Malibu Packaging Experiments

In our lesson today we worked on collage techniques in Photoshop.
I created this design which may be suitable for my Malibu packaging.

I began by creating overlapping leaf shapes on a layer and used the multiply effect to separate the shapes out into sections. Once I had my shapes, I used different imported textures to fill in sections of my shapes. I adjusted the colours by desaturating the shapes and adjusting the hue and saturation. I added the flower and coconut shapes (black vector shapes) and filled them in with different textures. I added a watercolour background. I am quite happy with the outcome and think the concept could work in the other Malibu flavour ranges.

 I then thought about whether this technique could be used to create a background pattern for my bottle. 

Here is the pattern I created. 

University Leaflet

We were given the task of creating a leaflet to advertise a new course at Farnborough University.
We were given the content, including fonts, images, logo and colour scheme to use.
I began by cropping around the edge of my photo using Photoshop and then creating the layout using Indesign.

Here is the outcome.

Easter Leaflet for Church

I put together this quick and simple Easter leaflet using some of the drawing techniques I have learnt on my course. I drew the simple images using the pen tool and added a subtle drop shadow for depth.

PRESS PAUSE PLAY DOCUMENTARY

PressPausePlay focuses primarily on the music industry. In what way do the issues resonate with you as a designer?

The film highlighted the fact that these days everyone has the potential to be a film maker, photographer or producer. In the design industry, access to software such as Adobe Creative cloud, has meant that now literally anyone can afford to access professional creative software. Not only that, but now there are a wealth of online tutorials available, meaning that anyone can teach themselves how to use software which was once only known by the professionals. The secrets of the design industry are freely available to all.  Also, there is so much free software online now which make designing so much easier for the novice. ‘Picmonkey’ for example means that even for people who don’t want to spend time learning how to use the professional software can still create modern and personalised designs in minutes. Similarly, developments in technology now mean that anyone can build their own website using platforms such as ‘wix’ and ‘wordpress’.  This has massive financial implications on the graphic designer because many small businesses are opting to bypass the creative person and create logos, business cards and websites themselves. The downside of this trend is that we see a lot of bland design that lacks uniqueness. Consequently, businesses lack a sense of identity and look like every other one.  So, while the design industry may be experiencing a decline of work coming from the smaller businesses, who are looking to save money, some businesses who want to stand out above all the mediocracy will be willing to pay a professional graphic designer for something unique.

Advances in technology and software have also meant that graphic designers can produce accurate work, more quickly than in the past. The negative side of this however is that designers have become too reliant on technology and the more traditional design skills, like photography, painting, drawing, etc. are becoming rarer.  Also digital artwork can have an almost, boring, sterile precision and lacks the imperfect, vulnerably quality of handmade art. The challenge for the designer is to stand out from the rest and demonstrate originality and talent that clients will be willing to pay for.

While the evolution of the internet has removed the cap on creativity and made it accessible to all, it has also opened up new opportunities for the designer that had never existed before. Opportunities for the designer to work for themselves from the comfort of their own homes, rather than working for an agency have increased.  Clients are able to contact designers directly, cutting out the agency in the middle. This of course offers flexibility to designers, potential to specialise in their areas of interest and work on projects that they really enjoy. Designers are able to utilise the internet to network easily and create an online brand very quickly. The down side to this is a lack of regular consistent income, but the potential to earn more if the designer is able to stay ahead of the rest and to use all the right networking tools to their advantage.

Some have tried to argue that the music industry is dying out. People have also begun to question the future of the graphic design industry. I believe that if we, as designers, continually look for new and creative ways to adapt to the changes and use them to our advantage, there will always be a future in graphic design, albeit a different one than we might have expected. 

Watercolour Patterns

Watercolour Patterns for Malibu Label

Following on from the watercolour fruit paintings that I created the other day, I decided to use them to create patterns using the 'define pattern' option in Photoshop.  I had to brighten up the colours in Photoshop to make them more vibrant. These were the results.

Firstly I tried the paintings on a diagonal layout on a white background. 

Then I tried a horizontal layout with a filled background.

I preferred the pattern with a background, but I felt the background was looking a bit flat,
so I tried the pattern with my own watercolour painted background. The result was better.
I am not sure whether I like the joining lines where the watercolour pattern meets at the edge.

I was quite happy with the outcome so I had a play around with how the pattern could be used on my
Malibu label.

For this project I want to create a range of labels to suit all the flavours in the range.

