OUGD502 - Self Branding update

Previous branding:

At the time I really liked doing my self branding because I felt that it was the first design that I had done that really represented me. Combining the design and illustration elements to the business cards gave added interest. However looking back on these designs and my illustrations they almost feel a little childish. This is something that had come up at the time when I created them. The mixture of colours while eye catching and bold feels a bit over done. I think for my updated branding I would like to strip back these designs to the bare bones in order to make the identity a lot more professional looking. 

Also for my promotional materials such as my concertina CV I think that I will create something less expensive as this cost me quite a bit to print last year. Yet I still like the concept of doing something that is out of the ordinary and a little bit unusual. 

Updated branding:

I have kept the symbol that I created for my level 4 self branding as I feel it represents me as a designer, showing clarity and friendliness. I have stripped back the logo to just the mark rather than having a combination of the mark and text. I have also changed my typeface to one which is much more sophisticated to show my professional progression as a designer. However I wanted to add a bit of playfulness into the design, so I’ve used a simple colour palette of black and a neon colours to make the identity pop.

For my collateral and promotional materials I really wanted to experiment with traditional print methods such as letterpress and screen-printing. So I wanted to laser cut my logo in order to use it like a woodblock type and print it onto a thick grey board. This would give the tactile quality that I try to give my work to my business cards. However I decided that this would be too difficult when I could screen print instead and create more cards at once rather than printing them one at a time.

When screen printing the business cards I decided to use colours that you couldn't ordinarily use with digital printing so I chose a colour palette of white and neon pink and orange. To further emphasise the traditional process I mixed these colours together to create a gradient with the inks. The final outcome is really effective, especially on the grey board stock as they are sturdy and tactile, feeling more luxurious than a simple 300gsm paper print.

For a promotional pack I have stuck to digital platforms for now as I think this is where I get most of my business and it makes sense to have a sort of hub for all of my work to act as a portfolio. If I had more time to do PPP I probably would have created a CV of sorts to send off to studios like Rabbit Hole or Split Studio in Leeds to possibly get some work experience.

However I am really pleased with the business cards and updated website that I had created. I feel like it gives me a more professional look rather than just looking like a student. I do feel like I didn't spend enough time on my self branding but at the same time I am pleased with what I have come up with.