CI : project 2 : for May 1 FINAL

You will present the essence of your company’s brand in a brand book, showing
information from your strategy, identity components, touchpoint strategy, audience,
and executed touchpoints.

The design components of your initiative will be delivered in a Brand Book. In the Brand Book include all information from your creative strategy, audience profiles/personas, design identity elements (logo versions, color, photos, illustrations, patterns, etc.) touchpoint strategy, and touchpoints, plus anything else that you find relevant to your initiative.

Brand books educate and build brand awareness. They communicate what the brand stands for as well as show standards, templates, and guidelines. The brand books are typically shared internally and with other designers that need to create further materials for the brand. In this last phase of the project you will structure your brand book and plan a presentation for the class of your work.

You will present your company’s creative strategy, visual identity, and touchpoints
as they relate to the intended audience with a focus on how you speak to your work.

Your Brand Book and a final presentation will be due during our final exam times (May 1st 3-5 pm). Your presentation must be brief and cover the following: concept and objectives, design identity elements (logo versions, color, photos, illustrations, patterns, etc.) touchpoints with information about the intended audience. Create this presentation PDF in InDesign, 11 X 8.5 landscape.

I will also need a folder with all of your final work from project 1 and 2. Title this folder with your name and drop it into the Sharespace folder by the final exam time.

Next week (the last week of classes!) I will be reviewing rough draft versions of your Brand Book.

 

 

CI : project 2 : critique : Apr 4 W

In class, discuss the rough art of your identity and touchpoint pieces with a small group of 3 (groups are individuals that are NOT a part of your initiative group). Then for the rest of class or over the weekend critique (via blog comment) the other individuals in your initiative groups. Discuss the following:

—touchpoint pieces: are they appropriate to the indicated audience group/persona?

—clarity and hierarchy: is all information legible and readable, how do you read each piece?

—format design (specifically the 3D pieces): does the construction/folding of the piece feel simple and not overly complicated in terms of viewing information? in terms of production?

—website design: is there a clear task being shown? Are there too many steps being shown, or too little? The website storyboards need to show enough design to get a sense of it being part of the brand and to meet a specific task.

—identity system components (kit of parts): photos, typography, color, illustrations, patterns, backgrounds, etc. are they all working together to effectively represent the brand? Is there one or more elements that feel out of place? Are more elements needed? Fewer elements? Do they support the design objectives and concept statement?

—logo: have the refinements improved legibility? Does it communicate the initiative effectively? Does it support the design objectives and concept statement?

—overall system: does everything work well together? Does it feel like a set? Is there consistency of visual elements across each piece. Is there anything being done differently on one piece and not the next?

NEXT WEEK
Monday April 9th—work in class, individual critiques
Wednesday April 11th—work in class, individual critiques

CI : project 2 : for Apr 4 W

For Wednesday April 4th have all of your touchpoint pieces posted to your blog in one post. This is a rough art review with the purpose of receiving feedback from your peers and myself, please post all pieces in their current state. In the post elaborate on any details i.e. who the piece is for (audience/persona) where it fits into the communication stream etc. For your 3D touchpoints, bring a white mockup that shows the construction and assembly (to size).

If you have adjusted and refined your logo, please show this as well in a separate image (separate from the touchpoint pieces).

Monday April 2nd—work in class
Wednesday April 4th—rough art critique of all work (touchpoints and identity)

CI : project 2 : for Mar 28 W

Screen-based Touchpoints (Websites, Applications & Motion Pieces):
Step 1: Content and User Path (if applicable)

—Create a list that covers all the information that will be in your screen-based touchpoint

—Using one of your audience profiles, determine a “task” that aligns with their goals and motivations.

—Plan out a “user path” of how the user moves through your site or application and their moments of interaction. Begin to use “interactive vocabulary” to plan for how the user interactions ex. roll over, clicks, types, selects, scrolls, zooms, click and drag, etc. Don’t be afraid to think gesturally either,  considering a touch screen environment. Create a low-content wireframe that highlights the information and moments of interaction.

—if you are doing a motion piece determine the sequence of information, create a rough storyboard that shows your plan.

Print-based Materials
Step 1: Content and Format

—Create a list for each piece that covers all the information that will be communicated.

—Begin to gather, create, expand on this content, ex. textual information, images. When at all possible use your own photography for images. For the textual information, no “dummy text” or “lorem ipsum” is allowed, this means you must source or write your own copy.

—Create several 2D sketches and 3D paper explorations to determine format possibilities for each piece, these can be half size. Also consider the grid structure and how it relates to your company.

Monday March 26th—individual reviews in progress with Rebecca
Wednesday March 28th—small group touch base on work

CI : project 2 : for Mar 19 M

Now that you have a created a few personas to represent the audience of your initiative, you will develop a touchpoint strategy to align with your audience needs.

