Primary Research
Primary research is the first thing I do once I have read over and analysed a brief because I find it is one of the most important stages in my design process. It allows me to immerse myself in an environment rather than just relying on research collected by somebody else. I also find that it is often more inspirational in the ideas stage than secondary research because I can refer back to images I have collected and more importantly, memories. Primary research has also helped me a lot this year in the creation of brand stories, helping to establish the tone of voice for a brand, and what the audience wants. This chapter will analyse the way I have used primary research in the creation and application of the brand Apulia.
Environments > Lecce and Puglia Last summer I visited the Italian region of Puglia, and took a lot of pictures in Lecce in particular. The shops and restaurants were a direct influence on the design of the food items because I wanted them to be authentic. Also because the brief is centred on food, it was beneficial to experience the cuisine first hand.
Environments > Rome
I also visited Rome, which was influential in the creation of the brand just because it had even more to offer in terms of visuals than Lecce and Puglia. I also paid attention to the interiors of shops and restaurants, and looked at the way that tables were dressed. Because I can not easily visit places like this on a regular basis, taking pictures was essential and really helpful for this brief to ensure authenticity.
Environments > Manchester Food Festival The food festival in Manchester was a great opportunity to collect photographs of different examples of food trucks and also to eat some of the food! It was useful to see how different stalls presented their food to the customers and that was something that I looked back on when designing the food containers. It was also helpful to see first hand the practicalities of a food stall including the way they cook the food, which is something that is difficult to find on the Internet.
Environments > Leeds and London I found an Italian deli in London which provided visual research for the sign of the shop and the way that the windows were dressed. I have been to Trinity Kitchen in Leeds throughout the year which has been a constant source of inspiration for this brief. I’ve experienced food from different cultures to see how that has made an impact on the presentation of the food, and on the appearance of the food trucks. This was something that I looked at closely when designing the mockups of the Apulia food truck.
Point of Sale
I looked at Italian food items on the shelves in Puglia and this country to get inspiration for the gift items such as olive oil and pesto that will be sold at the food truck alongside the takeaway food. I saw that many of them have extra embellishments to emphasise the rustic/handmade side to the products such as Hessian and tags. I have taken pictures of shelf packaging for most of the briefs I have done, just to see how other companies successfully package their products. I have looked at practical and unique designs in particular.
Collecting
For this brief, and many of the other briefs I have completed this year, I have collected examples of packaging that are relevant to the brief. This is because they are so useful when creating custom nets for packaging. For this brief, I collected several cartons and trays to see how they were put together so that I could apply this to my own designs.
Events > Packaging Innovations I went to the Packaging Innovations Expo in Birmingham this year, which made an impact on my design practice in general. It was really beneficial to gain a deeper understanding of industry techniques used in creating packaging materials and structures, so that I could make my designs as professional and relevant as possible.
Events > Purple Creative
One of the talks at the Expo was from Purple Creative design agency based in London. Their presentation of the rebranding of Glenfiddich whiskey has influenced my design process ever since. This is because they emphasised the importance of getting across a brand’s core values through design to make the consumer believe in the brand and want to be involved in it. I applied this to the branding of Apulia by emphasising the Italian references in the colour, type and pattern design.
Lectures > Emotionally Durable Design The importance of sustainability has influenced my design practice throughout this year, particularly during and after the Context of Practice module. I researched the extent of sustainability within luxury packaging. This helped me realise that it is important in every design brief, not just for luxury packaging, that I consider how sustainable I can make the design in the initial design stage. I went to the most inspiring lecture I’ve ever listened to by Professor Jonathan Chapman in December. He talked about making design more meaningful and emotional to extend its life, therefore limiting the amount of waste produced. This is a better solution than recycling, which just treats the symptoms of a throwaway culture. I applied this to the Apulia brief, by considering how I could make my designs environmentally friendly from the very start. I proposed that branded glass jars would be provided for the drinks which would be paid for with a deposit, allowing for the customer to either keep it or return it to be recycled for the next customer.
Secondary Research
I carry out secondary research in order to get a deeper understanding of the subject I am researching. Secondary research is particularly useful when honing in on specific areas such as type, layout and colour. I use it to develop my designs, by backing up existing ideas I have formed from doing primary research. This chapter will analyse the way I have used secondary research to further develop my ideas.
Type and Layout
Font choice is important for any brief to ensure that it suits the tone of voice and aesthetic of the brief. To ensure that I made the right choice for this brief, I researched Italian signs and the type design of Louise Fili. This is because I had already looked at my own pictures of typography I had found in Italy, and noticed that the hand lettering was a recurring theme. This secondary research allowed me to analyse the letter forms in greater detail to apply it to my own design.
Content > Food and Recipes To maintain a level of authenticity, I researched Pugliese recipes and regional produce in more depth. This was to ensure that I could recreate food that could be used for photography, and also for menu ideas. I have found that thoroughly researching the content for my briefs has made them more convincing.
