REFLECTIVE JOURNAL POOJA KULKARNI M.A. BRANDING & IDENTITY DESIGN
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL POOJA KULKARNI M.A. BRANDING & IDENTITY DESIGN
Pooja Kulkarni MA Branding and Identity Design Nottingham Trent University, 2014 Student ID: N0527447 pooja.kulkarni2013@my.ntu.ac.uk
This project is undertaken as academic work on the specified course. Reproduction or use of content requires prior permission.
Typeset in: Lato, DIN 1451 Std
CONTENTS TERM TWO
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ABOUT 11 CASE STUDIES
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VISITS 31 WORKSHOPS
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SCREEN PRINTING
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TUTORIALS 55 FEEDBACK 63 PROCESS 69 CONCLUSION 99
TERM TWO
Introduction A little more than three months have gone by since I started the course in September. Time seems to fly here. So many things have changed yet a lot has remained unchanged. It is much colder now, more than what I have ever experienced and the trees stand bare in the strong winds, their autumn clothes shed. The first term has been very eventful in terms of academics. It took me a while to get used to the systems here but I felt at home soon enough. I was very apprehensive at the outset, unsure about a project of such magnitude to be completed in a matter of months! But I’m at a much better stage now, slightly more sure about myself. There has been a lot of learning in the first term, which I would essentially carry forward through the rest of the year, and also in life ahead. Projects undertaken during this time have taught me the need to manage my time effectively between research and visual development, consolidating and organizing all research material and
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importantly knowing where to stop. I realized it is important to take an objective look at the project as at times you are so deeply involved that you begin to assume things. There has been a lot of learning from each other as well, each one of us coming from a different background had something new to contribute. Now with the presentation and submission done, we wait for our formative assessment. Feedback would help me place myself and realize the areas that need to be worked upon. Though hectic and loaded with work, term one has been enjoyable. I look forward to the second term with similar expectations.
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ABOUT
About the project When it was time to think about my master’s project, I thought I had finally got the chance to undertake a project that I normally wouldn’t be able to do. I rationalized to myself saying this is probably one opportunity I have to follow my interest before I enter the professional world and have no choice, so to say. So I went ahead and wrote a tentative project proposal about creating a place brand for my hometown, the city of Aurangabad. I was a bit worried in the beginning to undertake a project of such complexity, but my journey so far has instilled some amount of confidence that I will be able to finish this work at hand.
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Project proposal Aurangabad – How can branding heritage and effective signage engage people with the city? Main topic; describe theme, content or narrative Aurangabad is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the western part of India. Throughout history it has witnessed a confluence of different cultures and with it various forms of art and architecture. What remains now is a legacy of the past. While the city itself has a lot to offer, its proximity from the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Ajanta and Ellora caves make it a popular tourist destination. Having said that, what really upsets me is the unorganised tourism sector and the lack of an impact. The project is about finding possible solutions through branding the heritage city of Aurangabad. Aim of your project; what will the finished work achieve? What I aim to understand through the project I would
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undertake is the application of branding to locations within the city and also attractions around. I would like to work on creating a unifying and cohesive system that would simplify travel and enrich the experience of the end user. The project would focus on developing a space in terms of signage and making it more engaging for the visitor. Who is it for? Describe the contexts, market or audience Along with focussing on tourists, both international and national, I aim to reach out to the local residents as well. Making the locals an integral part and involving them would lead to a successful brand. The Big Idea – what makes it special or new? Today even as cities and nations contest fiercely to draw attention, the role of effective design has become evident. However, place branding is a fairly new concept in India. I hope that place branding would help elevate Aurangabad
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in people’s perception, that they begin to value the rich heritage and help live upto the promise that would be created by the brand. How will it help you to reach your career aims? I understand that while the project would involve a certain level of complexity, it would provide me with a chance to closely examine existing models and draw inspiration. Through the means of this project, I would be able to closely study culture and people in order to understand what a place can offer. It would also give me a chance to work with a variety of media ranging from print, web, motion graphics to user interface design. Looking at the broad scope of the project and the amount of work involved, I believe it would give me an extensive ground to pursue my interest and enrich my knowledge.
