Logo/Branding

Logo’s are vital for recognition and putting a stamp on your work, and for customers to be able to familiarise themselves with your work.

Logo Thorns on Instagram is a selection of top quality, renowned logos. They are immediately eye catching, with use of block colours, simplified details, and a clear focus point. Many of them use the Gestalt theory of closure, or figure and ground to convey an image. These work by tricking or convincing the mind towards what it is seeing.

For my logo design I began by simply using the idea of the pencil shape to begin with as my work is currently based on hand drawings.I arranged them in a circle which from a distant creates a coherent shape as opposed to looking like a group of individual objects.

 

 

I then recreated this using Adobe Illustrator, I chose Illustrator to design it as it is more suitable for drawing, and then Photoshop for converting the images for web use. I started the design by creating a triangular shape, for this i selected the star tool, and by clicking on to the artboard which is the white page you are working on, and selecting 3 points instead of 5.

I then adjusted the points on the straight edge to create the zig zag edge. By adding anchor points you can move these points to different places altering the shape.

Editing anchor points

When creating the second part, I began in the same way by creating a rectangle shape and adding in the lines after. By using the tool ‘Horizontal Distribute Centre’, the lines within the shape are equally spaced. For the led part of the pencil i created another triangle shape as before but increased the line thickness until it was filled with colour.

 

I could then use the transform tool to copy the image in the opposite position, I then selected and rotated this image until i had the complete circle.

 

 

 

 

 

Screen Print for Notebooks

 

In preparation for screen printing onto card to become notebooks, I chose a few designs to begin creating stencils onto a large fine mesh screen, the fine mesh is important for this project as the lines Im working with are finely detailed and I want this to be transferrred. Here is my screen with many different layers for three designs, the most layers I am working on to begin with is five on one print, as I don’t want to over complicate it before I have practiced and tested what works.

The screen in progress

Screen printing is a skill I am learning and practicing on the job, with only a little bit of experience under my belt, it takes patience and precision. Colour mixing can be done in advance and is useful to prepare all the colours so you are ready to do as many layers as possible in one session.

Painting digitally

I decided to experiment by painting one of the digitally printed images, and trying to recreate that style using acrylic paint. I chose the image shown below.

I simplified the image slightly as it was a little complex to paint in that style. It was interesting to attempt, but i don’t think the outcome is successful as an image. I think the effect I created using a palette knife works as a recreation of the pen drawn reality, however as a painting style it becomes a little lifeless.

The comparison between the painting and digital version

If I do incorporate paint into these drawings again I will paint over the drawings as I have done previously. Here I have put the drawing and painting together digitally with the use of Instagram, so you can see the transition.

Painting Pencils?

I want to create individual pencils to sell alongside my notebooks, so I’m beginning to research into buying plain wood coloured pencils, and getting quotes from companies like below.

 

 

My pencils arrived a week after, and I began to see what it would look like using acrylic paint.

This is the style I would like to continue with I think it works well, and to create a series using the colours I’m using in my screen prints will ensure a continuous style in my products.

 

Postcards or Greeting Cards

Moo.com is a website that can be used for printing professional designs onto business cards, postcards etc. Here you can see how simple it is to upload your own design on to the postcards, they allow you to have different designs within an order so I can choose my best designs and purchase a group of 20/50/100 with a matte or gloss finish. It also allows me to have a logo design on the front.

Photoshop Edited Drawings

These are my first two attempts at editing drawings on Photoshop, by simply filling in colour it accents certain elements and creates a mood.

 

As I did more of these I learnt how it worked and could draw more purposeful lines. The way the colour filters through different sections where two ends don’t quite meet creates some interesting outcomes, and presents a more thought provoking image, so I was much more aware of the way I was drawing the original images to use the colour editing successfully. The drawings are mostly of a domesticated subject matter, I attempted drawings of other environments but didn’t find it as appealing; perhaps due to the personalised, intimate aspect of my own belongings and habitat.

 

I experimented with presenting my drawings as grouped pieces. I started to see a theme emerge among the colours being used and thought of the option to have a range of repeated images.

 

 

Scanning/Editing drawings for Screen Print

To prepare my drawings for screen print, I used a scanner to import them to the computer and in turn Photoshop for editing.

I needed to remove all the marks on the image such as the paper and leave only the pen design to get a clear image. Using the magic wand tool you can select areas to remove based around your image, using tone and colour it detects and groups areas together. For my images this worked well in removing everything but the black pen.

This left me with a much more accurate image to work from. I also used the levels tool to make the lines darker, this will leave me with clearer lines on the screen.

I then printed this on drafting film, this is similar to acetate but has a matte finish and allows me to put it through a printer, considering i will be working with many different designs it is more time efficient to be able to print my designs in preparation for screen printing as opposed to redrawing each one individually, however the drafting film is quite expensive, around £5 for an A1 sheet.

Live Project Initial ideas

My first research into this project was to collect imagery that inspired and influenced me, Hockney and Hopper were two that I focused on in collecting examples of their work, much of it based on figure or actions relating to daily lives. My first mind map stemmed from these inspirations.

 

Research for notebooks

Magma is a quirky Art/book shop with a couple of stores in central London and one in Manchester. Ive always been drawn to their individual, contemporary style so looked at their current stock for research for my live project.

Here you can see these purpose built sketchbooks for artists, these come in a range of colours, and inside contain various paper thickness’ and colours, and contain information about certain topics e.g. illustration/fashion, these sell for £8. This is a great example of where minimal personalisation of notebooks sells at a much higher price, even the colours are  attractive and could be sold as a set. The labels around the front make them look individual and give further character so this is something to consider.

Below is a print sold in Magma, by Ryo Takemasa. He created a series of scenic screen prints, i particularly like the colours, they are similar to my original ideas and drawings. Also the crisp, neat look you get from a print is very contemporary.

Paris In The Spring Print By Ryo Takemasa

 

Paperchase is one of the most successful stationary shops in the UK, selling a range of books and gifts.

The leather book below sells for £15, so it proves what using more expensive materials can do, it turns the book into more of an object, something you want to hold and cherish, so using other materials other than paper is something i could explore, however the manufacturing is likely to take much longer.

The brown paper books come in a pack of 3 for £5 at Paperchase, this has potential for me to print my designs directly on to the front cover and sell for a higher price. However, Im yet to decide whether it will be cheaper for me to create my own books.

 

 

3 for £5

Sells for £15

Examples expenditure options for my project, looking at making 20 books.  If I buy ready made notebooks:

£8 for a pack of 10 from http://www.officestationary.com

 

£1 per book from Hobby Craft.

Book at est. £1 each

Screen print images directly onto the covers, small cost for paint

Sell at 3.50 each, profit of 2.50 per book

…Plus Packaging?

Making own books:

£4.36 for 100gsm a4 paper (500 sheets) from Post Office – More than enough to make 20 books with 20 sheets in each.

Brown craft paper for cover, £1.50 per 8 sheets, so £4.50 in total

Coloured paper for inside= £5

Est £13.86 to make 20 books

=20 sold for £4.50 = £90

Profit of £75 if all are sold