Skip to content

Release! Blog

An insight into the mind of a graphic designer.

Social Networks & RSS

Search

Recent Posts

  • Changes to my Blog
  • Is Print Dying?
  • Top 10 (Good) Branding and Graphic Design Cliches
  • Life on the Spectrum: A World Autism Awareness Week Special
  • CBBC’s Rebrand: Arguably the Most Divisive in British History

Archives

  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015

Categories

  • Events
  • Graphic Design
  • Movies
  • Technology
  • Uncategorised

Tags

advertising animation apple art brands change colours complementary computer creativity designers diversity effects entrepeneur environment experience favourite function history innovation innovative jobs logo london modern music new nostalgia packaging postmodern problem review risk royal solving stationary steve swansea television texture typography university video websites work

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org

Tag: logo

GUEST POST: The ’12 Basic Principles of Animation’ in Graphic Design

GUEST POST: The ’12 Basic Principles of Animation’ in Graphic Design

Although my heart and career lie in graphic design, I also have a keen interest in animation, mainly because of my love of ‘Pixar Animation Studios’. When not in the classroom learning about graphics, I did independent studies into the ideas and concepts of animation, including Frank Thomas’ and Ollie Johnston’s ’12 Basic Principles of Animation’.

After hearing a talk from a motion designer, Cennydd Bowles, about how the 12 principles could be applied to motion design, I was inspired to examine this relationship further, and see how those principles can be used in graphic design.

However, there’s a catch this time, as this is officially my first ever guest post! Whoopee!!! Feel free to read the full article on animatedjobs.com, and feel free to browse the rest of their posts. Perhaps you can find a new creative career you could embrace, since as my post demonstrates (as well as my previous blog post), just because your speciality is in graphic design, there’s nothing to stop you from adapting your skills and becoming a fantastic animator!

Posted on 2nd October 2015Categories Graphic Design, Movies, UncategorisedTags animation, brands, consistency, diversity, function, guest, guest post, innovation, innovative, interactive, jobs, leading, logo, negative space, new, packaging, paragraph, post, postmodern, style, trackingLeave a comment
My Work Experience at ‘Bay Studio’s’

My Work Experience at ‘Bay Studio’s’

For the past week, I’ve been completing some work experience at ‘Bay Studios’ in Swansea. And I have to tell you all something, despite it being a 2 hour journey each way between Carmarthen and their offices, it’s been worth every minute I’ve been there.

For obvious reasons, there isn’t much I can say about the show we were filming for. To play it safe, I’m also going to avoid mentioning the name of the show, and it’s subject matter. I’ll only say what the show was once it’s started being advertised, and publish some images of the props I designed once the show has officially been broadcast.

What I can tell you, though, is how much I enjoyed my time there…!

On the first day I was there, I was given a small tour of the studio by Amanda Roberts, and I was amazed by the sheer scale of the place. I got to see part of the set as it was being built, and honestly, if I wasn’t taken into the studio itself, I’d have predicted that the scenes that particular set was being used for would have been filmed on location. Yeah, they’re that good!

After that little tour, I was warmly welcomed by my fellow freelancers and crew members, of which included Hattie Gent and Amanda Boucher, with plenty of hands to shake and names to memorise (and I hope I’ve gotten them all right so far!) And then, it was a nose-dive straight into working.

It’s quite fascinating, actually, creating the props I did. Not only was it fun to see and learn how they were all made, but it was amazing how often we, as the audience, all-too-often forget that graphic products actually count as props. When we hear the word ‘prop’, I think most of us instinctively think of things like medieval swords and fake rocks made of papier mâché, not letters, drinks cans and name badges. Even something we use as often as money had to be faked. One day, I sliced up £1070 worth of fake £10 notes, each one of which subtly had the message “This is prop money” printed on both sides.

I’m not really sure why we forget about this particular kind of prop in film and television. It may be because we don’t remember the styles have changed over the decades, or we presume that we can use copyrighted brands so long as they were around at the time the show is set. Or, it might be because these kind of props are (generally) much smaller than things like swords and rocks, causing us to not realise they still had to be worked on. Yet, whatever the reason is for us not realising these props are indeed props, it was a delight to learn just how valuable these graphic props are, despite being overlooked by us, the audience. I’ve quoted Brad Bird before, and I’ll quote him again,

“If nobody mentions it, then you know it’s good.”

I suppose what you can learn from this post is that, just because you specialise in one part of the creative industry, that doesn’t mean you can’t branch out into other things. It’s a matter of keeping your eyes peeled, talking to as many people in the industry as you can, and having the urge to try something different when the opportunity comes your way.