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Describe the specific area of interest or specialism you have in your chosen subject area I’m interested in history and culture and these would be the key aspects of my project. I would aim to make people aware of the cultural treasure that they have inherited and in a way raise awareness about our past. I would like to make the tourist destinations more engaging than before, to increase interactivity with spaces and enthuse a sense of pride towards culture and traditions. In terms of skill, I would like to learn and experiment with screen printing. I am also interested in the use of type and illustration. What relevant knowledge and skills do you have at the moment, and what further knowledge and skills might you want to learn? I can use Illustrator, Indesign and Photoshop with much ease. However, during the course of the project I would also like to dabble in various new media like motion graphics,
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user interface design as well as traditional processes of screen printing. What resources might you need to research and develop your project? Access to a computer with Adobe Creative Suite 6, relevant research material - online and physical, good printing facilities find priority over others.
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Learning Agreement Aurangabad – How can branding heritage and effective signage engage people with the city? The brief: The project is about finding possible solutions through branding the heritage city of Aurangabad (Maharashtra, India). The project would focus on developing a visual system and signage for a culturally important place within the city (either monument/tourist place/public area) and making it more engaging for the visitor. Learning aims: Through this project, I aim to understand thoroughly the theories that govern design and also how research can be implemented within professional practice.
• •
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The advanced use of Adobe Illustrator. The use of Photoshop to a professional standard for
managing images and artwork.
• Closely examine existing models and draw inspiration. • Study history and culture in order to understand a place and the people.
• To try and learn to use a variety of mediums, eg. print, web, UI.
• To study the trends in branding and where this would lead us in the future.
• • • • •
Use of colour and type suitable for outdoor display. Adapting design/artwork for varied scale and media. How to maximize potential through branding. How to make a space more visually engaging. Unifying a culturally complex society through a visual identity.
• Ways in which place branding differs from branding a commodity/service.
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What research will you have to do to achieve your learning aims?
• Case studies about existing place brands. • Read, analyse and evaluate expert opinion in the field of place branding.
• Gather information about the history, culture and evolution of the place itself.
• Contact and possibly arrange interviews with professionals.
• Creating personas, prototyping and testing within focus groups.
• Understanding through observation and critical analysis. Submissions My final submissions would include an identity system explained through a brand book. Other material for submission would include printed promotional material like posters. I also intend to demonstrate how the brand identity
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would be reflected on various mediums like a mobile travel application, collaterals used by the local tourism development body and official communication by the city corporation. In addition, I would also like to develop signage and wayfinding systems focusing on one particular area in the city that can be easily remodeled for other places around the city. Resource Implications I will require access to the printing facilities in school and access to computer labs.
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CASE STUDIES
Case study 1
Amsterdam
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-Redone for effective use of space -Inspired from the coat of arms -Looks quite serious, like they mean business -Effective application of identity across all deliverables throughout the city -The new system of using a word rather than a symbol in addition to the three crosses, works better aesthetically. There is no clash of colour and it’s clearer to understand. -As a trend, red is the most used colour in a lot of place brands.
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Case study 2
Canada
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Branding Canada has indeed been a smart move. The proposition was that Canada doesn’t need a change but people need to be educated about the place. They have delivered well with this regard. The whole campaign talks about achievements and Canada’s contribution to the world in all spheres – from food to television personalities to scientists and inventions. Everything revolves around the short and powerful strapline ‘Know Canada’. Again the stark use of red but in this case there was not much of an option as it is directly adapted from the national flag.
