Octopie book block

OctoPie a process book by patrick blanchard

Research before any pencil was put to paper, information about the octopus was gathered

Word List slimy

playful

speedy

colorful

harmful

quick

spotted

harmless

defensive

suckers

poisonous

skilled

tentacles

careful

brainy

beaked

intelligent

mischievous

arms

smart

lively

legs

helpful

invested

pillowy

threatening

dedicated

squishy

crafty

committed

morph

clever

inginuitive

spread

cheeky

inventive

looping

spectacular

resourceful

bumpy

curvy

protective

wet

organic

webbed

soft

speckled

curled

intimidating

shiny

velvety

muscley

flexible

woosh

sticky

adventurous

drip

inky

vulnerable

drop

slippery

lumpy

squash

rounded

masterful

squish

symmetrical

secretive

plop

jelly-like

hidden

slap

creative

camoflauged

slither

malleable

patient

pop

friendly

gentle

suck

willful

ticklish

squack

powerful

sensitive

screech

knowing

otherworldly

growl

responsive

alien

roar

mysterious

unusual

rustle

hypnotizing

splash

squeek

mesmerizing

swoosh

tidal waves

Phase One an exploration in mark-making, studying the octopus and various methods of representation

Phase One Categories 10-12 marks were created or collected in each category.

01.

Photograph.*

02.

Gestural.

03.

Painterly & calligraphic.*

04.

Graphic.

05.

Circles, squares, triangles.*

06.

Photocopier.

07.

Alternate mark-making tool.

08.

Specific meaning, one line.

09.

Behavioral.*

10.

Texture.

11.

Hybrid.

12.

Alternate surface.*

13.

Icon.

14.

Index (inspiring word).

15.

Abstraction.*

16.

Typographic.*

01.

Photograph.

This category allowed me to explore the form of an octopus and study the many angles from which it can be represented.

The photographs that were most successful in communicating “octopus� were the ones that showcased the curliness of the tentacles, the round suckers on the underside, and the large, round blob of a head.

Knowing the characteristics that were most recognizable helped me create marks in other categories that could be understood easily.

03.

Painterly & calligraphic.

From the first round of critique, this was one of my strongest categories.

These were easiest for me to make. At this point, I was taking photographs of my sketches and drawing over them with Illustrator’s pen tool. I have had some experience with graphics tablets which helped me keep a hand-drawn feeling without using Live Trace.

I also think I was strongest in this group because the requirements fit my style of hand work. Icon design and simple, vector shapes attract me; painterly marks felt the most natural out of the first eight groupings.

01.

02.

03.

05.

Circles, squares, triangles.

This category came with heavy restrictions and sparked ideas I don’t think I would’ve had if the rules were more relaxed.

09.

Behavioral. “Ink�. This mark is one of my favorites from the entire project.

With squishy bodies and flexible arms, an octopus can squeeze through holes and crevices that appear impossibly small. This behavior helps them hide and escape from predators.

Octopi can rearrange pigments in their skin to blend into their surroundings, a behavior I tried to capture in this mark. My execution isn’t quite clean enough for the mark to read well, but I felt this concept could lead to something interesting when given refinement. I left this idea behind after the initial phase.

15.

Abstraction.

Using the most identifiable characteristics of an octopus, I tried to create marks that were as simple as possible.

Recognizability was something I needed to keep in mind.

12.

Alternate surface.

While I’m happy with the mark shown, this category gave me trouble. I found that unrelated surfaces, like concrete and tree bark, could produce similar results. Becuase I was aiming for 10 different marks, the similarities forced me to continue testing surfaces until I found one that gave a completely new texture.

I felt this watercolor painting showed slimy texture well, but because it was on graph paper, I didn’t think I could touch it up to the point were it would be acceptable. I now keep a blank sketchbook, too, so I won’t have to abandon sketches like this one.

16.

Typographic.

This category surprised me when I looked at my classmate’s first round of work. I realized I made a mistake during in-class critique; I didn’t think to try filling in my hand-drawn type.

The letters in my first round of marks were all the same, thin stroke. While making them, I knew something seemed “off”, although I couldn’t figure out why. Observing the work of my classmates allowed me to realize how to improve my own.

I finished with the mark on the left as my final selection in this category.

Phase Two creating a food truck brand based on the octopus, including multiple examples of brand application

My classmates responded to the logo on the left more than they did the previous tentacle icon. One of my top five brand adjectives was “handmade”, so this logo combined illustration with typography I drew myself. I feel like this could’ve been a solid direction to pursue, and I hope to use the handdrawn approach in a future project.

In this exploration, I used the navy and yellow color scheme I would end up using in my final work.

I felt the octagon shape would fit with my concept and give more interest than plain circles. I added waves to reference the ocean and to give the pie labels some visual texture.

The final logo.

Early business card draft.

I left the black and white and brights color scheme in favor of the navy and yellow palette I explored earlier. I think it helped bring unity and a sense of cohesiveness to my brand applications.

Business cards.

Menu, back.