Each  touchpoint in the strategy should include:
—form of delivery (format)
—what it is communicating
—to whom is it communicating (informed by your personas)
—what is the desired outcome

Outline this in a visual way, include ALL ideas and consider an interesting way to combine the kind of format/communication it might be i.e. by environment, or by a schedule, etc.

Indicate on your strategy 3-5 pieces you will be executing.

This must be done and posted to your blog before class on Monday March 19th.

CI : project 2 : for Mar 14 W

Begin to think about the different type of people that would be engaged with your initiative. Are these active advocates, or someone that has never heard of your initiative? Perhaps it is someone just looking for a good time or something to do? Think about the various ways people interact with and through your initiative as well as the different types of people that might be interested in your initiative. What are their qualities? Goals? Motivations?

Develop at least 3 personas (you can do more if needed). Remember this persona is to represent a certain type of audience group. List goals, motivations, social history, and what they need to know about your initiative. You can list other attributes to the persona as well. Do this activity as a group.

Have this as a printed document to share with me by Wednesday March 14th.

READING RESOURCE:
AIGA | An ethnography primer

CI : project 2 : CRITIQUE : for before break

The presentations went well yesterday! I will add comments throughout break to your blogs to those that I didn’t get to share feedback on. Make sure BOTH of your directions are posted to your blog along with the design objectives and concept statements ASAP.

I will also be grading over break so make sure your blogs are current.

You are responsible for providing a thoughtful critique for 3 of your peers. Review the identities for the 2 other people in your groups (listed below) AND select one other “wildcard” person to review.

Provide feedback on:
—list ways the identities support or don’t support the design objectives and concept statement
—legibility and clarity of type and mark (if applicable)
—suggestions for refinement

Cassie Nealis
Emily Misko
Emily Trexler

Erin Banner
Shuyi Meng
Jessica Halfyard

Hilary Higgins
Brett Ekblad
Kristen Miller

Carly Huizenga
Monica Stolar
Amy Kue

Jillian Carroll
Sofija Dutcher
Lindsey Laparl

Lydia Grove (review Nick & Kelly)
Nick Perles (review Amy & Kelly)
Kelly Drummond (review Lydia & Amy)
Amy Memering (review Nick & Lydia)

CI : project 2 : for Feb 27 W

From your refined sketches choose 2 identity options to advance. These are precise drawings/renderings/comps intended for a first “client” presentation. Consider this step as the last phase before execution of the final identity design. The idea, (semantic), should be clear as well as the formal (syntactic) aspects. You can work in black and white or color. Think through all iterations of the identity; vertical, horizontal, with a mark and type, type only, mark only, etc. Do not think about applications, you are focusing on the identity that will best communicate the feeling of your initiative. Use your design objectives (to suggest…) and your design concept statement to inform your design decisions. Remember you should have a reason for making specific design choices.

On Wednesday Feb. 29th each group will be responsible for presenting your “initiative” to the entire class. Share with us your mission, goals, design concept and objectives as well as any visuals from your mood boards. This must be in a presentation format, please take consideration for the design of your presentation. In addition to telling us about your initiative, each member of the group is responsible for showing 2 identity directions. Plan your time accordingly each group has 15 min. MAX to present.

CI : project 2 : for Feb 22 W

Continue to refine identity sketches and mood boards:
After meeting in small groups, determine 5-10 different visual directions for your identity. Work these ideas up on the computer for a “computer sketch”. If there is an idea that you are unsure of how to execute it on the computer, have an analog sketch that is detailed enough to describe your idea to me. Work at a larger size, paying attention to detail and nuances. In this phase, computer sketches are more accurate. Keep an orderly process and organize the sketches on your blog.

Have your 5-10 computer sketches and mood board ready to share with ME on Wednesday!

CI : project 2 : for Feb 20 M

begin a mood board, post to your blog before class on Monday Feb. 20:
This is an individual exercise, please do not consult with your “creative brief” group, this is YOUR vision for the the look and feeling of your initiative’s brand. Consider type, color, pattern, texture, icons, illustrations, images etc. Work with key words from your creative brief. This mood board is to show the direction that you will take with the style of the elements. To begin your future studies you will have to have an element collection ready to pull from, this process will get your started with sourcing or shooting your own images and/or illustrations. I encourage you to shoot and create your own photos and illustrations whenever possible.

You are working towards ONE mood board, feel free to explore a few options at the beginning if you feel you have a couple of directions!

produce several thumbnail sketches 30-50 of your identity:
The goal with this part of the process is quantity over quality, explore ALL IDEAS through quick sketching. Consider incorporating a mark, type, tagline into your identity. Think in metaphors and abstraction as well as the literal and expected, ALL IDEAS are a go at this stage. Start this now and practice sketching everyday until we meet on Monday. This isn’t something you can do in an hour, so don’t try it. Bring several ideas for discussion to class on Monday.

Read for Reference: 2011 Trends by Bill Gardner on Logo Lounge