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Case study 3
Florence
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The identity for Florence was revealed very recently in March this year. It was chosen as the winning entry from about five thousand others in a design competition thrown open for everyone to take part in. The identity has caused a lot of stir among the design circles and rightly so. Some say that the concept is a direct derivation from that of Prague. That aside, I feel it is too wordy and busy to look at for an identity and I doubt the readability in smaller print. Some of the applications are interesting. However, culture, art, rich history and the grandeur that Florence is known for is not evident from the identity. Somehow, the identity is not true to the place that it’s meant for and that is where all the debate stems from.
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VISITS
Leeds. 31/01 The main intention with which I went to Leeds was to visit the print fair. It was a very cold and rainy day in Leeds and I was rather disappointed as the exhibition was not what I really expected it to be. It was tiny, an extension of a cafÊ and only a few pieces on display. Nevertheless, it was good to see some of the techniques. Trying to make the most of our trip, we then headed to the Royal Armories Museum. The visit definitely turned out to be worthwhile for me as the museum housed a lot of artifacts from India. I clicked some pictures that I thought were relevant to the history of the area that I’m working on. Later on in the day we visited some bookshops and independent zine shops. It was inspiring to see some of the work there in terms of images and layouts.
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One of the posters at the Leeds Print Festival, 2014
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Above: Indian section, Royal Armouries, Leeds Left: Woodcut poster, Leeds Print Festival, 2014
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Left & above: Exhibits from India at Royal Armouries, Leeds
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Research trip. 19/02 ‘Type Talks’ with Brian Webb at Birmingham City University was one of the most inspiring presentations I’ve attended in a while now. I consider myself fortunate to have met a person like Brian. He is so passionate about his work! It was awe-inspiring to see a large body of work and also get to know the process behind each of them. What I learnt from Brian’s presentation was to be fearless when it comes to experimenting with work and to strive for the highest level of perfection. It was also evident from the work that collaborative effort works wonders while combining the strengths of various specialized individuals. Though reaching the venue was an adventure in itself, all the effort was definitely worth it when I finally reached the designated place.
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Brian Webb at the Birmingham City University
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Brian Webb’s design work
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Some more inspiring work
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WORKSHOPS
Poster workshop. 14/02 This was one productive day. The workshop got me thinking about my project in terms of how I could present the idea in just one A2 sheet. It made me think what goes into making an effective poster. I knew I needed to have a simple image to directly convey the message, crisp copy on the poster and suitable typography. Before the workshop I started reading up on the detailed history of the city of Aurangabad to find clues for the visuals and the proposition I would make through the poster. I majorly focused on the traditional crafts and the patterns and motifs that commonly occur within these. Inspired from these, I drew a few patterns that I thought could be used on the poster. Also what struck me was that Aurangabad is known as the ‘city of gates’ – that made for an interesting starting point for my visuals. At one point of time, back in the olden days, there stood a fortification wall around the city with fifty-two gates – hence the name. Rampant urbanization over the years has encroached upon and only eight of the original remain. What is also interesting is the way they are named, for
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example, the gate leading towards Delhi is known as the Delhi Darwaza (gate) but not all follow the same pattern. I chose to focus on the concept of gates for the poster. The proposition I made for my city brand was – ‘Step into magnificence. Discover Aurangabad.’ This would go well with the visuals that I had thought, a gate leading to a range of different experiences. The day of the workshop started with a ‘refresher’ to typography. The morning was spent in trying layouts, putting text and image together in the best possible way. Once I locked onto my layout, I started sketching it out on paper. But soon I took to the design to the computer as everything was very symmetrical and based on a geometrical grid, which I found easier to work on layers rather than on paper. But I suppose that was my mistake because until the time of the presentation in the afternoon, I couldn’t complete it and I had neither one ready for display. Nevertheless, it was insightful to see everyone’s work and there was a lot to learn. Overall, the day helped me set things in motion.
