Studio Brief 2: Publication research - Coleccion Tabu

https://www.behance.net/gallery/4228349/Coleccion-Tabu

I like the dark, intense style of this book, it seems deeply artistic which is what drew me to it for this project - I want to add a clear creative artistic feel to my publication. The red text on top of black and white dark imagery has a strong impact.

Studio Brief 2: Publication research - Uber Laus

https://www.behance.net/gallery/5519147/800-Group-Brochure

Corporate identity proposal for the LAUS Awards

I like the colour scheme as it is unusual, and the textured brown stock gives a nice contrast to the bright pastel colours. The contrasting book bands finish off the book very well.

Studio Brief 2: Publication research - HALP

https://www.behance.net/gallery/16475599/HALP

Historia de la Literatura Portátil
by Vila-Matas
Special Edition book based on the shandy identity and how it is related to the search of the identity of a desired person. As a result, the construction makes allusion of the need of putting a face to an idea.
In collaboration with Laura Giraudo.

 I really like the white cover of this book, as with the black rough type it is dramatic and upfront. I also think the binding of it makes it look more important, and full of rich content. The inside of the book jacket is very detailed and contrasts heavily with the white space on the book cover.
The ribbons included in the binding are a nice feature of the book, but I'd like to know why they are there, what are their different reasons for being included?
The painted letters give the publication a fresh and exciting feel, as they are completely unique unlike fonts which are digitised... they get so boring after awhile.

Studio Brief 2: Publication research - Anya Nesterenko

https://www.behance.net/gallery/12073037/Dirty-Stories

Dirty Stories is a new independent magazine that comes out four times a year, an­d covers a variety of general topics and interest pieces. Dirty Stories readers are young people interested in literature, culture and possessive of a healthy dose of scepticism pertaining to life and popular culture.

 I absolutely love the design of this publication. As a whole it has a very 'trendy' feel to it which can become tedious, but the use of simple layouts and classic typefaces here saves it.
What drew me to it and made me think that it is relevant to this project is how handmade ink splotches have been placed on some of the pages, including the front page. They would interest me to keep flicking through the magazine as they are a unique feature.
I'd say that the photograph used on the front page doesn't particularly suit the design or the two tone effect on the photograph itself. It isn't a dramatic photograph yet the type and the colours suggest otherwise.
I love the colour scheme, as it isn't too bright but it isn't cold or dull either.



https://www.behance.net/gallery/13052851/RAYMOND-BLACK-CATALOGUE

PRODUCT CATALOGUE FOR THE CONTEMPRORARY 
GENTELMAN'S GOODS STORE RAYMOND BLACK

Inspired by the company's branding campaign "The Art of Looking Good", I decided upon the idea of combining art with photography. The design was greatly inspired by the Action Painting art movement, which is a very dynamic, emotional and instinctive style of art which features thick sweeping brushstrokes and the dripping technique. 

I used abstract style art work printed on transparent paper to go on top of the pages, transforming the images into “art works”. At the same time, if you turn the transparent pages over you can look at photos and read the information about the products.

I enjoy the scruffy type on the front page as it makes you feel as if it has been scrawled out just for you because of it's personal feel, but I think it is a little too careless looking. I feel like it doesn't suit the content inside which seems very classy. However, I think that the contrast with the serif typeface laid over the top is clever and works well.
There are acetate pages in the catalogue that have paint strokes on them which is an interesting concept - it adds an artistic feature but can be taken away from the layout with a flick of the page.

Studio Brief 4: Concertina research

I have chosen to do a concertina leaflet for a part of the package. It will have short quotes and advice in it, I want it to stay minimal with impact.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/12807627/Austrade-Brochure

I'm not at all keen on the colour scheme of this leaflet; it is very cold and reminds me of something to do with plumbers or companies similar to that. To me, the dark grey doesn't compliment the yellow at all. Why are the two middle pages grey? However, the infographics are clear and precise. The design is similar in that I want the type to be clear and bold and very readable, but I am not going to use images like this one has. I think it conveys it's information pretty well, it just isn't nice to look at.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/53834/2008-Calendar

The colours are very pretty on this design and the layout is nice and clear. I think that the type is very legible and clear, capital letters are definitely needed which is what I want to use. The last pages of just type catch my attention well as the words are very broken up, each having their own line. I think this can work in a small leaflet, depending on the style of sentence.