There are a few things I regret about my experience there. I regret not doing as much designing as I would have liked to show my skills. I regret not being able to give a proper “goodbye” to the crew and show them how much I appreciated the work they gave me. I regret not being able to have a go on that ping-pong table during one of my break-times.

Regardless, I had a great time there, and I really do hope that one day, I can work there again. The people were friendly, the work kept me on my toes, and the work I did helped me to see a new side to the industry I work in. I simply can’t thank these people enough!

Next stop, ‘Elvet Woollen Mill’…

Posted on 30th September 201529th September 2015Categories Events, Graphic Design, MoviesTags alternative, art, brands, career, department, environment, experience, fake, function, logo, production, prop, studio, swansea, television, workLeave a comment
Top 10 Innovative Things About ‘Apple’

Top 10 Innovative Things About ‘Apple’

Last week, ‘Apple’ launched their latest range of products, including the ‘iPad Pro’ and ‘Apple TV’. The general reaction hasn’t been great, but regardless, this moment has reminded me of just how innovative the company is. After all, their slogan is ‘Think Different.’ And you know, this doesn’t just apply to their products and services, but also to how they market them. Therefore, let’s take a look at ‘Apple’s’ most innovative ideas, shall we?!

Some of these ideas have helped to influence the industry as a whole, whilst others are more idiosyncratic with ‘Apple’. Either way, they’ve helped us to look and interact with technology and home-computers in new and exciting ways.

No.10 – ‘Retina Displays’

Retina Display Example
No longer do designers have to work around immensely pixelated screens, as thanks to ‘Retina Display’s’, we are allowed to see print-quality images on digital mediums; a quality which designers have been dying to have! The idea behind how it works is simple: make screens with a dpi so high, no one can actually see the dots. But it’s the actual technology and manufacture of those screens which makes them so marvelous.

No.9 – ‘Apple Store’s’ Less-is-More Layout

'Less-is-more' Store
‘Apple Store’s’ have multiple innovative qualities to choose from, such as the there being no cash registers and their ability to sell desktop computers on the high-street. However, I’ve chosen their ‘less-is-more’ approach as their best quality in store. Not only does the uncluttered atmosphere feel more inviting, but it embraces their clean aesthetic and puts their products at the forefront of our interests, creating a customer experience that’s 100% ‘Apple’.

No.8 – Intelligent Voice Recognition

Siri Logo
Scientists have been experimenting with voice-recognition since the 1960’s, but ‘Apple’ cracked it with ’Siri’s’ ability to recognise everyday phrases. For example, instead of robotically saying “Find… Mexican… restaurant” into the microphone, you can now casually ask “Where’s the nearest ‘Mexican’?” Also programmed with some ‘Easter Eggs’ for giggles, and you’ve got a voice-recognition app that stands tall above the rest.

No.7 – Smartphones

'iPhone'
‘BlackBerry’ used to be the big brand when entrepreneurs demanded smarter mobiles, yet it was the release of the ‘iPhone’ in 2007 that made everybody want a miniature computer in their pockets. Combining music-playing, phone, internet, slab-designs and touch technology into one, the ‘iPhone’ soon became the ultimate smartphone, spawning a mass of imitators with lookalike designs and similar functionalies.

No.6 – The ‘Get a Mac’ Campaign

'Get a Mac' Campaign
Rather than simply showing the product, ‘Apple’ chose an alternative route to promote their ‘iMac’s’. Actors John Hodgeman and Justin Long portrayed human versions of the ‘PC’ and the ‘Mac’ respectively in short sketches that were like work colleagues fighting over which one of them was better. They may have burned bridges between ‘Apple’ and ‘Windows’, but they also made us realize that buying an ‘iMac’ is worth every penny.

No.5 – Elegant Computer Designs

'iMac G3'
Computers used to be all function and no form, but that all changed in 1998 with the ‘iMac G3’, a stylish home-computer with curves, a colour range and transparent casing. ‘Apple’ have continued to make their devices fashion items in their own right, with the paper-thin screens on the ‘MacBook Air’, the improved colour range of today’s ‘iPod’s’, and how the new ‘Apple Watch’ looks like something you can buy from a jewelers.

No.4 – Touch Screens

'Newton'
Anyone my age can be forgiven for thinking that it was the ‘iPod Touch’ which put touch screens into our pockets. Yet, it was actually the ‘Newton’, a nifty device that converted handwriting into print, which gave us the magic of touch-technology, all the way back in 1987. Making the devices we use more versatile, compact, and more fun to use, touch screens have certainly left their mark! Now, how long will it be before holograms replace screens?

No.3 – Graphical User Interfaces

Graphical User Interface
‘Apple’ have become practically synonymous with the design industry because of this! Another innovative idea which came from the ‘iMac’, this practically eradicated the need to understand code, and made computing a visually navigatable medium. It also gave designers, including David Carson and Neville Brody, the liberty to experiment with their works. They took advantage of the new interface, and gave birth to the digital age of design.

