Final Project: Epiphany Logo and Business Card REVISED

First, to design the logo, I had to get an understanding of the feeling of the business.  Epiphany is a catering company that has a market niche of middle class families and businesses that can afford to hire out for catering on special parties and events. The catering events feature specially designed cupcakes and themed parties. 

To perpetuate the feeling of elegance and class, I chose a script front to create the name of the company. The shimmery, gold tone of the font connotes the upper class feel as well as the current trend of using gold lettering in creative projects, as shown all over Pinterest. Pinterest was also an inspiration for the rest of the color palette: the coral-pink color and the navy blue. The navy blue color choice also continues the theme of elegance.

I created three variations on the logo. The full logo features an arcing tagline (Sweet Treats & Decor) in the coral-pink and the tiny cupcakes. The tiny cupcakes were designed by AngieMakes.com, with a free use license. If these were to be used for a logo in real life, the creator does allow for some commercial use, but it would be prudent to contact the creator to get permission and the official licensing. 

I added the cupcakes for an element of whimsy that compliments the elegant structure of the logo.  

*REVISED* logo with feedback from today's (7/21/15) class.

I tried several different combinations with using the idea of continuity by bleeding the company name off the page and I wasn't happy with any of the results.  So, I removed the tails on the E and the y and tilted the E: now the E frames and hugs the rest of the name. The curl at the end of the E and the y also point toward the tiny cupcakes, which connects the whole element of the logo. The E-shape also draws in the tagline and the mini cupcakes.  I also centered the logo on a square background and used the negative space of the navy blue to emphasize the name. I also made the tagline bigger and more legible.

The additional fonts, Helvetica Light and Amatica SC Regular are thin, sans serif fonts that counteract the formally of the logo script font Mf Young & Beautiful. This keeps the business image approachable.  

The business card continues the brand image of using the script logo, the Sweet Treats & Decor tagline and the tiny cupcakes. The contact information continues the use of the Amatica SC Regular font and sets apart the name of the caterer, Aubrey, the phone number and email address. The card is simple in design, so the information is easy to find. The brand colors are also used on the card. The rule of thirds was used to place the elements on the card. 

Our website: Epiphany

Target Audience: 

Katy is 23 and is newly engaged. She recently graduated from Dixie State University and has started a new job. She wants to have an elegant engagement party to celebrate with her family and friends, but she doesn't have the time to coordinate a party. Since she is now out of college and working full time, she is able to afford catering. Katy also loves browsing Pinterest in her spare time and has several different ideas for themed parties that she would like to celebrate her engagement.

Marlene is 62, with three granddaughters that are ages 5, 8, and 10. She has two houses, one in Sandy, Utah and one in St. George, Utah. During the winter, Marlene lives in St. George. In a few weeks, Marlene's granddaughters are coming to visit from northern Utah and she wants to have a special event planned for them. The girls love the movie Frozen, so Marlene would like to surprise them with a themed party. Marlene's husband owns several profitable businesses in northern Utah and has an expendable income to spend entertaining her granddaughters while they visit for winter break.

Dave is 49, and has a daughter that is turning 16 in a month. His daughter is really excited for this birthday and wants to celebrate with several friends from school. She loves anything themed mermaid and the ocean. Dave's work party a few months ago was catered by a business that had a fun theme that everyone in the office enjoyed; he is looking for a similar setup for his daughter's birthday.

Since Dave works full time in the corporate world, he wants to hire someone that will communicate well with his daughter and design a party that she will be happy with.

Mis-en-Scene: Skyfall

Bond movies are pretty much the only films that I will make an effort to go see in a theater. Skyfall wasn't my favorite (Casio Royale wins this title,) but the scene where Bond goes after the assassin in the Shanghai hotel is pretty stunning. 

As Bond tries to decipher what the assassin Patrice's motives are, the lights from other buildings dance, play and shimmer on the various glass doors. The lights are soothing, which contrasts with the mirror effect of the windows and the silhouettes. With this play on light, shadows and reflection, we feel anxious about what is going to happen — this emulates how Bond feels in the moment. 