The bold colours in this are great as they are straightforward and simply done. I'm looking to use block colours for mine by using coloured stock, so this is quite inspiring. I think red and blue are successful colours to choose in this manner. However, I'm not sure how I feel about the etched design over the colours, it's messy but not in a good way - the colour of it dulls the whole design.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/11002859/Zine-a-Day-for-a-Week

These little leaflets aren't similar to what I'm working on at all but the different folds and colours used caught my eye. The mixture of palette works well because of the small size of the designs which are very amusing and enjoyable to look at.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/1120517/Savills-The-Cedars

This leaflet design is boring and is why I don't want to use white stock. something about small white leaflets with information stuck on them is quite offputting and dull, maybe because they remind me of boring information leaflets I received at school or at the doctors etc. It needs something to draw you in, instead of looking like its full of boring info.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/14284175/Full-Stop

I really like the style of this concertina and its definitely helped me to paint a picture of what mine could look like. The small amounts of information on each page make for a fun leaflet that is easy to flick through. Paired with small images it is cool looking. However, I'm not so sure about the mixture black with green and pink, but it is definitely eye catching.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/15082633/From-Pen-Strokes-to-Key-Strokes

This concertina design screams SAUL BASS which is why I like it. At first glance the colours used seem off putting but I think that with the very familiar design style it works very well. It has been very creatively made with different angles for the text and jagged shapes. It inspires me to be a bit more daring with composition, for sure.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/14853525/ISTD-Everything-About-One-Thing-Serendipity

This booklet is very dramatic looking and the front reminds me of a film poster. It seems like maybe there is too much information inside, depending on the size (but it seems quite small). I'm not a huge fan of black backgrounds with colour as I think its quite hard to look at and focus on when trying to take in the information.

From this interesting designs I have been inspired to use bright colours as my focus for my concertina, while making the type bold and readable.

Studio Brief 4: Book band research

http://www.making-mini-scrapbooks.com/bellyband.html

Directions:Cut a piece of coordinating scrapbook paper to just a little longer than the width of your book. The width of your book band is totally up for personal preference. Measure to fit your book, and use a bone folder to make a nice crisp edge on each side.


Cut a slit about halfway down from the top and a little more than halfway up from the bottom where the two sides of the band meet. Wrap around book and slip notches together.
 

This seems like a fairly easy way to make a band for my timetables and booklet which I want to attach together. However I may just folded sellotape as it may end up looking neater (I may mess up the above method).
I want the band there with the name on it so that it doesn't take up space on the timetables, and I think it looks nice to have an extra detail.

Studio Brief 4: Timetable/organisation research

http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/lovelypigeon/product/doodle-collection-notebooks

http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2013/12/project-organize-your-entire-life-planner-printables-now-available.html

http://www.thebusybudgetingmama.com/2013/06/my-new-game-plan-free-houseworkmeal.html

I've found it hard to find designs for timetables etc that I like a lot. The above designs are very clearly designed but I feel for my age (young people) there is a gap in the market, which is where I come in with my designs. I feel these designs I have looked at are for middle aged people with families, one needs to be created for creative students. 

Studio Brief 4: Paper folds research

I want to make a small booklet that gives some information and advice about time management. I am interested in the concertina fold, something which I haven't tried much before so I want to give it a go. Some others that could possibly work are the parallel over and outer fold and the standard fold. I want something similar to a book that you can flick through but which is more playful so the concertina design seems good.

Studio Brief 2: Publication research

Erotico/Violento by Luciana Serrano & Rocio Fernandez Fuks

A collection of erotic novels that even have print on the edges of the pages so that it is continuous around the whole design of the book.

I like the personalisation of these designs, and how the style is extremely clear throughout them. The straightforward black and white colour scheme is really striking.
I find the sketchy style very intriguing and detailed which draws me in very easily.