Focus on Studios > B&B and Together Throughout the year, I have looked at these four studios in particular as I have found that their work appeals to me and my work the most. B&B and Together’s work both have character and charm which really engage the audience and make them connect with the brand. This is something that I have tried to implement in my own work throughout the briefs this year. For this brief, I created illustrations and hand drawn type to emulate the Italian culture and relate to the hand made nature of the food.
Focus on Studios > Big Fish and Turner Duckworth I looked at the organic, hand drawn nature of the typography in these studios’ work to inspire this brief. The way that the photographs are styled has also been influential in my work this year, in order to give the products a scene in which they were designed to thrive in.
Ideas and Development
During the ideas and development stage of my practice, I refer back to all my research to ensure that my designs are always focused and properly informed. As packaging and 3D design is a major part of my practice, creating mockups and different nets is really important to ensure that the structures are accurate. This part is also really useful when making final prototypes as I can refer back to earlier mockups as I go along. I always draw out initial ideas before working on screen as I find it is a more natural way of generating ideas.
Ideas and Development > Initial Ideas For all of my initial ideas, I like to draw out what forms in my head so I don’t forget ideas, even if they are a bit far fetched. For this brief, I drew out different ideas for the logo as it seemed the most natural method, especially as I was trying to recreate hand drawn type that I had researched.
Ideas and Development > Developed Ideas I referred back to my primary research to generate a colour scheme for the brand, by eye dropping colours from a Pugliese dish. This ensured that the colour scheme was authentic and would match the type design. I have used this method for many of my briefs this year to create more relatable designs. I digitised my hand drawn type to try and make it more refined and consistent.
Ideas and Development > Feedback and Experimentation In response to feedback in a crit, I decided to experiment with making a logo out of spaghetti in order to create a continuous line that would make the logo look natural and flowing. Crits are really useful in my design process to make sure that my designs are on track. It is always good to get a second opinion to point out something I might not have noticed myself.
Ideas and Development > Pattern Development I wanted to create a pattern that would work as a secondary branding element alongside the logo, so developed a pattern made up of vector images of Pugliese food items. This was developed to only include images that were used on the food containers. For example, the tomato was used on the red pesto packaging. It made sense for the pattern to be comprised of all of the different foods that Apulia has to offer. I have really enjoyed incorporating patterns into my work this year as they add character and bring a brand to life.
Ideas and Development > Mockups Making mockups is a crucial part of my design process in order to try out different structures, and to refine them. I often create fully functional mockups to try out a design, or just create different tabs. I did this in this brief to test the tabs that hold the final food tray structures. I made them slot together so that they could be flat packed and then assembled without using glue. This ensured a more environmentally friendly design that saves space and uses minimal materials.
Ideas and Development > Final Mockups I collected suitable jars and bottles to maintain the homemade rustic aesthetic. I recycled pasta sauce jars to be used as drinks glasses, in order to make them emotionally durable. I had found that this was a really important consideration from Jonathan Chapman’s lecture on sustainability. Stock choice was an important consideration in this brief, and all the others throughout the year. I made sure that it was environmentally friendly, a heavy enough weight to be constructed easily, and also a suitable colour to tone in with the branding.
Application and Refinement This is the last stage of my design process in order to successfully apply the branding I have created across printed elements and sometimes web and screen. This has to be considered carefully to ensure that suitable substrates are used to complement the branding. Refinement involves carefully crafting final prototypes and photography and art direction. I refer back to my research to see how the things I have created can be effectively presented.
Application and Refinement > Brand Application for Physical Elements This stage involved buying and collecting suitable add ons such as the twine that was used to secure the Hessian on top of the jars. I pay close attention to the details in all of my briefs to ensure that my designs are as professionally presented as possible. I have tried throughout the year to use different processes such as vinyl cutting (seen here) and foiling in order to accentuate my designs.
Application and Refinement > Crafting Finals This part requires the most concentration to ensure that my designs are finished off to a high standard. I pride myself on my crafting skills so always try to work to the best of my ability. It was tricky to apply the vinyl and stickers to the bottles without any warping in this brief, but I enjoyed the challenge.
Application and Refinement > Brand Application for Web Although web design is not a main part of my design practice, I understand that it is important to finish off a complete brand with design for screen and web. I try to make my mockups for websites as simple and easy to navigate as possible for the end user, so this design for Apulia is restricted to only a few pages. It is a fully responsive mockup with a fixed side bar. I have included an image of the actual truck just so that potential customers know what to expect.
Application and Refinement > Photography and Art Direction I have realised the importance of successful art direction in order to make a brand relatable and professionally presented. For the initial photographs of this brief, I made my own food to represent some items from the menu at Apulia, and created a homemade lemonade. I wanted the styling to look convincing and to not let down all the work I put in to create the brand and physical elements.
Application and Refinement > Photography in Context Photographing final products in context has become really important in my practice, even though it is a relatively new addition. Particularly when photographing packaging, it is useful for the audience to see how the products interact in a suitable environment. For this brief, I photographed the takeaway food packaging complete with suitable food on a table in Trinity Kitchen. This is where I envisioned Apulia thriving amongst other rival food trucks so it was the perfect setting.