professional practices graphic design

Final TasteBuds write up

Working an a project like this has been a true learning experience. I wish I had taken the class my Jr. year so I could have been more experienced my senior year. Working with clients is a completely different experience compared to my other graphic design classes. Working on the TasteBuds campaign has taught me so much. I have learned what it is like to work with actual clients. I now know how to write a press release as well as the proper way to e-mail to editors. We also covered the process of logo creation. Once the logos were made we learned how to use another persons logo. What I mean by this is Casey created the Taste Buds logo and I had to learn how to use it when creating posters, shirts, and buttons. Almost everything is wrapped up at this point. The final press releases have been releases, the posters and banners are complete or almost there and most importantly the guide is finished as well. The only thing our class needs to do now is attend the press conference for the release of the Taste Buds food guide.  This will be the most unique experience of the class for this semester. I have never attended a press conference, but I am looking forward to learning from this experience. It has been a pleasure working for our clients and I hope the campaign is a big success and may possibly help our local area in this horrible economy.

 

Cindy Li talk

Cindy Li was invited to Chattanooga to talk to our class about networking. Her talk was very informative and incite full. When she was talking about avatars and how people use them instead of photos of themselves I thought to myself she has a very good point. How are people going to recognize a person if they don’t use a picture of themselves for their Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, or other social networking. I myself have never used an avatar. I think they can be neat and creative but I agree with Cindy. Privacy settings are something I need too look into more. My Myspace page is a good example since I don’t have it set to private. Almost anyone can view my profile and try to add me to their friends list. This made me think, maybe I should go through my friends list and do a little cleaning. I do have a lot of real life friends on there, but I also many people that were just random invites. I think now is the time for me to clean my page of people that I do not know and talk to people that are in the same profession or have similar goals. Her talk also made me think about using other networking tools other than Myspace. I have a Twitter account but I have not used it as much as my Myspace page. Her talk has encouraged me to think about Twitter and Face book more as well as some other the other networking tools that she suggested.

 

work update

This week everyone was trying to wrap things up for Taste Buds. After final revisions and editing it was time to distribute the current press release to the media. My job was to send the release to all the numbers that only had faxes. There were about 13 or 14 different numbers to send the release too. My first time through the list was rather discouraging since only about 5 of the numbers were responding so I decided to wait a few hours and try again and was able to get about two more through, but for the most part I was getting lots of messages saying this number is no longer in service. The next day I tried two different fax machines and got the same results so I had to start calling numbers. Most of the numbers were no longer in service or were disconnected. I did however get a hold of Mint Magazine only to find out that they no longer had an office in Chattanooga and that they moved to Jacksonville. I also made contact with a radio station that said I simply had the wrong fax number. So I tried the new one they gave me and it went through with no problems. The Myspace page is going a little slower than I expected. I have mainly targeted friends and people I feel would be interested in Taste Buds and hopefully it will pick up some.

 

work update

For this week I was not able to put as much time in with the Taste Buds project due to trying to wrap things up for the Senior show. The posters design is currently being worked on by my other teammates. I did however work some on the viral/gorilla marketing. Tera had already created a Twitter account for Taste Buds and Angela made a Facebook page. I wanted to put in my contribution as well for advertising our campaign. My first idea was a movie theater advertisement. Though the idea was not a free one I figured it would at least be worth checking out. After calling a few theaters the average rate sounded a bit pricy and I would also have to make an advertisement as well which I would have been more than willing to do but the prices were questionable. Instead I decided to create a MySpace page since it was free and would be just as effective as Facebook or Twitter. I myself have been using MySpace for years and gotten invites from many musicians and campaigns. There is also a section called impact which allows you to promote political and nonprofit organizations or campaigns. When I first tried to make the page it would not work on my computer, but Tera was kind enough to try it on hers and it worked. Once the page was up I invited people I thought would be interested in the idea and also encouraged them to spread the word. One of my ld friends who I talk to on MySpace is a vegan so I’m sure he would be more than willing to spread the word to all of his friends. Hopefully it will help us, but even if we only reach a few at least it is free.

 

work update

This week I continued working on shirts and posters for the Taste Buds food guide. I have also been thinking of other ways to spread the word. The shirts are the most difficult part for me at the moment. I have been thinking a lot about a design I would enjoy wearing not one just for the sake of making shirts for promotion they should look fun. At first my ideas for the shirts was to use the logo and tagline and keep the majority of the shirt as negative space keeping the design fairly simple over all. Now I am experimenting a little more and have dropped the previous ideas of focusing on the logo. Focus is now on the ideas of different tastes since the name is Taste Buds. Ideas for the posters are coming along more easily. I made a few posters last week creating design from the leaf part of the logo, but when I made them I still had not added information so I still had to re organize my design some. I also played around with the colors more since a white back ground felt to unresolved. Last week the group also met with Vanessa to discus and plan for the upcoming event. The stuff for the kids such as the word searches and crossword puzzles has been put on hold for the moment. Main priorities are on banners, poster, and shirts as far as visuals as well as the press kit and updated press release.