No.2 – The ‘Click Wheel’

'Click Wheel'
Touch screens may be more versatile, but back in the ‘old days’, the ‘Click Wheel’ was a true innovation. Acting as both pushable buttons and a rotatable wheel, it created a consumer experience unlike anything before or afterwards. It gave the user an improved sense of control and fluidity when both adjusting the volume and selecting their tracks. They didn’t invent it, but by applying it to their ‘iPod’s’, they made it truly their own.

Honourable Mentions

The ‘Bite’ Logo
A modern shape which is given new colours and form every other year; Rob Janoff hit the nail on the head with balancing timelessness and timeliness.

The ‘Apple Watch’s’ Crown-Control
This takes something you could only find on a watch, and turns it into the key controller for the ‘Apple Watch’, making it more than an extra-small ‘iPhone’ to strap to your wrist!

‘Earbuds’
More discreet and futuristic than regular overheads, ‘Apple’ helped to make inner-ear headphones the most ideal way to privately listen to your music.

The iPod ‘Silhouette’ Adverts
As effective still as they are in video, the contrast of black silhouettes, white ‘iPods’ and coloured backgrounds embraced the vector, and made adverts funky and creative.

The Macintosh ‘1984’ Advert
More iconic than it is innovative, the big budget and influence from the George Orwell classic helped to cement this as the greatest Super Bowl commercial in history.

No.1 – ‘i’ Branding

'i'
Brand-names like ‘iMac’, ‘iPod’, ‘iTunes’, ‘iCloud’, and even ‘iTeddy’ (albeit not an ‘Apple’ product) have made the prefix of ‘i-‘ both their simplest and greatest innovative idea. As well as a grammatical experiment, it creates a sense of personalization from both ‘I’ being another way of saying ‘me’, and a small sans-serif ‘I’ looking like a person (which is also why ‘Wii’ got it’s spelling). This just goes to show how simpler ideas are often more timeless ones.

So, do you agree with my list? Is there anything else ‘Apple’ made or did which made you ‘think different’? If so, let me know in the comments below. Also, be sure to share this with your friends.

Posted on 16th September 201516th September 2015Categories Graphic Design, TechnologyTags advertising, apple, brands, campaign, colours, designers, function, iconic, innovation, innovative, jobs, less is more, logo, new, quality, smartphone, steve, steve jobs, technology, television, touch, typography, voiceLeave a comment
3 Things That Make ‘Google’s’ Logo Beautifully Innovative

3 Things That Make ‘Google’s’ Logo Beautifully Innovative

With a whopping 3.5 billion searches per day, ‘Google’ is undeniably a staple in todays technological world, and the branding behind the search engine is one of the key reasons why this Californian company is so popular.

However, as I was examining their logo once I learnt about them creating a sister brand for all of their innovative projects, named ‘Alphabet’, I couldn’t help but realise just how different their logo is compared to so many other logos, not just in their own field, but in the world of graphic design in general.

Therefore, I thought it would only be wise to further examine the three things which make ‘Google’s’ logo as wonderfully innovative as it is.

It’s a Technology Brand That Uses Old Style Typography

googleinnovative_technologybrands

You don’t have to look far nowadays to realise that todays technology brands rely on sans-serif typography. The reason for this can be because typography like this was originally idealised by modernists in the early 20th century to bring a utopian appeal to the global aesthetic. This is certainly an appeal many technology brands try to mimic.

googleinnovative_sonyandtumblr

Even the few brands which use serifs typically resort to slab-serifs, most likely because having serifs of an identical width to the bars and stems of the characters allow the text to be crisply reproduced using pixelated screens. Popular examples of this would be ‘Sony’ and ‘Tumblr” (the latter of which is technically considered to be a Bracketed Slab Serif font).

googleinnovative_history

Because of this, the fact that ‘Google’ uses an Old Style font, a category which is more commonly associated with print-based branding, is highly unusual. And yet, at the same time, highly bespoke. The logo is rarely ever displayed on a small scale, and therefore the company don’t need to worry as much about pixelation of their font as much as other brands may have to. On top of that, the ever-increasing quality of screens used in todays technology mean pixelation is no longer nearly as much of a concern as it used to be, meaning other brands can follow in ‘Google’s’ footsteps of using seriffed fonts for digital products.

