“Microcosm”
New word for today- discovered whilst writing final report in a Daily Telegraph article.
Can not believe I have finish my first year at Nottingham Trent University. This module has been hugely inspiring and I have enjoyed the opportunities to work on a large scale project and with industry. Guest Lectures have been amazing; Colin McDowell confirmed that I am studying the correct course and that this industry is certainly where my future lies.
I have found Si an amazing module leader- always having our interests at heart, he has addressed every issue and worry immediately. It is evident that he went out of his way to create a very nourishing and valuable module.
Without a doubt, I have learnt the importance of both team work and collaborations. The power of connections within and outside of the industry are crucial to your success and even your employability.
I aim to continue to develop my software skills over the summer. I am also keen to continue writing, as I have developed and improved greatly over my first year at university and therefore am keen to maintain this. I am looking forward to starting my internship in the capital and feel like I know have the knowledge and confidence to take my first big step into the industry.
Yesterday we presented our final concept to lecturers within our seminar groups. We were very nervous as we were first to present of the day! Our final presentation followed a similar layout to our first presentation; with several adaptations to create better visual consistency throughout.
Lucy mentioned two areas for improvement.
2. “you must be more sensitive with your analysis of the asian market… use of the word detrimental is over-dramatic.”
We were all pleasantly surprised to be invited back to present to the industry panel earlier today. We made several slight adjustments to the presentation and script, in consideration of Lucy’s comments. We all felt that this presentation was delivered with more confidence and enthusiasm than our first! It was highly rewarding to be told by Katie Puckrick, that we had the most realistic and marketable product and concept. A great end to an amazing last module! Thanks Si!
Embossed with original illustrations from the artist Vivien Goddard-Stephens, our packaging is a gift-box with added ornamental qualities.
Charlotte Lo, a lecture at CSM and packaging expert; suggested that we added an element of excitement to the opening experience.
We were also aware of the importance of female appeal of male grooming products- we believe that this packaging design addresses this.
Final Bottle Renders- collaborating with Product Design students.
Possibly one of the hardest stages in our development, was creating the visuals of our final bottle design.
Our focus group helped us decide that 100ml was the preferred shape and rectangular the preferred shape. Working to develop this, we designed our bottle to fit with similar proportions of a door.
After fixing the numbers and logo onto the bottle ourselves, we had achieve something we never had before- working with 3D visual imagery.
St. George St.- extension products.
Collaboration with Graphic Design student @ CSM
We are all very pleased with the final image. We would like to improve this design, by trying other combinations of leathers and metallic plates.
This image composition works particularly well for a double page spread. The gutter of the magazine will remove no essential imagery and the main focus of the advert (the bottle) is situated on the right hand page.
We were all really happy when seeing the images of the studio shoot. We all believe that we selected the correct lighting to create an image in the style of a ‘still-life’ image.
We used a black background to juxtapose any feminine or child-like suggestions of a dolls-house; with the strong intelligence of our masculine brand.
Using a combination of illustrator and Photoshop we imposed a computer generated bottle onto the image.
We were very happy with how we managed to replicate the single dolls house, to create our own street using photoshop.
Throughout this project, we have organised several collaborations with professions, other students and the public. This is something I have never done before and in doing so, I have learnt several skills. Firstly, the importance of knowing exactly what you want! As a polite character, I am always open to suggestions or even constructive criticism- however, when working with someone new to the project and concept it can be hard to achieve exactly as imagined if not 100% clear with your ideas. Moodboards, Pinterest and other visuals are great way to share my thought processes. We ended up using a moodboard when first meeting with product development students and a photographer.
The huge advantage of collaborating with specialists is the high level of ability they already have! In addition, other’s opinions proved vital- especially in our focus group. During the visual development of the concept, when finalising bottle and packaging designs, CAD software proved very valuable! As having never used this before, my group was very thankful for the help from graphic students.
First Logo Design- Graphic Designer and Branding Expert
We had decided how we wanted our logo to look; however, it was great to talk to an industry expert and get our attempts professionally finalised.
Freelance Illustrator
After deciding to use a similar presentation layout as before; we contacted an illustrator to produce some original images. We then also included one of these sketches on our packaging design.
Graphic Design and Product Development Students
Visualising our bottle design was one of the hardest points of the project. Conveying our brand aesthetics and values into a 3D model was not something we were used to! We were very grateful for the help we received in this department!
Studio Photographer and Photography Students
Working with different photographers gave us different results, therefore we are currently looking at how to successfully merge the two styles to be visually consistent.
I would most certainly be keen to collaborate with these specialists and any new contacts on future projects. Although it is hard to hand the responsibility of your own concept over to somebody new; yet we have found that it is nearly always worth it!
“Neoprene”
Fashion Glossary- “Neoprene” meaning:
A man made fabric, used for wetsuits and other water sports attire. Has a stiff, body hugging quality that seals body heat in.
ChynnaDavies 