you unappealing as a designer. I like the black example the most, probably because it looks most like my old business card. I am this time going to left aline my information on the back of the card.

Seth Nickerson
Again, from designspiration I found this business card by and for Seth Nickerson. This is simply wonderful, well designed and makes Seth look professional. I most admire the layout of is business card. I couldn't seem to find any examples of the back of his card but I can imagine there is a back where you can find his contact details. 

Seth's cards have been embossed. Something I am not familiar with what so ever! I defiantly want to find somewhere where I can emboss my cards, this completely depends on price though. I can imagine that sending you card away to be embossed professionally is not something that comes cheap. Lastly I like the simplicity of the colour. Only slight problem that has just been thought of is the card getting dirty in peoples wallets once the card has been handed over. This could make someone think twice about contacting.

Bielke: Deep Search


Found on the Bielke website, I believe the colour is what most attracted me to this cards. Deep Search is a shoe company that Bielke had the pleasure of designing a new identity for. Like I said it is the colour that attracted me to these cards. They are quite and, like my other examples I have decided to talk about, simple. 

The question is however, would a colour like this suit a designer? It is worth experimenting a lot with colour as you never know what might work with your logo and layout of business card. 

The Chop Shop by Ptarmak


I came across this on fontsinuse.com and I wanted to blog it because of the format it is in. Is it, or is it not wise to make your card a B format like the one above? In terms of this example I think this one would be fine, apart from when storing the card away there might be a chance those edges could become caught on something.



I've been looking at this for a while and it has only just hit me why the business card is this shape. If you look at the example above I think its to do with this which is common in most butcher shops. Thats made me realise that if the format of the card changes is there any reason for it why it changed? And the simple answer is of course, changing the size of your business card from the conventional shape would be made if it had no reason behind it. If i'm honest I can't imagine changing the size of my business card. 

Gohar Avagyan



This business card design by Gohar Avagyan reminded me very much of my card. I love the fonts used, it reminds me of an early 90s font. From looking at this it's almost like the designer wanted to create an old historical feel as the colour, which is this sort of off white/ grey, gives the business card this old and worn feel. 

Again I very much like the font used in the design. I wonder what it is. in particular the 'Molto' type face. Its bold and to me looks sophisticated. 

Personal Branding// Design Sheets, Plan of Action

Personal Branding // Secondary Research

Anthony Mccann





Above we have the self branding of Anthony Mccann who is a graphic and 3D designer. I have been looking on Behance for inspiration as it is very easy to find. I decided to talk about this one first as it is very simple but works very well in explaining who Anthony is through infographics and clear text. Anthony has gone with 'I AM' as I way of really pushing the idea he is a designer. Despite being a very simple idea it works well in making Anthony sound like a very confident designer. 

Binna Cho














I found this when just looking at the graphic design self branding and I was very much taken aback when coming across this self branding/ presentation by Binna Cho from South Korea. From just when quick flick through this 12 page presentation you get a very good idea of the talent and commitment Binna has.

I have never thought about making a presentation like Binna has, but considering we most defiantly live in a internet based world this just makes so much sense. Binna starts with a little, well designed chapter page, she then goes on to explain, through imagery alone, what she enjoys doing and what her hobbies are. From there you go through her self promotion and her portfolio. In her self promotion part everything is mocked up and looks very clean and professional. In this self promotion she has 
  • Buisness Cards
  • Letter Heads
  • Envelopes 
  • Her website presented on - Iphone & Ipad. 
  • and finally her logo mocked up on to note pades and reflective journals.
I have throughly enjoyed looking though this self branding/ presentation by Binna Cho, I can only imagine it had tremendous success with who ever she sent it out to.




Personal Branding// Brief