OUGD505 Product Range Distribution - Module Evaluation (Studio Brief One & Two)

This module has been one of my most enjoyable modules to date on this course. It has been really engaging with current campaigns and movements, which is something I really love to work with as it feels as though you are making a difference within the world, or have potential to. However, both studio briefs have been very challenging due to there only being two studio briefs in the module, meaning the body of work had to be a lot more researched and explained than most briefs. I think this has been very beneficial for myself as a designer, however, as from now on I am going to try to tackle every brief in a similar way.

My attendance for this module has been around 80%. This mainly at the beginning of the project as I was falling behind in other modules that were due in before this, and therefore I put them first. This is due to my poor time management, however for the second brief I managed to turn this around and ended up with loads of time to explore lots of different pathways for the campaign.

I really enjoyed taking part in the study tasks and I believe they really helped me engage in the project as they were relevant and thought-provoking. I also really enjoyed attending the workshop held by Intern Magazine, as this is a magazine I have been following for a while and it was really interesting to find out first-hand about the concept of the publication. This was also really inspiring as I enjoy publication design and it is something I would love to explore even further in third year.

I think a success of this module was definitely pushing myself to analogue print some of my outcomes. I often don’t create outcomes that are fit to be printed in this method, however for this module the first brief required it as a deliverable, and it influenced me to screen print for the second brief as well.

Another success of this module was the concept-driven projects. I find it a lot easier and more engaging to work with a project that has a really strong concept, which is why I took a lot of time out to thoroughly research each brief and make sure the concept was as strong as it could possibly be. In turn, this definitely helped with my final deliverables as they are a lot stronger than they would’ve been without a strong concept.

A weakness of this module was my organisation for studio brief one, as at the beginning of the module I had a lot of other modules to catch up on. This was also a weakness due to the fact if I had spent more time on the project at the beginning, I might’ve had more time to book a tutorial and learn a new printing technique. However, I did manage to catch up by the second studio brief, and I planned well ahead and booked print slots and got a screen stripped and ready prior to having a solid design for it. This is something I will definitely take forward into third year, as it was really reassuring knowing that everything was ready to go as soon as the designs were ready. 

Overall, this module has not only helped me to produce really strong concepts and projects, it has also been very interesting due to the fact that I have been able to research into projects that I actually care about. It has also been very challenging to try to get a concept across about an opinionated campaign, but trying to avoid causing uproar, however I believe I achieved this through my designs. If I were to have more time on this project, it would’ve been really interesting to put more time into studio brief two and to put the smoothies into an actual shop and see if anyone would pick them up and read the miniature publication attached. It would’ve also been interesting to brand a pop up shop or cafe that would go along with the project, as in the research I found out that this is how Innocent became a developed brand.

OUGD505 Product Range Distribution - Design Boards (Studio Brief Two)

OUGD505 Product Range Distribution - Reflection (Studio Brief Two)

This project went really successfully and I thoroughly enjoyed each and every aspect. This was due to the freedom of the brief. The brief was very vague, and therefore I was able to interpret it in a way that really appealed and interested me. I decided to base the brief on the Save the Bees campaign, which is a campaign I closely follow and really care about. 

I’m really happy with each product that I have created for this project. I spent a lot of time and energy trying to get the perfect outcomes and I think it really shows. My personal favourite outcome is definitely the logo design and packaging, as I believe they compliment each other really well and they are very consistent, as is the rest of the project.

The part of this project that I really struggled with was picking a specific topic at the beginning of the brief. As it was such a vague brief, there were so many different paths that could’ve been taking and it stumped me as to which direction I should take my project. However, once I had an idea and had committed to that idea, I really enjoyed undertaking this project. 

I really enjoyed the analogue side to this project, and upon reflection I wish I had taken it further. Myself and screen printing have a love and hate relationship, however for this project it went very well and I am extremely pleased with the t-shirts that I created. Another part of this project that I really enjoyed was the logo design as I found it really challenging. This is something that I definitely want to explore further in third year, as I enjoy keeping things simple even though it can be very challenging at times.

