OUGD504 What Is Design For Print Workshop

In preparation for todays workshop we each brought in 5 examples of logos, with the idea of breaking each down in order to understand the intention of the designer.

As a group we all looked at the original NASA logo to get an idea of how we should approach the other logos. We looked at colour first, as the logo is often exhibited in red, a warning colour often hinting at danger, but similarly when combined with the white and blue themes of the typical American space shuttle it denotes a sense of patriotism. On top of this the type appears futuristic, which is fitting given that no matter what the era, space travel will always seem scientifically advanced. However, NASA rebranded as it became associated with the Columbian shuttle accident.

In a group of 8 we went through each persons logo selection. Here are a selection of the ones we broke down:

Apple:

- neutral logo, kept marketable to the whole world by exhibiting neutral colours

- Geometric (made up of circular shapes), allows it to be scaled and translate effectively when digital

Liz Earle:

- minty teal colour hints at a natural product

- grey logo against the colour is very neutral, another colour may have appeared harsh

- simple type and set up also makes product seem natural.

Ogio:

- Light sans serif font, in neutral colours

- Only hint of colour is from the product itself (transparent circle in label design - for the O)

- A style that would sway younger people but wouldn't change an older markets opinion - large market for it.

Next:

- Black, white and grey logo - not gender specific so fits men, women and children.

- modern san serif font, appearing simple and sophisticated.

All Saints:

- Very unique style of branding, vintage approach

- Uses a trendy and upmarket font

- 'Spitalfields' label makes logo appear industrial looking.

Jo Malone:

- Minimal logo, the simplicity hints at sophistication

- Clinical appearance (fitting for a soap brand)

- Name exudes the status of the product

The Botanist:

- Victorian and decorative logo

- Illustrative and decorative design keeps the logo modern in spite of Victorian approach.

Elemis:

- flowing and natural looking logo

- Change their packaging seasonally to keep current

- varies between two separate logos

Chloe:

- Very specific target market - very feminine packaging (ribbon and bag)

- French name and design makes products seemingly high-end

Yoobi:

-Simple and all natural connotations

- Seemingly eco friendly (capitalises on natural aspects of sushi)

- Old meets new

Snog:

- Chatty and youthful ("You never forget your first snog")

- Younger market but more adolescent that childish

Four Seasons:

- Indian branch - not made to look very comfortable

- Looks as though it was aimed at more corporate clients - business like, not a holiday

Puma:

- active animal used in logo (day and night animals)

- powerful image of athleticism

Twinings:

- Serif type implies an older audience

- Sometimes change logo to gold - bold change

- Very stereotypically british - how the British are seem by other nations

Vaio:

- Analog and digital designs

- Name made itself apparent after the letters were seen in the shape

Braun:

- Logo that works on a lot of varied scales (huge range of different sized products)

- geometric A, made to be a recognisable trait in the logo

Kandoo:

- Appropriate to target audience (children and parents)

- green and purple considered fun and gender neutral colours

- Playful type - 'frog-like'

UP:

- Negative space exaggerates the shape and pun of the logo

- Arrow direction implies progression

BarCode:

- Interesting merge of two images

- Colour choice cheapens the logo - makes it obvious

Wave:

- Ocean wave shape, implies natural and clean products

- Looks like another language

Hitchins Centre:

- kept simple and clean with just two colours

- Serif font implies history in the name

NBC:

- Colourful logo makes it seem universal.

- Colour is representative of different aspects of the country (Sports, Enterprise, Entertainment etc.)

Belle Ninon:

- Minimalism and serif font hints at sophistication

- 'Paris" under logo makes products seemingly high-end

National Geographic:

- Historical in font and it's simplicity - shows there's a story behind just the logo

- Simple yellow box - yellow border on the cover of the magazine has stayed consistent since first issue.

OUGD504 What Is Design For Print?

In todays session we went through the 6 categories that the design for print process falls into and defined each one, their importance, examples etc.

What is ...

Format - determines the intended size/scale/shape of the design.

eg. posters, billboards, business cards.

Colour - Have to consider the tone of voice/format/audience in relation to colour.

eg. hues/tones/shades, pantone, grey scale.

Production - the method of production is considered the preparation within a process, and the 'actual making' of the design.

eg. exposing screen, colour matching, cutting lino.