Director: Sam Mendes

Director of Photography: Roger Deakins
Production Designer: Dennis Gassner
Makeup and Wardrobe: Jany Temime
Stunt Coordinator: Gary Powell
Special Effects: Chris Corbould
Visual Effects: Steve Begg
Second Unit Filming: Alexander Witt


From the Skyfall Wikipedia:

Mendes confirmed that China would be featured in the film, with shooting scheduled to take place in Shanghai and "other parts" of the country.[10] John Logan described that production deliberately sought out locations that were "in opposition" to London with an exotic quality that made them "places for Bond to be uncomfortable".[72] Many scenes were not filmed on location in Shanghai. Instead, the Virgin Active Pool in London's Canary Wharf acted as Bond's hotel pool in Shanghai,[67][72] and the entrance to London's fourth tallest building, Broadgate Tower, was also lit up to look like an office building there; for the aerial footage of Shanghai, the crew received rare access to shoot from a helicopter on loan from the Chinese government.[72] The interior of the Golden Dragon Casino in Macau where Bond met Sévérine was constructed on a sound stage at Pinewood, with 300 floating lanterns and two 30-foot high dragon heads lighting the set.[72] Additional scenes were filmed at Ascot Racecourse, standing in for Shanghai Pudong International Airport.[83][84] The first official image from the film was released on 1 February 2012, showing Daniel Craig on set at Pinewood Studios, within a recreation of a skyscraper in Shanghai.[85]

The only information I could find on the filming of this scene is that it was actually shot in London at the Broadgate Tower on Primrose Street. To make this scene work, there had to be quite a collaboration between the Stunt Coordinator, Gary Powell, Special Effects Coordinator Chris Corbould, and Visual Effects Coordinator Steve Begg. The fight scene almost looks like a choreographed dance that melds with the neon lights. 

Compose Your Frame

This photo makes me so happy. What's not to love about a bright yellow hot air ballon with flowers that is framed by a bright blue sky?

I took this photo last weekend, July 3rd, at America’s Freedom Festival At Provo’s Balloon Fest. We had to be there at 6:30 a.m., which was a big deal, but it was worth it. 

I used design elements, like the rule of thirds, diagonal movement, and vectors to compose the photo.  The photo is creates the feeling that the balloon is coming down or floating away. Also, since the balloon goes past the frame, a emotion of intensity is felt. 

Rule of Thirds: The photo is split up into a grid of nine sections. From bottom to top, the basket fills the first section; the balloon fills the middle section; there is a line in the balloon's seam that lightly breaks the top section from the middle. Vertically, the basket separates the two outside sections, and creates the three sections of interest.

Diagonal Movement: The basket in the frame is not perfectly lined up with the edge of the frame — instead it sits on a diagonal. If the line of the basket lined up with the line of the frame, the photo wouldn't be as dynamic. 

Vectors: The seams in the balloon create very strong vector lines that guide the up toward the top of the frame. The seams also fan out around the basket, which also creates movement. 

Axioms of Web Design

I am a little embarrassed to admit how many times I have opened IUQO's landing page just to sit and watch the clouds go by. Flash properties drive this portfolio-based site and it is pretty awesome.

I didn't have much of an idea for which site I wanted to use, so I did a Google search for "beautiful
websites," and I found HubSpots Blogs' "10 Award-Winning Websites With Kick-Ass Designs" By Matthew Bushery. 

The site looks very simple, which the author said is deceiving. When you click on the Our Work icon, the viewer can interact with the different visual projects the company has created. 

The About Us section said: 

"IUQO is a unique and unusual organism. A multidisciplinary group of creatives and technologists, working collaboratively to create amazing interactive experiences across all devices and platforms."

When the viewer clicks through the site, or uses the a hand icon to slide the screen between different projects, little shape icons on the page move like mini gears.  The text also changes size and location between the projects. 

I tried to pick out a grid system within the deign elements, but I concluded that the designers decided to eschew the traditional ways of designing within a grid. None of the elements really line up, but I think it works. I would say there is more of a Fibonacci Sequence element going on with the design components.

The "call to action" on the landing page is in the lower center section in the two choices the user has with the About Us icon and the Our Work icon. There is a more subtle call to action in the lower left corner, with the contact information for the agency. 

The different layers of the portfolio seem to follow a flow of the main image and the title of the project. The title is a link that leads to the description of the project. From the description, there is a Case Study icon that leads to a YouTube video about the project.  The menu of projects continues to stay on the upper right side.

The site is intuitive in there are very few options for the viewer to go into, but there are a couple of different ways to navigate the information. There is the standard click -on-the-information, or the screen can be grabbed and moved to go to the next project. I personally think the sliding option is a cool idea, but it is difficult to get it to work sometimes. 

Affordance, or the experience, is the best part of this website. As mentioned in the introduction, the landing page is beautiful and I enjoy watching it. Honestly, I thought the projects would be just as cool, but I was not as impressed.

The best example of contrast I can see on IUQO's site is the different sizes of the interactive elements. The name of the projects are in a huge, serif font, while the menu is in a tiny sans serif font. I really, really like the triangle /line/ logo design that is on the top center of the page.