This is how the design could work for the traditional coconut flavour.

Malibu Box Designs

In our lesson today we looked at packaging design and I began to think about how I could create a box to package my Malibu bottle in. These were some packaging examples that inspired me in relation to my project.

Here are some of my own rough sketch ideas.

1950s inspired fashion illustration

1950s Inspired Fashion Illustration

This evening I created an illustration to possibly use in my vintage fashion project (designing with materials module). I began by drawing an outline of the girls face in Illustartor using the pen tool, then filling her in with flat colour and some patterns which I created (spots and checks). I then used a water colour brush to create the finishing touches giving the design a hand painted artistic feel. I enjoyed working on this and am pleased with the outcome.

 I also created this hand drawn image below which I may use in my project on designing with materials.

Graphic Design History- Part 2

ART DECO

The art deco style emerged around 1919 and continued until the 1920s and 1930s, although the name ‘Art Deco’ emerged much later. WWI had put an end to the previous Art Nouveau style. The romantic, optimistic style no longer appealed and people considered it to be in appropriate.  However, as the war ended, people were again looking for something fresh to mark a new era. It was about luxury and opulence and it emphasised a change in the world. The movement affected arts, fashion and had a massive influence on graphic design which still continues today.  The Art deco style was particularly popular in America.

Like Art Nouveau it was influenced by the rest of the world, for example archaeological digs (Egyptian art) and Aztec and Mexican art.  Art deco was much more geometric in design, unlike the sweeping lines of the Art Nouveau movement.  The influence of Chinese and Japanese art was also seen in the art style as it had been previously.  African influences could also be seen in the style as people wanted to portray themselves as well traveled.  The style was youthful, featuring bold, bright colours, zigzag lines and patterns.  It responded well to the requirements of mass production.  There were major cultural shifts at this time that were reflected in the style. In this period women were given the vote in many countries and there was a new era of freedom and liberation for women. Women cut their heart, shortened their skirts, went out drinking and they wanted to be seen as more masculine.  The famous ‘flapper’ style emerged on the fashion scene.

This period was also an age of machinery and as the economy flourished, so did the luxury goods market and glamorous lifestyle. There was also growth of Hollywood and the popularity of celebrities, which influenced people’s spending and lifestyle goals. Improved industrial technology also made mass production easier and design assessable to all.

One major development of the era was the invention of the printing press in the 1920s, making it easy to mass produce books and magazines and this saw major growth in advertising. The advertising agency also emerged in this period. Adverts became stylised and began to reflect an ideal.  The use of imagery of beautiful women emerged in packaging design, something we still see today.  Art deco style travel posters are common because people began to have more leisure time again and began travelling abroad. The suntan became fashionable for the first time.  Because Art deco relied heavily on people having wealth, the coming of the great depression saw the beginning of the decline of the Art Deco style.  The optimism that had fueled the art deco movement began to fall apart. Also designers began to feel that what they were doing was no longer fresh.  Also with WWII looming people felt that the extravagant opulence of the movement was no longer appropriate and Art Deco died out with the outbreak of WWII in 1939.  Art Deco style still influences a lot of design today, for example geometric typography which is still widely used today. 

BAUHAUS

Bauhaus emerged at the same time as Art Deco. While Art Deco was a global global movement, it didn’t have a definitive style, unlike Bauhaus.

The Bauhaus school was founded by Walter Gropius in 1919 in Germany. The objective was to be more democratic and to combine all the different fields of art. It was a revolutionary school which had an extensive curriculum where students could explore all different crafts and materials.  The workshop style of learning was revolutionary at the time. Craft skills were taught by master crafts men while design was taught by artists.  It attracted a certain kind of politically radical student.

Key events such as the German revolution (1918-1919), the signing of the Treaty of Versailles (1919), the Kapp Putsch rebellion (1920), hyperinflation (1923) and pressure on the Bauhaus school from the Nazis, are influenced the emergence and style of the Bauhaus movement. At a time when Germany was struggling, Bauhaus wanted to make design accessible and functional to all.

At this time people didn’t want decoration but functionality. The designers were influenced by Art Deco, Modernism and Deutscher Werkbund (German designers organisation). Bauhaus designs are simple in style, stripped back but still aesthetically pleasing. Primary colours were used heavily and mass production methods were utilised.  Like Art Deco, Bauhous was also about simplicity and geometric shapes. Furniture was engineered and Metals replaced wood. Photography was seen as a means to communication not just as an art form. The influence of Bauhaus is still seen today in architecture and simple functional interiors.