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Type workshop. 28/02 We started the day with a presentation by Peter, highlighting the importance of visual research and the role it plays in the design process. I realized it is important to use visual references because everyone does not picture words in the same way. To put an idea across that is in my mind, the best way to do it is by using pictures, colours, type and symbols – basically by creating a mood board. The presentation also talked about naming a brand, service or product. I’m quite lucky I don’t have to worry about this step for my project. Moving on, we spent the day choosing adjectives that best describe our individual project and coming up with type that best suits the word. It was difficult and I struggled to maintain consistency with all the letters. I wasn’t very successful in the end either because the general opinion in class was that the word I had written did not convey ‘Indian’. After the workshop, I had a lot of thinking to do, about what exactly do I want to convey and about getting the image right. However, this was quite early on and I gained much more clarity in the later stages of the project during the term.
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Observation: These days a lot of brands are seen using handwritten typography on packaging, probably to give an authentic and handcrafted feel to the products.
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SCREEN PRINTING
19/03 . 26/03 I’ve been looking forward to doing some hands-on work for a long time now. Finally, we got to use the technical resources for screen-printing. We had two days separated by a week when we learnt to make a screen by ourselves and then experiment with printing. On the first day, I went with artwork printed on tracing paper to expose the screen. We were shown around the rooms and talked through the process of screen-printing. Everything is quite a time taking process, as the screen has to be left to dry time again between the different processes. On the first day, I only managed to get my screen ready for printing. One week later when we met again, I didn’t want to miss the chance to experiment with different colours, papers and textures. I tried a variety of things and had great fun all day. Though I’m not very certain if I will use screen-printing to produce the final deliverables for my project, I’m happy I got to learn something new. I had screen-printed before but hadn’t done it from scratch like from making the screen yourself too. So this was a good experience.
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Various steps involved in screen-printing
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TUTORIALS
Tutorial 1. 03/02 The first tutorial of the term was a one to one meeting with our tutor. We had an elaborate discussion about the first term assessment feedback. We talked about the submission, reflective journal, learning agreement, project proposal and a few other points from the feedback. That was necessary and it helped to understand the areas that could be worked upon in the following modules. We also discussed what needs to be done in the second term and how should that be planned, considering we haven’t got all the time in this world. To conclude, we reached the following outcomes – to begin with rewriting the project proposal and learning agreement incorporating the changes discussed. For the next time, we had to present the revised documents, a plan for our reflective journal, conclusions from research and a thought about the different directions for project development. By March it was advisable to have visual mood boards and for the last tutorial in April we had to have our design concepts ready. I came back feeling a little sorted
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in terms of planning all the work and managing my time and looked forward to what the new module had in store for us.
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Tutorial 2. 24/02 During our discussion, we talked about how important it is to have a message and how we can communicate that message effectively. Our tutor told us that it is very important to clearly know our target audience and the context will most of the times determine the design. I talked about interesting projects that I came across in the meanwhile. By the end of the tutorial the target for our next meeting was set, I needed to identify a strategy for my brand and make a note of what I want it to be and what it shouldn’t be. I needed to develop propositions and make mood boards for each one of them. The mood boards were to contain images, symbols, pictures, colours, typefaces and the visual language that I intended for my place brand.
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Tutorial 3. 10/03 This time I was a bit stuck when it came to visual research. My tutor suggested I think of the visual system and how can I portray the conflicting ideas of the old and new with respect to the city of Aurangabad. The contrast could form one of my propositions where I could try to harmonize the old and new. I realized I needed to have more visual boards and explore my proposition in detail. By the next tutorial, we had to come up with concepts for the identity and choose deliverables where the identity could be used in the best possible way. Each concept had to have a title, strapline, identity and an application of the same.