I have looked at this site on my iPad and on my iMac. Oddly enough, I found it easier to navigate on the iPad. The page also loaded faster on the tablet. 

Design Evaluation

A topic I could talk about for hours: hair products. One of my favorite parts of being a hairdresser was getting to play with hair products all day.

I was obsessed with the brand Bumble & Bumble. I even ended up assisting with an educator for Bb after hair school.

Looking at the brand with a designer's mind, I can definitely say part of my attraction was the logo and the brand image, and the packaging design. The logo utilizes the concept of simplicity in the black and white color choice. The handwritten, loopy font is a fun play on lines and curves in the design. The use of the Bb in the logo is a clever alliteration of the brand name.

I adore the variation of the logo with the bright colors to signify the hair color care line. Once again, the packaging  is very simple, with very little use of color. By only using a little bit of color, the impact is more meaningful. The containers look cute and coordinate well because they all match — I want this sitting in my bathroom! Plus, the hair product smell divine, which is another sensory factor that sells the brand.

Kérastase is another high-end hair product brand that is salon exclusive. I am just not as drawn to this brand visually. The logo is boring. The typography choice screams classy and Parisian, but to be honest, it just reminds me too much of L'Oreal. If I am paying around $40 a bottle for shampoo, I want it to be pretty!

The packaging is okay. I like the shiny lids and I chose a photo with products that are in one of my favorite colors, but I still think the effect is more on the conservative  (blah) side. The fact everything is in French adds to the allure of foreign = better, but effect is lost on me. I see very little creative design elements, other than the contrast of matte and shiny and the wide lids on the three bottles. 

To be honest, I think Kérastase is a better product overall, but I am going to pick Bumble because it looks cute and I like the way it smells. 

Contrast, Balance & Harmony

This photo is from a design project I did last semester for a publication design class. I had my brother call up a few of his friends and turned them loose while I photographed them having fun. I definitely had to run about to keep up with them, but this turned out to be one of my favorite photo shoots. 

The contrast in the photo of Pretty Danny and the Dangling Legs is shown through the idea that normally the legs are at the bottom of the photo and not the top, but this photo has that concept switched. There are also several places where lines are prominent design elements, but the legs and Danny break up the patterns in the lines.  There is also contrast in that Danny is very well-groomed and more posed while his friends have a more casual and laid-back look.

The element of balance comes from the rule of thirds that I love to use.  There is also a V shape that forms from the dangling legs and Danny.  The V shape could be considered a squished arc form, which I notice I often use as a design element. Danny is looking down, but I think the eye is able to travel because of the way the dangling legs line up with the overall shape everyone forms.

I find harmony in the color tones. The color palette is more on the muted, neutral side, with the only elements that stand out are the Misfits patches on Danny's vest.  The 3 on the building even matches the denim color of the jeans on the upper right side.

Proximity

I found this logo design on Pinterest. The design of the coffee beans outlines the coffee cup, conveying the use of proximity. 

Visceral Response

The ballet dancer moves seamlessly and effortlessly aross the stage, creating perfect art in motion. While every pose, every turn, evey leap seems to be a natural movement for the dancer, the art comes from pain. And from that pain comes immense strength and beauty.

My first introduction to design was dance. When I was very little, I took dance classes and I remember being mesmerized when I would watch the older girls perform ballet. I was fascinated with the costume designs, and how they complimented the movement of the dancer and the feeling the dancer was projecting. The dancers didn't look human; they looked like perfect, ethereal creatures who created shapes with their arms and legs to tell a story. Even at a young age, I noticed the line and bevel of the foot during an arabesque, or the perfect arc of a grande leap. Add in the music and I would get emotional, even when I was very small. When I watch ballet today, I am moved in the same way, and even more so now because I know behind the smile or the I-am-kind-of-bored look a ballerina wears is an individual who is in physical pain for her art. Ballerinas may look delicate, but they are strong on the inside with physical and mental discipline.

I love the arcs and flow of the lines in this photo except for the lack of bevel of the
foot in arabesque. I am way too picky, I know.

So, when I found this music video that a fan had created of Florence + The Machine's song called "Blinding," I was in love with the dance scenes. The next level of this song is that I discovered it when I was going through my divorce after being with my husband ten years. The dancers juxtapose their movement with fluid and almost sneaky flow into a sharp and shaky rhythm. Well, that lead me to think the dancers are telling the story of a crappy relationship through movement. There are parts of the video that blatantly show what the video is about, but the abstract elements are what moved me.  The song is pretty powerful, too. It is one of those that I would do that really annoying thing and play it on repeat over and over and over again.

To make sure I had found the right video, I watch it again tonight. Even after four years, I still have the same response I did the first time I watched it.