apromotion self journey.
When approaching the design process for my logo I chose to use my three intials ‘JTC’ as it is then personal to me. I selected a basic, clean font ‘Century’ to create the image in order to make it sharp and easier to render and reproduce in other forms. I initially experimented with placing lower case letters in various positions before moving on to experimentations using both lower and upper case before graduating to purely upper. My final choice of logo design shown on the top right was selected due to it’s concise and contained form. The large ‘C’ holding the ‘J’ and ‘T’ looks more professional and clean-cut compared with the others. I will now go on to use this logo in various forms for self-promotion.
During this project I decided to design an emblem as well as a logo using my initials. When choosing something that best represents me, one thing instantly came in to my head. A magpie. I am forever compared to one due to my love of all things beautiful and eyecatching. So here is the process I went through from initial clipart through to my final ideas; one graphic and one block glitter.
This page shows some of the business card ideas I came up with while experimenting with both the cartoon graphic logo and the sold glitter logo. However, I wasn’t quite sarisfied with any of these.
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I have created several items of physical self promotion as well as my business card.
Item 1
is the envelope (black front and white back) in which I would send my CV and covering letter to any companies. I think it is important to be memorable from the start and stand out from other plain envelopes and applications.
Item 2
shows the front and back of a keychain designed in the shape of my logo. This could be given with a promotional pack to spread public knowledge of my logo.
Item 3
is a rubber stamp which produces the magpie footprint that has been present across my portfolio. This could become another recognisable element relating back to me.
Item 4
is two phone cases designed using both my logo and magpie emblem. The monochrome case can be aimed at a unisex audience whereas the white case is female orientated. All of these products aim to promote me as a person and a professional/brand.
As well as self promotion through business cards, phone cases and other literal objects I also thought it wise to consider online promotion. As social media and the internet are becoming ever increasingly important for brands and business as time passes they have a lot of power in promotion. Here I have designed a couple of Facebook page ideas and comprised a fake Twitter account to be found when searched for. (A Magpie Tweeting.. surely not...)
researching typographic & design trends 2013 According to The Trend Hunter and many other trend prediction resources there will be a significant trend for nature-inspired graphics and typography in 2013. This includes ‘insect taxidermy typhography as illustrated in the form of butterflies on this page as well as other insects. Nature is also reflected in letters formed of flowers, branches and blossoms of various different plants. This constrast between something graphic and technical being made of something natural and ungenerated provides an interesting concept. Though this key trend does not fit with my self-promotion directly it does through the basic serif font used within the butterflies and insects - a possibility within a new logo as it offers sophistication and clean lines alongside simple decoration.
‘motivational screen-print art’
Another key design and graphic trend in 2013 (again according to The Trend Hunter) is the ‘motivational screen-print’. The key factors in this trend are; the use of a serif/sans serif font, a multi-tonal and often cosmic backdrop and a prominent use of circles. Examples of these are shown above the final circle on the right demonstrates the opposite approach in that it displays a multi-tonal text upon a plain white background. Both of these forms have given me inspiration for my next logo development as the trend is girly, playful and colourful whilst also remaining sharp, easy to produce on various promotion forms and is easily recognisable. The next page shows my newest logo that uses a serif font filled with a cosmic image - I have then added additional circles to reference this element of the trend.
personal logo development
inital blending of the letters ‘j’ and ‘t’ (my initials) to form a single unique character. I personalised the end of the ‘t’ to make it symmetrical and to differ from the original character. I then experimented with images to fill the letter.
I then decided to extend the logo by adding further dots progressing in different opacities/colours and continuing the line of the ‘t’. This development could make future designs such as headers and business cards more interesting.
A less quirky, more professional and slick-looking final logo.
It may also be cut down to a smaller form as shown here when suitable.
business card development This page demonstrates some previous designs when experimenting with business card layouts. I produced several designs using a black circle, changing the size and position of it multiple times before deciding it looked too harsh. I then went back to using the logo on a simple white background and adding an extra line to support my online profile URL.
In these final designs shown right I continued the lines over from the front of the card to the back to maintain the theme of the card. I have then continued the use of circles on the big as well as the image that fills the type in my logo to hold my name and profession. These minimalistic designs hold a balance between clarity and detail. I hope to produce them on either good quality card or get them embossed.
self promotion pack
This mock-up shows my logo and designs on a covering letter sent to potential employers, the envelope for it alongside my business cards themselves. I have kept the designs clean and simple with a lot of white to make it look sharp and crisp.. The use of the pink tones in the colour palette are eye-catching and engaging while looking classy.