Brief Rationale

Brief Rationale for Brochure

For my topic I decided to highlight the different experiences while dining/eating in bakeries in Wellington. I used thin type and placed equal leading between the letters to create a more elegant and modern feel to the text and to suggest that the bakeries also contain those qualities. I placed my type in diagonal rag right alignment to guide the reader’s eye in a diagonal format, also because the images have hands coming from diagonals. There is use of white space to make the pages easier to read, from image to text. The type size is to connote an intimate feeling to each spread while the reader focuses on each cluster of text.

For the emotive, colour pallets were based on colours in the sites and their atmospheric feeling. Martha’s pantry had a feminine yet elegant atmosphere, Nada Bakery had a warmer, nostalgic atmosphere in terms of surroundings and objects and Mrs Higgins was urban and busy. Each spread contains a hand reaching for the food in different directions in an abstract and illustrated environment, suggesting of the handmade and direct qualities of the bakeries.

For the textures, I made white cut outs in spaces of the imagery, each a silhouette of imagery commonly found in each space through positive and negative space, a flower for Martha’s Pantry, a wheel for Nada Bakery representing the bike and buildings for Mrs Higgins in the city. The pattern used is taken from each site, as it is a part of their essence and character, iconic association.

Things to consider next time could be the colour differences when printing on different paper.  I also could have been more aware of the space the text occupies. 

Final Critique class session

Printing Brochure, One on Ones, Reflecting on 6 weeks

We had one on one critiques to help develop our finals to become stronger for printing. We discussed the brief rationale and what to put in it. It was a final reflection of what we had done for the last six weeks, it helped to reflect on what I should of done and could do for future projects to have a successful design.

Developing towards Final

Improving Designs

I Changed the images to have more white space around them and the text also has more space around each paragraph. I did this so that there was a lot more breathing room and so everything is easier to read when flowing between the image and text.

Class independent work

Working on brochure and layout- further refining layouts

Today we refined our brochures further in terms of layout and received feedback for our work so far. It helped to see what final touches we could put in to improve our designs. We also found out how to print through the pdf posted on stream. I then tested out printing the document and putting it together.

Brochure developing Layout of spreads

Developing Colour,Grid and Images

after the class critique I learned news things that I could apply to my own brochure. I added more colour to correspond to each spread to show differences in bakeries. I added the round labels to correspond to the maps I made which are in circles. I added more contrast to some of the images and darkened them slightly as when I printed them I noticed some were quite light.

Cover and Information Spread

Spread 1- Martha's Pantry

Spread 2- Nada Bakery

Spread 3- Mrs Higgins

Extra Spread

Back Cover

Flexible Grid Structure, Pace and Flow

Lecture, Class Discussion and Critique

We had a lecture discussing maps and different ways that we could design our maps for our brochures. It helped me to think about what I could do for my own and maybe rethink about what I have done so far and how I could change it. Then there was a Class Critique on the Mock up print outs we had. It helped to see what others had done and how well their brochures were made. We then got into groups where we discussed each others brochures and the qualities that were good and those that needed improvement to help develop our designs to a higher standard.

Brochure Layout

Layout using grid and Type Developments

I developed my original layouts for my Brochures further using the knowledge from the typography and grid exercises done in class in InDesign. I decided to use spaces between the letters make the brochure have a more modern and elegant feel, also the text is mostly in rag left apart from the extra information as rag right.

Typography, Grid and Brochure- Class Discussion

Brochure Layout Planning

Today we discussed the successful points of the type exercise we did in class yesterday. It helped a lot in terms of hierarchy, type layout and image text relationships. We discussed in groups the successful compositions we had made that we may have decided to apply to our own designs and the less successful ones that needed more work. There was then a presentation going over all the past presentations and a discussion on the types of information we could put on our back, front and spare spread of the brochure. All in preparation for the full printed version next week to test out the layouts and feeling of the brochure.

Typography- class session

Type Discussion and Experiments

We discussed the rules and ways of typography in class. There was a lecture that talked about good and bad typography and how it defines how hard or easy the text or document is able to be read. It helped to see the comparisons as it will help when designing my type for my brochure. We then had a go at independently designing layouts with different sized and bold fonts to create a successful layout on grids. There was also individual and class discussions on the designs we had done over the weekend. It was interesting to see how others created their layouts to see what worked and what didn't. I found out that my designs still needed quite a lot of work in terms of layout of type and visuals.