 

work update

This week I was on spring break but I did take the opportunity to put some of this time to good use. I worked on posters for Taste Buds. I thought about what I wanted to include, and the colors I would use. I went with a green since it was one of the logo colors and it’s a good color to emphasize buds as a plant bud. The next step was thinking about how to use the logo. Its not a logo I came up with so it’s a different experience working with a classmates logo. The  bud leaf part of the logo is the most interesting part. I looked at the logo and thought about possible patterns with the leaf using it without the text. I have also been working on some crossword puzzles in preparation for the big event. Our group thought it would be a good idea to add some stuff for the kids. I tried to make it a relatively easy crossword puzzle with simple words like grapes or cow. Words that would be easy for a kid but that would also relate to the campaign. Making the puzzle was not much trouble either. I found a program that help you make the for free and creates the puzzle based on the words and number of columns specified, and then al you do is add clues it’s a nifty tool for its purpose.

 

Taste Buds work update

Now that the press release has been sent my group is currently working on a press kit as well as shirts, buttons, and bags.  We have looked at and researched many folder options for the press kit.  For the shirts, bags, and buttons I feel the logo for “Taste Buds” has a strong presence. I feel there are many ways to use the logo creatively, and it works well even when broken into separate parts such as the leaf being the standalone without the type. With the shirts and buttons I am not going for anything to extravagant, maybe the bud leaf on the back or just simple logo placement. I made a few with texture, but this hindered the legibility some and I wasn’t sure if the shirts would actually be able to have the same look. For the bags I felt a pull string tote could be a viable option with a look and functionality that fit a campaign associated with foods such as vegetables.  

PR Workshop

I recently attended a PR workshop at CreateHere.  This workshop was very helpful regarding PR and press releases.  One of the most informative parts for me was when she talked about proper  etiquette when sending a press release to an editor.  For the subject Line it is ok to use the headline of the press release.  It is also a good idea to write a sentence or two explain what you are sending such as “Dear Editor this is a press release for….”.  If you wish to check up on your press release don’t just ask them did you get my press release.  Be less direct and say something like “Dear editor there has been an update regarding the last press release I sent” if you ask them directly they may get annoyed.  The press release should be no longer than a page and it should be brief and to the point.   The first two sentences are the most important ones.  If a persons attention is not grabbed with by the time they have read the first two sentences they may trash it.  Spell check is also a must, it will make things much easier on the editor.  Be aware however that spell check only checks spelling and does not fix everything.  I felt the overall workshop was insightful and I have already put some of the knowledge to use .   

Client meeting (logo presentations)

Showing the clients all the logos we had been spending time on  went rather well.  We had narrowed the choices down to a few choices. For each logo the person that created it walked up to it and presented their ideas to our clients. After some discussion a feed back with the clients a logo for taste buds was finally chosen. The logo chosen was created by Casey and his logo represented the idea of Taste Buds well. The most powerful part of the logo was that it is composed of circles that form a bud shape. There was also a tagline that went with the logo saying “Savor Local Flavor”. I think this logo was chosen since it can appeal to the majority of the target audience and it is visually engaging. Overall the meeting went well and this was a true learning experience. We all contributed to the logos as a team, but I am wondering how my experiences will be when I am working on a project solo and presenting to several clients. The next step in the process for us is to tighten up and refine the logo with kerning and more color experimentation. This will allow the process to push forward since the logo can now be implemented into all things Taste Buds such as posters, buttons, used for press releases and taste guide ect.

 

Logos

I do not have much experience with logos yet as far as creating them.  When I come up with ideas for them it usually starts with the thumbnails.  When drawing sketches and thumbnails I try to have as many ideas as possible; even if they are bad just to get them out of my head.  When it came down to thinking of logos for Buy Fresh Buy Local I did a fair amount of research looking at what similar campaigns had came up with.  The majority of them had a vegetable theme which is not surprising since its about growing locally organic food.  Then we came up with a name and tagline for the food guide which made the creative process a little more interesting since there were more options with type.  The first name and tag line were good ideas but where eventually replaced.  The first name Fresh n’ Local I felt was a good fit, but when it came to creating logos for it  I really couldn’t come up with anything I was satisfied with.  I tried a few different techniques out using live trace which is one of my favorite options to use in Illustrator.  For the next round of logos I did some more sketches to bring about some fresh ideas and I decided to would try a different approach with the pencil tool instead of live trace.  Thumbnails are the key too good logos and it can take a lot of them to find a really good idea but they are the most essential part of the process.

 

client presentation

When presenting ideas or work to a client its is important to show enthusiasm toward what are you are going to discus or show them.  One thing that helps is to develop roughs and sketches before and go through process for work such as names, taglines, logos, and writings.  When you present the fruits of your labors you want your clients to think that they are getting their money’s worth.  If they have questions such as why does the logo look a certain way  feel free to explain your thoughts of the process as to why or how you came up with the solution.  Make sure that your content and  delivery are clear and easy to understand to avoid any confusion.  Plan ahead and think about what you are going to say for your presentation, make notes if you need to but be sure to give the clients the majority of your attention.  Consider how many options you wish to present to the client.  I you present to many they may never make up their mind.  If you only have one or two options there is nothing wrong with that however the should be strong ones to avoid possible setbacks.  Make your presentation interesting; if your presentation is boring you client may loose sight of your ideas.  When presenting be  sure to take note of any suggestions or changes from the clients; you may not agree their decisions but listening to their feed back is very important.