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Tutorial 4. 24/03 The fourth tutorial was quite an important one because we discussed our identity concepts and presented all work upto this stage. I got some very good feedback that I could incorporate within the directions I had taken. One of my approaches was using only typography. For this purpose I had used hand lettering and then vectorized it to use on the computer. However, my tutor suggested a few corrections in terms of spacing of the letters and controlling the flourishes. I was told that my strapline had quite a powerful message but I needed to rephrase it to make it even more effective. For the next meeting I had to develop alternatives for each concept and come up with more contemporary ways of using type and colour. I also needed to explore different styles for the identities. We had to present our concepts on A2 boards for the next tutorial. So, there was a lot of work to be done.
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Tutorial 5. 14/04 This was the last tutorial for the second module and quite stressful too. There was a lot of work to be done since the previous tutorial and it was important that I get feedback before the final presentation. I presented six A2 concept boards and was relieved to get positive feedback for my work. During the discussion, I also made up my mind about the concepts that I would take ahead and develop further. I was advised few minor changes with regard to proportion, spacing and colour. Also I was asked to plan to gather feedback in the beginning of the next module. We also discussed the design strategy followed by Interbrand. To conclude we talked through the learning outcomes for this module to better understand how and what to present.
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FEEDBACK
Presentation. 17.03 “Nicely presented, clear. I like your strapline development.” “Great analysis and research! Good experiments and nice presentation. P.S. I love your handwriting! So neat :)” “I like your sketches. I think you have not progressed enough since the last time though! You only have one case study? And I didn’t really understand what your moodboards were about.” “Well organized research. Good folio. Think how to present them in a more professional way.” “Rich research and good analysis. Thanks.” “Very professional and nice research, the idea presents quite clearly.”
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“Nice work I want to go to Aurangabad. Would love to see the lovely pattern work from India. Maybe you can think about signs and have that running through the whole brand.” “Your research into city branding is excellent, definitely incorporate Hindi into the logo for authentic ‘Indian flavour’!” “Good flow of research into visual development.” “You’re organized and have focus on your project!! I can see that the work will turn out really nice!! Just do it!!! I hope I can be organized as you do.” “I think your stuffs are really well organized even though they are all pages and pages. Anyway I love it! Starting to think about how they will be seen when people first open your portfolio case. How will they be shown to people.”
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Portfolio presentation for the whole group was an eye opener. I probably misunderstood what we were meant to present on that day. All along, I thought we just had to show the work we had done so far and I thought it was alright to present the work in progress as it is, A2 sheets, sketches, books. But that day it was all about presentation. The stress was on how you display your work and arrange your portfolio. As we started looking around at each other’s work, I instantly knew what my presentation lacked. While some looked very professional, printed and displayed in a folder, my sheets clipped together looked rather unappealing. I needed to organize my work in a way that a person looking at it for the first time would understand the process clearly. Apart from this, it was really good to be able to see everyone’s work, what they’re working on and how their work had progressed. I got some good feedback, a lot of points to consider and I hope my feedback would be as helpful to the others.
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Tutorial. 31/03 The one to one tutorial that I had with Peter was very helpful to get rid of the mental block that I had. He made me realize that I should work on varied values for the brand. I should explore more options and try and get more ‘Indian-ness’ in the visuals, something minimal doesn’t work very well. He also emphasized the importance of testing, which I will incorporate early next module. We also spoke about the stakeholders of the brand, which essentially are people, residents as well as tourists, with slightly different requirements at both levels. Finally, after the tutorial the keywords that I took back with me for further development were – authentic, colour and vibrant. It helped me generate more ideas and by the time we had our next tutorial I presented six directions completely different from the initial stage where I struggled a bit.
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PROCESS
Proposition After looking at a few more case studies and concluding research, I moved on to develop a proposition for my place brand - Aurangabad. For this purpose, I had to do some reading about the history of Aurangabad to draw clues and think about the image I wanted to portray. ‘Aurangabad’ is derived from Urdu, meaning ‘built by the throne’ and is also named after the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. It is also referred to as the city of gates and about eight of the original fifty-two have survived till date along with the fortification wall, parts of which still stand today. The authentic establishment of the city dates back to 1610 in place of a village named ‘khirki’ or literally translated to ‘window’, referring to the location of the place as a window to the Deccan and southern India. I also made a list of traditional crafts of the region, which include himroo textile, paithani silk saree, bidri (silver inlay work on metal) among others.