Grid- Independent

Designing the layout of my own brochure using indesign

I tried out different ways to layout the text on my Spreads and tried out  images with a background and images without.

spread 4 and 5

spread 3 and 4

spread 2 and 3

spread 2 and 3

spread 2

spread 4 and 5

spread 3

spread 4 and 5

spread 1 (cover) and 2

spread 6 and 7 (back cover)

Grid

Grid Analysis in Class

We discussed Grid and what makes grids successful in design compositions. For example it's effectiveness to make a cluttered and busy design suddenly very easily read and viewed. At the beginning of the class we were given 3 sheets of different grids and were asked to trace over them to see the underlying grid within our groups. It helped to see how designers layout a series of different text and contrast it to the imagery.We also analysed the brochures that were collected in terms of grid. Afterwards we were given a series of squared boxes in order to form our own grid in our designs to format our brochures.A brief explanation of Indesign was also mentioned to help with the layout of the homework for the next critique session.

Visual Language, Aesthetics and Style

Adjectives expressed through visual language

In class we discussed the relationship between Visual language, aesthetics and style within design. I helped to understand what goes into each design to convey a deeper meaning within imagery and all images have meaning contained within. We formed groups and discussed the visual imagery we did for homework and how we could improve on them.We also did a class group session where we were to find images that matched the imagery within the given books. It was helpful to brainstorm adjectives and to see what artists use in terms of type and technique which convey an adjective.

Researching and planning -Independent

Planning and Researching for Brochure

I started off by finding typefaces I felt represent the atmosphere of each bakery. For Martha's Pantry I wanted to portray elegance, for Nada Bakery I wanted to portray homemade and warm and for Mrs Higgins I wanted to portray it being sophisticated and urban yet a slight feeling of being homemade.

Typeface Research for each site

I researched different magazine/brochure layouts that I liked in terms of the imagery combined with the typography or just typography. I think it helped me have a clearer idea of what I wanted to achieve in terms of the composition/layout of my own design when drawing the thumbnails of my possible layout.

Magazine/brochure layout Research

Making A5 Mockups

Adding a background to strengthen layout and image relation

I added a background to collate the imagery and colours within the image together. I also added spots of colour, of the relevant colours I found in each site. I wanted to display the elegant atmosphere of Martha's Pantry, the Busy and contemporary nature of Mrs Higgins and the old fashioned, country side feel from Nada Bakery. I felt I made some progress but I feel I could use more design elements which would convey my adjectives more clearly.

Martha's Pantry-visual experiment

Mrs Higgins- Visual experiment

Nada Bakery-Visual experiment

Initial Trials- focusing on layout and minimal colour

Mrs Higgins Mock 1

Nada Bakery Mock 1

Martha's Panty Mock 1

Researching Artist Models

Stylistic Research/layout/Composition approaches

I researched some artist's work that I liked and thought about ways that I could incorporate the different styles within my own work. It also helped to see what types of compositions and layouts were used which made the designs successful. I gained better knowledge of what styles I think would suit my work best.

Class Discussion and independent work

Icon,Index,Symbol and Artist model research

We discussed the visual imagery we created for independent work and how they were related to icon,index and symbol. The imagery were meant to convey the activity in each of the sites at different levels. It was confusing at first but I gained some more insight by the end of the class. In class I managed to find some inspiring artist models that I liked style wise to influence the design of my project.

Icon,Index and Symbol

Class Discussions/Independent work

We learnt about Visual Cues in terms of icon,index and symbols.In class we were asked to combined researched imagery and form an image embodying icon, image and context. This helps to convey a more in depth meaning within the imagery and strengthen the images descriptions.I then created some compositions using the images I had drawn along with the colours that i felt represented the site along with patterns I had discovered from within the sites.

Researching Visual Material

Mrs Higgins Cookies

I researched into the environment and atmosphere Mrs Higgins Cookies had and discovered that it has a busy feel to it as there are many people passing the bakery. The food is very easy to eat on the go so many people who pass by can grab a baked item and go. The smell of the baked items is often also enough to lure customers to the bakery situated in City.I noticed the colours are quite bold and there are mostly crosses or checked patterns with a lot of browns, reds. I think this promotes its welcoming nature.

Researching Visual Material

Nada Bakery

I found some images of the bakery and took some of my own to gain a better understanding of the site. Inside the bakery I found that everything was neatly placed in a display case for customers to come and choose what they wanted. The outside has bread detail displaying the main and well baked good sold at the bakery. It has a welcoming, homely yet old fashioned vibe to the store with the outside containing a displayed bike with a basket filled with bread, the striped picnic baskets within the bakery containing baked goods and wooden shelving.