EDITORS NOTE [1st September, 2015]: By complete surprise, only 6 days after this was originally posted, ‘Google’ have undergone a major rebranding by replacing their classic Catull font with a new sans-serif typeface. If you ask me, I much prefer their old logo, since the new one feels more like a knock-off of ‘eBay’s’ logo. Nevertheless, ‘Google’s’ logo, both old and new, is still a marvel of innovation, because of the remaining two points…

It Disobeys the Rule of Using Minimum Colours

googleinnovative_colour

One of the most common mistakes that non-designers make when trying to create their brand is to use all of the colours of the rainbow, which rarely ever works since the use of multiple bright colours is generally associated with a youthful, playful image. So, why is it that the ‘Google’ logo is an exception to this rule, and maintains the look of a mature, serious brand?

Well, for one thing, the brand tends to use the four main colours individually when it comes to the various sub-brands of the company, such as only using the red shade for their ‘YouTube’ brand, and the blue shade for their ‘Calendar’ app.

However, the main thing which makes the logo get away with multiple colours is the fact it ordered them in a very smart way. The designers use conventional practices to create an unconventional order for the colours, as can be demonstrated in the diagram above.

The palette isn’t too different from that of one of the logo (pictured above) used on the companies inception, of which was designed by the sit’s co-founder, Sergey Brin, who isn’t famous for being a designer.

The Company Changes Their Logo Every Few Weeks

googleinnovative_rubikBy far the most innovative things about ‘Google’s’ branding is that, regarding their logo, they disregard the most vital rule regarding brand identities… consistency. Companies rarely ever let anyone temporarily change their logo, even if that change is only by a fraction of any of the dozens of factors that go into the creation of the companies vital brand identity.

googleinnovative_dancer

The reason ‘Google’, and the main designer behind their ‘Doodles’, Ryan Germick, can get away with this is because practically their entire target market already know their logo and name off by heart. The moment that somebody opens up the ‘Google’ Home Page, they automatically know that’s what they landed on, regardless of what they see. Therefore, the company can make minor changes to their logo whenever a national holiday or major event arrises, maintaining the essence of the logo either via its font or colours, yet giving it a whole new spin to mark the given occasion.

googleinnovative_pacman

These logo-changes have, as mentioned earlier, been given the appropriate name ‘Doodles’, and have become a staple of the companies branding. The fact these doodles can appear on practically any day have created a compelling form of brand loyalty, making those who visit the site excited to see what creations the company has come up with, and both to get creative juices flowing, and to learn something new every now and then.

Posted on 26th August 20153rd September 2015Categories Graphic DesignTags analogous, arcade, brands, change, colours, complementary, designers, diversity, function, games, history, innovation, innovative, logo, multicolour, old style, sans serif, serif, typography, video games, websitesLeave a comment
From ‘LinkedIn’ to ‘WordPress’

From ‘LinkedIn’ to ‘WordPress’

Everybody makes mistakes. It’s true, we all do things which we later realise had a better alternative. What makes the difference, however, is what we do once we made those mistakes. Either we throw our hands in the air and say “oh well, what’s done is done”, or we find what was the right thing to and fix that.

So, that’s what I’m going to do right now! I originally believed that ‘LinkedIn’ was what you had to use for blogging, but I’ve found that only really applies for posts along the theme of being an entrepreneur and such. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great spot for job hunting. It’s just not the go-to place for finding the random ramblings of creative minds.

Therefore, I will now do all of my blogging here on from ‘WordPress’, and you can see my previous blog posts at the links below.

Favourite Brand No.1 – ‘Apple’
Favourite Brand No.2 – ‘Dyson’
Favourite Brand No.3 – ‘Honda’
Favourite Brand No.4 – ‘McDonalds’
Favourite Brand No.5 – ‘Nike’
Favourite Brand No.6 – ‘Oxo’
Favourite Brand No.7 – ‘Remarkable’
Favourite Brand No.8 – ‘Transport for London’
Favourite Brand No.9 – ‘V&A’
Favourite Brand No.10 – ‘Virgin’
‘New Designers’ Round-Up
‘Champagne & Wax Crayons’: The Book I Needed to Read
A Few Words Before I Graduate Tomorrow

Stay tuned if you wish to have an in-depth look into the mind of a newborn graphic designer…
Posted on 12th August 201512th August 2015Categories UncategorisedTags advertising, albert, apple, art, book, brands, branson, champagne, college, crayons, designers, diversity, dyson, ecological, education, entrepeneur, environment, favourite, function, graduation, history, honda, humour, infographic, information, innovation, innovative, jobs, logo, london, map, mcdonalds, museum, new, nike, oxo, posts, previous, remarkable, review, richard, round, stationary, steve, swansea, television, transport, typography, university, up, v&a, victoria, virgin, waxLeave a comment

Posts navigation

Previous page Page 1 Page 2
Avatars by Sterling Adventures
Proudly powered by WordPress

Subscribe to this blog!

Thank you for taking the time to have a look at my blog. If you wish to subscribe so you never miss a post, feel free to do so below.


no thanks