I’ve got to admit: the “task bomb” phrase was starting to become worrying. It sounds so violent, so heavy going, so… extreme. Luckily, thankfully, the task bomb was quite an overblown phrase and we were presented with some tasks that were much nicer. I had envisioned having to design something in 5 minutes. The most intense part of the task bombing was the trial run in the morning that I narrowly missed out on getting it in. I’d been playing about with InDesign but the one thing I’d not messed with was printing. It’s a good job I made the mistake in the trial run.
When we got a crack at the proper one though, I was all geared up and ready to go. I was looking forward to trying some new sketchbook ideas generation and development techniques which I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they worked. Coupled with reading through the latest issue of Creative Review the night before and having a head filled with Alan Fletcher inspiration I was ready to go. I also found some of my presentation research creeping in when I decided to use Gill Sans for my headline font, which in retrospect I think was a poor choice. Because it’s used by so many other companies and places everyone has a different feeling and image in their head of what that font means. James kept telling me he could have sworn that it was the Franz Ferdinand font (you might be right James). It made me think twice about using the font again in a different context, but for my newspaper I think it gave a bit more of a edgy feel to it. Take a look.
The next task in the afternoon was something a bit more interesting – paint tube design. Oriental to be more specific. I didn’t have a clue where to start. After looking at some Japanese design I ended up deciding on quite a clinical feel to the design, and settling on a very simple, clean and technical layout. Once again, take a look at my offering. I’ve blown it up 200% to make it easier to see.
Oh yeah. And we went to a little place called London. You might’ve heard of it at some point. Little town down south somewhere. Anyway, when we arrived and after a little bit of tube jumping we got the Tate to find it was open but with no real reason to go inside. I wasn’t particularly disappointed as I’m quite impartial to art most of the time, especially the kind of artist that plonks a toaster in the middle of a room and calls that art. Instead of looking at the art we couldn’t look at anyway, we went to have a look around the book shop and ran straight to the design section. There was so many books I saw that I want but I can’t afford… there’s not a day that goes past when I regret not going for the full student loan so I could actually afford lots of books.
After that a couple of us trundled over to the Design Museum (nice website), which was far more inspiring than anything else I’ve been to so far. It also lead me to discover Creative Review, which I’ve now got a subscription to. Just in general the Design Museum opened my eyes a bit and made me want to put more effort in now in and out of college so at the end of the two years (or maybe three if everything goes to plan…) I’ll be as good as I can be in the design industry. I’ve packed in the writing semi-professionally.
It’s time to knuckle down and get serious.
When we got a crack at the proper one though, I was all geared up and ready to go. I was looking forward to trying some new sketchbook ideas generation and development techniques which I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they worked. Coupled with reading through the latest issue of Creative Review the night before and having a head filled with Alan Fletcher inspiration I was ready to go. I also found some of my presentation research creeping in when I decided to use Gill Sans for my headline font, which in retrospect I think was a poor choice. Because it’s used by so many other companies and places everyone has a different feeling and image in their head of what that font means. James kept telling me he could have sworn that it was the Franz Ferdinand font (you might be right James). It made me think twice about using the font again in a different context, but for my newspaper I think it gave a bit more of a edgy feel to it. Take a look.
The next task in the afternoon was something a bit more interesting – paint tube design. Oriental to be more specific. I didn’t have a clue where to start. After looking at some Japanese design I ended up deciding on quite a clinical feel to the design, and settling on a very simple, clean and technical layout. Once again, take a look at my offering. I’ve blown it up 200% to make it easier to see.
Oh yeah. And we went to a little place called London. You might’ve heard of it at some point. Little town down south somewhere. Anyway, when we arrived and after a little bit of tube jumping we got the Tate to find it was open but with no real reason to go inside. I wasn’t particularly disappointed as I’m quite impartial to art most of the time, especially the kind of artist that plonks a toaster in the middle of a room and calls that art. Instead of looking at the art we couldn’t look at anyway, we went to have a look around the book shop and ran straight to the design section. There was so many books I saw that I want but I can’t afford… there’s not a day that goes past when I regret not going for the full student loan so I could actually afford lots of books.
After that a couple of us trundled over to the Design Museum (nice website), which was far more inspiring than anything else I’ve been to so far. It also lead me to discover Creative Review, which I’ve now got a subscription to. Just in general the Design Museum opened my eyes a bit and made me want to put more effort in now in and out of college so at the end of the two years (or maybe three if everything goes to plan…) I’ll be as good as I can be in the design industry. I’ve packed in the writing semi-professionally.
It’s time to knuckle down and get serious.
3 comments:
Don't want to burst your bubble, but you put Jonathan Dee, not Jonathan Gee on your paper at the left hand side. A "Doh!" moment if ever there was one!
I quite like you tube design though. Only one point which I would make is that with the tube being cylindrical, it would be easier to read if the label on the front was aligned in the centre.
As paint tubes are put into racks by the tops, it is not uncommon for them to get turned. Aligning in the centre would make it easier to read regardless of the direction it was turned (up to 45 degrees either way). Might be something to consider.
Just because Steve says not to align things in the centre, dosen't mean there aren't instances where it would be acceptable, like when creating labels on cylindrical objects. Just look at things like jars. Isn't the typography on those centred?
I've been spelling it Jonathan Dee forever... And I missed that one. Ah well, it can't be changed now. Indeed one of those Doh moments.
And I hate centre align. It looks tacky. It wouldn't have fitted the style I was going for anyway, which was more of a technical feel.If you notice, the text is in the centre of the front panel, it's just right aligned.
I see Julians point.
If you look at pictures of paint tins, tubes, nail varnish, glue, cans, crisps, barrels, bottles etc on the net, anything with a cylandrical upright design is nearly always centred. Thats a lot of product designers doing it wrong.
But thats what I love about design, the difference of opinions as to what is right.
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