The Bauhaus school was eventually crushed by the Nazi regime because they disliked the ideology and ideals that were emerging from it. The persecution of the Bauhaus by the Nazis actually aided the spread of the Bauhaus style, especially in places like Chicago in USA.

COMPARISON

The Bauhaus and Art Deco movements were opposing in their theories, styles, materials and methods of design. Art deco made luxury items for a small privileged clientele, while the Bauhaus designed for the mass market. The Bauhaus sought to get rid of class divisions that existed between the craftsman and the artists, uniting them together. In its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour and exuberance, while Bauhaus focused on functionality and simplicity.  The Art Deco style was decorative and ornate, drawing inspiration from the former Art Nouveau movement, while the Bauhaus style was minimalistic, simple and design was dictated by the function of the piece.

There are however, some similarities between the two movements. Both used traditional craft skills but embraced modern production methods. There are also some similarities in design features, such as the use of bold bright colours, geometric shapes, sans serif typefaces and streamline simple forms.

I would argue that the Bauhaus movement had the biggest impact on modern design because many of the ideologies of the movement are what informs designers of today. For example, designers of today are much more aware of user experience, sustainability and innovation in the design process. Modern design is not just about aesthetics but much more about functionality and suitability of design for mass production. This revolution in design originated in the Bauhaus school. The design of road signs and furniture were heavily influenced by the Bauhaus and are still used today because of their functionality. The 'Ikea' brand is one of the biggest examples of a modern day empire that followed the Bauhaus legacy, specialising in simple, affordable flat-packed furniture. Another way that I believe that Bauhaus impacted modern design is in its revolutionary teaching methods, combining different fields of arts and crafts. In many artist establishments today, students still cover many areas of art and design before specialising in a particular one, just as in the Bauhaus school. 

Easter Leaftet

Easter Leaflet

I was asked to create an image to go on a leaflet for my local church.
They asked for a giant easter egg on the front with the words 'something big is coming'. 

I decided to put the typography inside the shape of an egg. I went for something quite simple and

eyecatching with a slightly retro look.

Water colour fruit

Painted fruit for Malibu packaging

I had the idea of creating a background pattern for my Malibu packaging using hand painted pictures of fruit.
These were the water colour paintings I did, which I will then use to create a pattern digitally.

Woodcut style illustration

Woodcut Effect

Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. 
In our lesson we created woodcut style illustrations using black pen. I experimented with a coconut and a parrot which will be suitable for my Caribbean rum packaging.

After creating my illustration I scanned it into Photoshop. I found a torn paper background that I liked, which made the label look like a pirate's treasure map. I also added a blended layer of town black paper which gave my label some subtle crease marks. I added some distressed typography and used the overlay blending mode to give the words some subtle colour. Over all I am happy with how this turned out but I don't think it will be a technique that I will be using for my final piece.

Beach Inspiration

Beach Inspiration

Another possible direction that I could go with my Malibu packaging is a beach themed bottle design.

Here are some images and typography that may inspire a beach themed bottle design.



Floral Inspiration

Floral Inspiration for Malibu Packaging

 

 

 

 

 Another option for my drinks packaging is to use tropical floral patterns rather than fruit patterns as my background. I particularly like the leaf print on the bottom left because it reminds me of palm trees which would tie in with the Malibu branding.

 



Sketching

Here are some fashion sketches I did this evening. I drew using pen and and painted with water colour.

Fruit Inspiration

 

Malibu Bottle Idea

 

One idea I had for my Malibu bottle was to create repetitive fruit patterns for each flavour variety and

use it as a background on my bottle.

Pattern Design for Malibu Bottle

 

This evening I decided to experiment with creating patterns for my Malibu bottle. 

Malibu rum comes in 5 different fruity flavours. I decided to research patterns created around the theme of fruit. These were some that I found. I quite liked the patterns with minimalist colours, e.g.  the monochrome ones at the bottom. I may want to use a pattern for the background on my drinks bottle.

Starting with the passion fruit drink flavour I began by sketching a cross section of a passion fruit and scanning it into the computer. I also created a simple digital image of a passion fruit in Illustrator.

Hand drawn passion fruit (Left), Digital Passion fruit (Middle), Hand drawn and digitally coloured (right).

I then experimented with the pattern repeat in Illustrator and also different background colours.
These were the results.