P1: Process Rounds
Due at start of next class, 1/16:
Share your brainstorming and a chosen site via a shared Google Slides (5 slides, 3 minute). One slide should share your brainstorming. One slide should share the general context of your chosen site and the reasoning for its selection. The final slides should share three initial things that interest you about the site.
researching
For this round, you will perform a ‘site survey’ and an ‘identity design survey.’ Efforts should be spent seeking to understand your project’s multiple dimensions; including its physical, political, historical, cultural, and social nature. This research will be used to give reasoning for your designs. Emphasis should be placed on getting to know your site through curiosity-driven research and collecting/analyzing its design landscape during this time. As you gather, take note of connections and contradictions. Be sure to note sources/credits as you go along.
Due at start of class next Thursday, 1/23:
Prepare a 5-minute presentation that includes:
Site Survey:
- Core Site Details: site name, location, audience, about/mission, etc...
- Physical Qualities: what is the site like; how big, tall, deep, etc... describe its materials; what is it made from?
- Key Features: what are your site’s unique or identifiable features?
- Motifs: what motifs exist in/on your site? These could be visual (patterns, colors, textures, etc...), physical/gestures (swipe, spin, drop), or even phenomena (connection, unity, ceremony).
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Language: what are the linguistic needs of your site? What languages do locals and visitors speak?
- Social/Cultural Insights: what are 3-5 core things you learned from the site survey that will be important?
Identity Survey:
- Site: Does your site have an existing identity system? If so, visually share it and verbally narrate the pros/cons.
- Competitor: Find 3-5 ‘competitor’ site identity systems. These should share a significant connection with your site somehow; like in topic, location, and/or audience. Visually share these examples and verbally narrate the pros/cons. If you can, find out who did it (designer, agency, in-house, etc.) and read the case study (if available).
- Aspirations: Find 3-5 ‘aspirational’ flexible identity systems (static + kinetic examples should be easy to find). Visually share these examples and verbally narrate why you find them successful. If you can, find out who did it (designer, agency, in-house, etc.) and read the case-study (if available).
- Design insights: what are 3-5 core things you learned from the design survey that will be important?
researching
1. Document as many typefaces as possible. These selections should have technical and conceptual merit, i.e., cover the scripts needed and/or contribute value to the system’s ‘story.’ I recommend screenshots and a simple organizational/captioning method on a large artboard. Star ones that pique your interest for the project. Install/organize these so they are readily available for your use. I suggest you create a “Collections” in Font Book and/or a “Library” in Adobe to curate an easy-to-use selection for this project. Note: This task might include finding style references if you want to try lettering or make a custom type.
2. Using these curated fonts, roughly and quickly typeset your site’s name using the keywords/phrases you identified in class. No color (yet). Instead, focus your attention on how letterforms can be styled and arranged inside a logotype in response to these keyword/phrases. Work iteratively and avoid editing. Try setting different lengths of the site's name, from initials to full name with location. Note: This task might include a rough sketch if you want to try lettering or make a custom type.
Due at the start of next class, 1/30:
Compile and print a minimum of 25 rough typographic sketches from the described task above. Collate these sketches onto tabloid sized contact sheets and print them. The sketches should be b/w, have ample space around them, and have a small caption identifying the types used and keyword/idea. I recommend: 5 instances per page x 5 pages = 25 instances.
This should be printed and ready to go before class begins.
defining
Due at the end of class, 1/30:
Be ready to share this 1-3 sentence statement with the class.
Designing
Suggestion of workflow:
Continue to sketch and expand ideas outward. This time, with a focus on alignment with your concept statement. Work iteratively. Begin to explore marks (monogram, logo, icon), logotypes, and stacked logos. Explore alternate type options. Explore color application, motion, etc...
From this focused continued sketching, use feedback to identify two directions to rough out. For each, it will be essential to test color, stacking, and motion. For motion, it is up to you how you ‘sketch.’ Sometimes, static key-frames will do. Other times, it’s better to do a rough cut in an animation/coding program of your choosing.
Due at the start of class, 2/11:
Prepare a 3-minute Two Design Direction Proposal presentation. I recommend you design this to be formatted for screen-viewing (e.g., 1920 x 1080). An example is provided in our Google Drive.
refining
By EOD : R 2/13
Identify a direction and create a schedule for creating the final artwork for following components:
Static (should have color and greyscale variations)
- Mark
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Primary Logo
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Secondary Logo
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Stacked Logos
- Optional Assets (icons, patterns, etc...)
- Mark
- Primary Logo
- Secondary Logo
- Stacked Logos
- Optional Assets (icons, patterns, etc...)
By EOD : R 2/13
Identify a minimum of 5 applications for your identity system. Begin to create final artwork assets and mockups. Work smartly. These application examples should not be made last minute. Instead, you should use them as testing environments. Use linked files so artwork refinements are immediately updated across your application examples.
Applications* (minimum of 5)
- 1 Digital (required): e.g. webpage, app, AR/VR, social media campaign, etc...
- 1 Physical (required): e.g. business card, brochure, booklet, poster, postcard, etc..
- 1 Large-Scale (required): e.g billboard, mural, etc...
- Other things to consider: stationary, lanyards, apparel, banners, signage, merchandise, video titles, interstitials, stage graphics, etc...
R 2/20: Suggested by EOD
The artwork and mock-ups of your identity system should be 95% finalized. While you likely will need to refine/tweak over the coming round, and may even choose to do a few more items, you should now focus efforts on the style guide and final presentation.
producing
Due at for final review, R 2/27:
1. Style Guide: to be uploaded as a .pdf (10MB or less) and URL Link via Google Form by the start of class
2. Conversational Presentation of Style Guide: 5-minutes
Style Guide should be considered in presentation format and include:
- Context: summary of the site, including mission/values
- Goals: summary of goals (insights from research, brief, feedback)
- Concept: a concise summary of the approach including keywords/phrases
- Logo Suite: mark, primary, secondary, stacked, kinetic options, color options, usage, rules, examples
- Typography: overview, styles & weights, hierarchy, color, usage, examples
- Color: overview, hierarchy, details, usage, examples
- Image & Other Assets: image treatment guidelines, styling, iconography, etc...
- Assets: overview, usage, rules, digital examples, physical examples, additional examples
- Summary: single-page visual summary of identity system