 

extra blog

After showing my first press release I learned that the spacing is very important since reporters and press want to be able to take in all the information quickly.  I used double spacing and short paragraphs to do this.  My length was also only a page in length which is the length suggested by our clients.  It is also important not to give to much information by not over stating what answers you will find at the event.  I also good to give brief descriptions of each group involved as well as partners and participants that are contributing.  The next important thing is the date and time which I did correctly.  The next thing was to give directions to the event which was very simple in this case since directions to the event can be found on the website of the event promoter.  There is also the question of “why” that can be answered by may or may not be necessary depending on weather or not the press release is too long.  When I revised my press release I changed the majority of the body to explain a little bit about us and our clients.  I also included For Immediate release at the top which is something that must be included with any press release.  Its also a must to include contact information at the top.

 

Tatse Buds Work Update

For my current group project my team’s responsibility is to write a press release.  This is the first time I have ever written a press release so I needed a little bit of insight as to how I would go about writing a good one.  The first helpful bit of information which I cam across was how too write a good headline.  One of the simplest methods for creating a good headline is to take the most important key words from the press release and attempt to apply them into a logical statement that grabs the reader’s attention.  This also helps when trying to search for the release on a search engine. Having thought that over for a While I came up with “Crabtree Farms kicks off big event to support buying from local farms”.  It is also a good idea to answer who, what, when, why, and how so that the reader is not confused and knows if they will be interested or not.  I gave the date, which was hosting the event and information regarding how local food is good for the consumer and the economy with brief but relevant information.  The body of the release should also have shot paragraphs and sentences and avoid being repetitious.  Shorter paragraphs and less repetition make it seem like its and easier or faster read which tends to keep their attention longer than long drawn out sentences or paragraphs.  With all that in mind I tried to keep my press release at about one page.  I could have written a longer one but I felt I wrote enough information to interest and inform the reader without being to redundant.

 

Research

For this project my team was in charge of the visual research for the Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign.  When I first started my research I thought about what makes me think of fresh, local, organic food.  Vegetables were the first thing that came to mind but I was thinking inside the box too much.  I then directed my research into what similar campaigns for buy fresh buy local were doing with their web sites and brochures.  I took note of the color schemes and images they were using.   I also looked at a few offbeat campaigns, and even a few foreign ones.  There were a few brochures from Hong Kong that I found very interesting.  Their use of typography and color gave their brochures retro look and had some very nice shots of vegetation.  I felt I would be interesting to have a brochure with a similar approach so I saved it.   Since we are possibly going to design magnets and buttons I  saw a few sites that had some organic food promotion, many of which had humorous.   My research has shown many different ways to go about it however, the target audience is a very diverse.  Considering this I feel the earlier research comparing similar campaigns may prove to be more useful than the research I did later.  Regardless all my research should prove useful it always good to have plenty of options.

 

Creative Brief

For the creative brief my group was in charge of Business objectives and design strategy as well as scope timeline and budget.  This was my first experience using a design brief for a project and I can already see how useful the brief will be for the project.  When working on the brief we each did a lot of brain storming and thought about what the objectives of our clients were. Once the objectives were established we thought about how to meet them.  One of our suggestions was to inform the consumers and local businesses that the money stays in the community, which is good for our economy instead of some country in Europe.  Another way is to inform about the quality and health benefits of the food.  We were not sure what the budget was but did have an idea to use local printers since our project is about buying local.  As a group we then discussed what the clients wanted as deliverables and then thought of additions we could add.  So far our clients want a guide which includes a map and design a website for them.  In addition to this we are considering adding decals and magnets too help spread the word to Buy Fresh Buy Local. 

The Brand Gap

The Brand Gap was a very interesting look into what a brand actually is.  It is very interesting that the companies behind the brands have less control over the brand than the consumers do.  The consumer, which the brand is targeting basis, their decisions off what their gut tells them.  Companies have to take many things into consideration when coming up with names and image for their products.  Companies try to make their brands likeable and trustable so they can grow stronger.  There are many things that can hurt and help brands do this.  For instance John Deer is very successful in selling their product line since farmers have trusted their tractors for generations.  They keep their trademark simple with the silhouette of a leaping deer, and their tag line is “Nothing runs like a Deere.”  If John Deere were to add new products and services to their line however it could really make things confusing for the consumers if say they started selling furniture or something like that.  Brands work best when the consumer remembers them.  A company can put infinite amounts of time and money into their brand but if know one likes or remembers it no one will buy the products.  When a brand makes an impression it need to be a strong one otherwise it will loose to the competition.  Having a catchy name or phrase is one thing, and advertising helps but when the consumer reaches the store memories of advertising are pushed aside and the packaging takes over in the fight to grab your attention.  Companies also do field tests with prototypes to measure to potential success or failure of a product.   In the end however it comes down to that gut feeling and there is nothing any business can do to assure a successful brand.