Process - relates to the method of printing itself and also to the overall operation/procedure of the design.

eg. screen printing, lithoprinting.

Finishing - the methods used in the final stages of production, influenced by variables like distribution.

eg. spot varnish, binding, foiling.

Stock - considering format, the material on which the design will be exhibited, effected by the chosen printing process.

After forming this list in groups and collecting the varied definitions of these categories, it became apparent that this list is not definitive, and that it alters depending on intention and design. In spite of this, each definition could be considered a starting point, allowing the definition to stretch further.


In preparation for todays session we each brought in at least 5 examples of design for print, and using the categories format, colour, production, process and individual cost, we divided each of the examples into different areas.


Format - We split the items into leaflets, fliers, business cards, magazines and packaging. This part was simple as the format allowed us to determine the function of the design.

Colour - We divided the examples into one colour +stock, two colours +stock, 3 colours +stock, and full colour which was easy to determine, and found that much of the items using less colour were the leaflets , with the magazines, book and most of the packaging falling under the full colour bracket.

Production - In terms of production, we split the items by those which were mass produced, bespoke produced or somewhere in between. This allowed us to split the more commercial designs from those one off or bespoke items. This was easy for the most part but there were some items that were more difficult to work out, for example the train tickets and receipts, as the design on each is the same, but the text alters for each ticket.

Process - This category was more difficult as it was not always obvious which print method was used, and the method was hugely varied. It was a bit less simple to determine the method but after each having a good look at some of the more illusive options, we divided them into laser printing, screen printing, inkjet and letter press. We had some more confusion over the receipts as the text is burned into the stock, so we didn't know what print area that would fall into.

Cost - Another area we looked at was the cost of individual production. Some parts of this were difficult to determine as we were considering the cost of stock and ink but were unsure if we should be including the cost to allow print methods to become available (eg. screen printing studios), as a result we disagreed on some items (again the train tickets and some of the more budget fliers and leaflets).

After exploring the areas within these categories, we split them further - 

Branding and Identity

Publishing and Editing

Packaging and Promotion

Information and Wayfinding

Most of the items were easy to categorise but there were a few items that were more difficult to determine, as they fell into several categories, for example, the greeting card and the printed napkin.

It became clear after this exercise that there are lots of links between much of the designs, as there were some that stayed in the same area for each category, mostly the mass produced items, such as packaging and promotional, and publishing and editorial.

OUGD504 What is Design for Print?

In todays session we split into groups and discussed and clarified the meaning of design for print, forming a list of varied definitions:

1. Have to consider the printing process as part of the design outcome.

2. Must consider the format and layout.

3. Examples of design for print - books, posters, zines, leaflets, billboards, packaging.

4. Examples of print processes - screen print, laser print, ink jet, lino, foiling, collograph, lithograph, potato, etching, letterpress.

5. Design for print is design which is intended to be physical.

6. Design that communicates a message in a physical format through a printing process.

When asked if we could construct a single sentence that summed up the definition of design for print, we chose our last point as a summative statement. However, we found that we were unable to cover the vastness of the term in one single sentence. We found we could say what it was not, and we could say part of what it is but not cover the whole topic.

What categories fall into design for print?

Format

Book publishing house

CBS Outdoor

Colour

CMYK

RGB

Production

Processes

Silkscreen

Finishing

Stock

Why are there different print processes?

Different printing processes are used on different stocks and for varied scales as some are more suited to large or mass production and others aren't, for example screen printing is used mostly for small runs of posters, display boards, fabrics and wall paper, but would not be suited to something f a larger scale.

Letterpress and Lithograph require more expensive equipment as they are used more commercially in Graphic Design and manufacturing.

The biggest difference between design for web and design for print, is that design for web is forever being updated, and design for print is totally finite and can't be changed or edited in the same way a website can be.

Going back to one of the points, we listed as many possible examples of print processes:

Screen print

Laser print

Ink jet

3D

Lino

Foiling

Collograph

Lithograph

Etching

Potato

Heat press

Wood block printing

Stamps

Letterpress

Embossing

Digital print

Spot Varnish

What of these processes would I like to learn more about this year?

For second year I would like to look into the areas of print that I have had little to no experience in so that I can broaden my knowledge of it. This would include Lithograph, Etching, Embossing, Foiling and Spot Varnish printing.

(bring in minimum of 5 examples of print - keep them varied)