OUGD402 - Studio Brief 1 - Studio H

When looking for some inspiration in packaging design I came across Studio H which is based in London. They specialised in packaging and branding which I would also like to specialise in maybe in the second year. I was thinking of trying to contact this studio for some work experience, however they are based in London and personally I don't like London as a city at all. It's too busy for me and there are too many people - I'm much more of a country person. I much prefer places like Leeds and Manchester where there are still people about but you can walk out of the city centre and it will be quiet and peaceful. 

http://www.studioh.co.uk/

I simply love the freshness of their work - all of the identities are unique and suitable for each company that they have designed them for, there is no one particular style that they follow.

This design in particular caught my eye, I love the use of a very simple colour palette - letting the colour of their products shine through rather than covering it up. Also the logo being a logotype rather than an icon is really effective because it can be placed and used in so many different ways so it isn't limited to one design. This design has definitely inspired me to think about simplicity within my designs - to not overcomplicate things and keep some designs pared back to let the product shine through. 

Also I found this tea brand, which is really simple using patterns as the ornamentation of the design. I like this because the label draws your eye because it is placed right in the middle of the patterns, breaking it up. Also the use of tins rather than boxes makes the product seem a lot more sophisticated as it would have commanded a higher budget. I have got into pattern design recently so this is quite inspiring for me to look at. 

OUGD402 - Studio Brief 2 - Final Critique Personal Branding

PRESENTATION

The feedback that I received after the presentation was mostly really good. My tutors said that the overall brand was really confident which is a really nice thing to hear. I was worried that it had begun to look a bit childish with the bright colours and illustrations - someone did say that I could be a children's book illustrator from the look of my self branding but I don't mind that! They also liked the use of the two different business cards for my different identities as a designer. I was not made aware that I needed to explore anything further but I might try and reproduce my business cards to a higher quality and perhaps do some more work on my online presence. 

OUGD402 - Studio Brief 2 - CV Concertina book final

OUGD402 - Studio Brief 1 - Trip to the Hepworth, White Cloth Gallery, Tetley, Henry Moore & Leeds Art Gallery

Today we went on a group trip to multiple galleries within and around Leeds. The first place we visited was the Hepworth in Wakefield.

I absolutely loved the architecture of the building - it's crisp lines in the skyline really stood out. 

When looking around inside the building I really liked the way the gallery sign posted things with just vinyl on the walls which was all consistent and really nicely typeset. 

Within the actual exhibition Lynda Benglis was exhibited and her abstract organic sculptures were very inspiring. They looked as if they had been done then and there in the exhibition space using hot bronze.

The way the exhibition was laid out was really nice as well - lots of empty space so you could really appreciate each piece of work. I wish that this would be possible within the space that we are exhibiting in but it is much smaller than this.

I also really liked this floor plan to show the information about each piece within the space. Maybe my group could create something similar.

I was very much inspired by the prints that were shown in the next part of the gallery. They combined lines filled with energy and movement with blocks of abstract colour to create a brilliant composition. I could stare at them for hours coming up with different interpretations to what they might mean.

I also loved the more geometric pieces like these which again could be interpreted in so many ways. I like the use of light and shade in particular to make something 2D look like it is popping out of the page.

I have always loved Barbara Hepworth's work so seeing some of her design processes and sculptures was very inspiring. In the past I visited her studio in St Ives where I some of her sculptures in her garden. It baffles me how she can make the surfaces so smooth and soft looking. 

I was especially inspired by this quote that was on the wall. You can tell that she was very confident about the way that she worked by this quote. It is definitely something that motivates me to succeed at what I do as I could sculpt a world with my design.

There was a room after this room where we weren't allowed to take any photographs due to the age of the pieces. There was a Jackson Pollock piece in there which left me in awe. I have never seen one of his works in person before and it was rather inspiring. It was a black and white piece, up close it looked like random splats and strokes of the brush. But when you stood back you could almost create a scene from the lines and splatters. I really liked this piece and I wish I had written down its name so I could look at it again.

Next we visited the White Cloth Gallery, which was quite a small gallery yet it held a lot of pieces. The exhibition was about urban exploration photography. The rooms were full of these eery photos where buildings had been abandoned and nature had simply taken over.

Then we visited the Tetley, which I already visited recently for the international book fair. However I noticed this sign outside the gallery pointing to dystopia and utopia and I thought it was rather clever. It makes you think where the arrows could be pointing whether it be in a general direction or somewhere in particular. Everyone would think something different.