Wednesday, 2 January 2013

Happy New Year!

I'm sorry that I haven't blogged about the favourite designers yet, but with Christmas, Boxing Day, New Years, and the new project I have been working on, all going underway, I've been extra busy and distracted!

I am starting a new project based on Staffordshire Oatcakes, you see! Have you heard of them? Some people get mixed up with the Scottish oaty crackers, but these are more like oaty pancakes. They're really lovely, but; 1. They don't look all that appetising and 2. No-one out of Staffordshire seems to have heard of them!

Now, I am in my third and final year at university so I have been able to create and tailor the briefs that I work on to suit my portfolio's needs - which is great! So, I have initiated this self-authored brief:

a) To make the local Staffordshire Oatcake look more appealing to people outside of Staffordshire.
b) To get the local Staffordshire Oatcake recognised by people outside of Staffordshire.

This project will involve branding, packaging, logo design, name ideas for the brand identity, and I will be creating the identity for (it could be all or either of these); a cafe, a restaurant, and a bakery.

I have been looking at the old english language and the slang used in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, to give me ideas on the brand identity, for example, the Oatcake has picked up many nicknames through the years; The Woodcake, The Tunstall Tortilla, The Clay Suzette, and The Potteries Poppadom. These are going to be really fun to work with, and when it is finished I will post it up here and show it off!

For now, here is a brilliant (brilliantly informative - not designed!) website containing much of the history of The Potteries in pictures, and articles and stories... lots of photos showing the same spots, then and now. It's very interesting - take a look, here!

This is a spot I have walked past lots of times!

This is it now...
And this is it back in the 60s or 70s.
How much nicer did it look back then?!

 










Friday, 28 December 2012

Scripts - Elegant Lettering from Design's Golden Age





I purchased this today, and I have to say it is THE most beautiful book I own: 

"Scripts - Elegant Lettering from Design's Golden Age" 
by Steven Heller and Louise Fili & Published by Thames and Hudson

I recommend it if you are in to 1920s-1950s script type!

Moleskine sketches and doodles

Little doodle I did of the camping gear at Lattitude Festival one morning.

My very fat cat - this won't be the first time you will hear about him!

My loafers and the paisley pattern which was on my dress! 

I probably copied this from a book somewhere when I had nothing to do...

Botanical style

I copied this from a victorian advert, maybe a locksmiths?

On the left page, again, is a pattern which was on my dress that day.
On the right side is a sketch of the brass detail on a little jewellery box of mine.

Starting to practice hand lettering...

hand lettering...

hand lettering...

hand lettering...

this moleskine sketchbook, with it's lovely ivory pages, just inspires me to draw;
usually on trains or when deadlines are over and I finally have time to myself!

It's quite personal and just something I do for the pleasure of it.



Thursday, 27 December 2012

I needed a web presence!

I already have a twitter account and a tumblr blog,
and I use both of them a lot but I haven't got a real space
for work in progress, design inspiration in particular
or for work that I have finished!

So here we go... I am a graphic design student
at Staffordshire University, in my third and final year.
I think the title "graphic design" is a very
loose term for what I do, and I find it hard to tell
graphic designapart from infographics,
print and illustration. I prefer to call it Visual Communication -
as a lot of others do - it sounds more friendly.

I will start by "blogging" about the designers, old and new,
that have inspired me and then I will move on to some of my
work in progress and portfolio pieces! I hope you will
like what to you see. Feel free to follow me on twitter or tumblr,
as I update them all the time! You can e-mail me
here or here if you have any questions, ideas - anything.


Wednesday, 26 December 2012