A part of this project I didn’t enjoy was creating a website. I’m not a huge fan of design for screen as I find it very difficult and confusing, however I don’t think my project would be as strong without a website, as there wouldn’t be any more information available about the saving the bees concept.

Overall, this project was really enjoyable. If I had more time, I would’ve liked to create posters and leaflets that would’ve been screen printed. I would’ve also tried screen printing the packaging design onto acetate with white ink, as this is something that would’ve made my project a lot stronger.

OUGD505 Product Range Distribution - Final Products (Studio Brief Two)

Below are all of the final products photographed professionally using studio lighting and a DSLR camera.

packaging (without content)

packaging (with content)

recipe book

lookbook

packaging information books

screen printed t-shirt

OUGD505 Product Range Distribution - Development, Refined Website (Studio Brief Two)

This is the final design for the homepage for the website. It uses the images that were taken of the t-shirt, which has also been made into a LookBook publication, which would, in theory, attract more attention from online and bring the person to the website.

Below is the website pages mocked up. They're successful due to the fact that they are consistent with the rest of the project designs and use the same colour scheme, typeface and a huge focus on negative space.

OUGD505 Product Range Distribution - Production & Distribution (Studio Brief Two)

Production.

The target audience for this brief was a very wide demographic. Feedback originally suggested that the demographic should be people who enjoy gardening, however the concept of the brief changed after this feedback. The target audience for the brief was, instead, aimed at people who enjoy eating healthily. There wasn't an age limit on this due to healthy eaters varying in ages.

The style of design was influenced by modernist design, as the packaging, logo design and other products were very focused on negative space, which symbolised the depletion of the bee population; the body copy represented the bees, whereas the negative space represented the bees that have already disappeared. The design was kept clean, minimal and almost scientific, which represented the fact that the bees have depleted in numbers due to chemicals and pesticides used on plants.

The stock chosen was also chosen very carefully. The stock for the publications was recycled paper, as this is environmentally friendly and therefore in favour of the cause and campaign. It's consistent. The plastic bottle chosen for the packaging is also consistent with this as it is 100% recyclable plastic.

Distribution.

The publications created for this project have been digitally printed and use CMYK colours, which means that the publications could be printed inexpensively using a lithoprinter.

The packaging design is limited to the use of black. This means it would be very cost effective and could also be printed with a lithoprinter. It could also be screen printed, which would make it even more inexpensive.

The products could easily be distributed because of these print methods.

The LookBook publication would be a free zine and would be available and health food stores such as Holland & Barrett and Waitrose. It would also be available to view online on websites such as ISSUU. This would help spread the concept and idea behind the brand inexpensively, and would also create traffic for the website as people would want to find out more about the brand.

The recipe publication would be for sale on the website, but could also be distributed at retailers such as Urban Outfitters, WH Smiths or Waterstones. The recipe book would be on sale for around £3, of which 40% of the profits would go towards the Save The Bees Campaign.

The actual product could be distributed everywhere, whether it's supermarkets such as Asda, Sainsbury's or Tesco, or health food shops such as Holland and Barrett. It could even be sold in retailers such as Boots, as they often promote a healthy life style and have a whole food section for meal deals and such.

All of the products could be promoted through the use of social media, and also by contacting the campaigns and asking for their promotion. Using the internet to promote the product could also be very useful, as it would bring more traffic to the website. The website could have adverts on, which could then raise more money towards the cause.

OUGD505 Product Range Distribution - Development, LookBook (Studio Brief Two)

This is a LookBook publication created from the photographs taken of the screen printed t-shirt. Posting this publication online would, in theory, bring more traffic to the website, and result in more customers. It could also be printed out and given out for free at places like Colours May Vary and Village Book Store in Leeds. The colour scheme and use of block colour is consistent to both the packaging and the website. The black and white images aim to keep the publication looking consitent and classy, whereas the colour aims to keep the excitement and entice the viewer.

OUGD505 Product Range Distribution - Development, Screen Printed T-shirt (Studio Brief Two)

Here are some images of the screen printed t-shirt. This was made for the website so that it could be given away in competitions, however in the future of the company, they could make it available on the website and the proceeds could go to saving the bees.