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From here, I started writing down straplines. I wrote all that came to mind and thought I could select and refine a few suitable ones. A few examples are mentioned below -
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Making history yet again / make history yet again Step into magnificence Where future meets heritage Write your own story Relive the charm The leap ahead At the threshold of (new/next/future/development) Lose yourself Be spellbound Live the glory Come, be a part of change Weave your own story A lasting impression Celebrating a legacy
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Before starting with visual development, I associated words with Aurangabad that I thought describe the place. This helped me later to come up with visuals for mood boards and develop brand values. Also a list of ‘must have’ for the brand was carefully thought of.
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BRAND ‘SHOULD’ AND ‘SHOULD NOT’ Should -
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be applicable to various media be dynamic emphasize history viable/practical appeal to wide range of audience connect with locals bold colours from craft/terrain
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applicable to different scale be unifying be easy to understand simple and clean bold/recognisable mark.
Should not -
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be stuck in the past be very modern be complex be monotonous have negative connotations
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Visual reference - 1
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Visual reference - 2
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Visual reference - 3
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Visual development 1
Thumbnails from sketchbook
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Hand lettering, type development
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Type development and refining
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Type development and refining - ‘devnagri’ script
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Experiments with type
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The identity focussed on the concept of gates that surround the city at four cardinal directions
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This concept aimed to depict the fact that Aurangabad was once a walled city. The three gates stand for past, present and future.
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Drawing inspiration from the craft traditions of the handloom industry, the identity represents a motif commonly woven in gold thread into a saree.
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make history yet again.
The symbol stands for the heritage that we possess and that the future is a blank slate for us to create a mark upon.
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Visual development 2 Quite honestly, I was a bit disappointed with the first stage of work that I had done. So, when asked which one of the concepts would I go ahead with, I said probably none! It called for a lot of re-evaluation and I started the process again.
aurangabad aurangabad aurangabad aurangabad aurangabad
AURANGABAD
aurangabad aurangabad
AURANGABAD
AURANGABAD AURANGABAD AURANGABAD
AURANGABAD
Type selection and short-listing
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aurangabad aurangabad aurangabad
AURANGABAD
aurangabad aurangabad aurangabad
Aurangabad Aurangabad
aurangabad
AURANGABAD
Type selection and short-listing
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Aurangabad Aurangabad
AURANGABAD
aurangabad
AURANGABAD
aurangabad aurangabad
AURANGABAD
aurangabad aurangabad aurangabad
Aurangabad AURANGABAD
Aurangabad AURANGABAD
Aurangabad Type selection and short-listing
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Pattern development and experimentation
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This was one of the three concepts that I have short-listed to develop further. A few observations and advise I got for this particular one was that gradation in colour looked betterand the window without an outline. I should also try to create different patterns and balance the proportion of the visual to the type.
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aurangabad
I could further develop this concept by adding a few more illustrations of gates to form a visual system.
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ASTONISHING
MAGNIFICENT
GLORIOUS
Here, I still needed to work on and refine the spacing between letters. I should also explore the relation between different symbols that would form a strong pattern and corelation.
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CONCLUSION
End of term I began with saying that more than three months have gone by, now as the second module draws to a close, I’ve stopped counting days and months. Time seems to go by too soon when you most want it to slow down but that’s probably a sign of time well spent. With that I’d like to believe that the second term has been even more hectic and loaded with work than the first. There has been immense amount of learning and critical self reflection throughout. I end this chapter with a realisation that the next term holds much more in store for me and that I need to make the most of my days to complete my project to a level of perfection that satisfies the brief that I set out with and also me.
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2014