Freelance work!

I have been offered a job with a gym in Edinburgh, they are keen to update their logo and are wanting some t shirt/hoody designs created as well.
This their current logo:

The brief they have given is quite open but with certain ideas in mind;

• Involving the words Athlete Training Systems.
• Something fun people would want to wear, bought for the design.
• Geek culture, games, fitness and sport.
• Clients are very sport but also very into comics and games - tie the two together.

I have gathered some images to start of my research, including current gym apparel, games related apparel designs and gym logos.

Christmas Phone Cases!

My sample cases came and I think they came out really well! Here are some product photos I have used on my website;

I have already sold a handful of these cases to a wide range of people, with the most popular choice being the design on the left with the christmas trees. Which was not what I was expecting! 

Experimenting

Something I noticed from my previous post of male designs was what appeared to be oil printing designs, implemented onto t-shirts. Oil printing is something I have done previously and still have the images I created. So I decided to play around with those images again but this time thinking about what I have discovered with my research, regarding what is currently on trend in mens clothing.

To create these designs;

• I took my previously scanned oil printings I did, I then looked at the shapes created in the printing and working what would work out the most effectively. I then erased the areas which where not working to create a new shape. 
• I then played around with the colours/saturation etc until I came to a set of colours I thought worked well and would perhaps be appealing to people. 
• I then set the design to either the top of bottom of the page, similar to the designs I have been looking at in my previous research.
• I then applied them onto phone cases.

I really love how these have come out and hope to develop these designs and method further.

With the last image I decided to have some fun with it and add a spaceman character to the oil print. I think the oil prints are similar to *space/galaxy*, so that was my thinking when it came to drawing a space guy.

Male designs

I really want to start exploring a wider range of target markets, particularly men. So I have collected a whole range of tshirt/accesory designs from a range of brands, including Topshop, Zara and River Island.
I noticed that there was three obvious groups of design;

The first group I noticed was where the design/pattern was only in one part of the garment. Either the top, bottom or to the side. This is something I have not tried yet so I am excited to implement this idea into my own work and see what happens!

The second group I discovered gave me great delight! As it appears there's a lot of traditional art being implemented into designs. It looks like a lot of paint inspired designs, along with tie die and other general paint marks you can achieve with a variety of tools. I'm not extremely excited to create markings and maybe try out tie dye and see what kind of patterns and designs I can achieve!

The last group I discovered was the obviously computer aided design. Some vector patterns along with digitally drawn images. Mainly in black and white, regarding the images but the patterns included a fair bit of colour but not too much. This is the group which I am most familiar with, so I will continue to practice work similar to this and learn from my research.

Created these moodboards has helped me look at everything at once and really get a feel of what is currently in the market for men. Particularly 18 -25.

Regarding the overall colours used throughout all the designs it is mainly;

• blue
• grey
• black
• white
• red
• green 

Pixel art...

I accidentally stumbled into the world of pixel art, which I know a lot of people don't enjoy but I've actually been really enjoying it! I originally tried it out because I was wanting to make a pixel pattern phone case for my brother but ended up doing much more!
Since christmas is soon and I was already planning on creative a christmas line for Blackhoney I decided to play around and create some christmas designs.
I was heavily inspired by nordic and the famous christmas jumper phenomenon and this is what I came up with!

I am really pleased with how each design came out, especially since this is the first time using this technique!
I'm also please because I think even though they are each quite different, the style and technique helps tie them together. Which is great when I'm considering using them in my christmas line!
I have ordered some phone cases, a mug, pocket mirrors and a bottle opener with these designs on. I'm really excited to receive them and hopefully get some really good product photos!

Progress Presentation - 28/10

https://prezi.com/fpo5g2paiybx/clare-sommerville-1200843/

The presentation itself went well but when it came to answering questions on what I actually want todo, that was challenging. I need to stop letting stress take over me and just concentrate on making good art.
Hopefully in the next few weeks I can calm down and try and find a direction I can properly focus on.

Nadia Flower

In my research I have come across Nadia Flower, she is a creative based in New Zealand. She has worked with a huge range of very well known clients, creating a whole range of different designs for different products and advertisements.

http://www.nadiaflower.com/

Here are a few examples of her work;

I really want to study her work a lot closer and hopefully learn a lot from it!

Rhino

Inspired by some of Mike Spiers work I created this aztec style Rhino. I didn't really have a plan for how I wanted it to turn out, I started off with drawing out the outline and just filling the inside as I went. I only drew up one side of the rhino then mirrored the image. It also has quite a geometric feel to it. I also transferred it onto a few different colours, just to see how it could look in different settings.

I also transferred this design onto a phonecase as well, I think this design works better for a phone case as it is longer and fills up more space.

Flower Skull

Inspired by some of Nadia Flowers work I created the design below. I wanted to go with an evil type of feel to the design, with using flowers with 'bad' connotations. The thorns on the rose, poison ivy, and the venus fly trap. The skull also connotes death as well, although the overall design comes across quite pretty, I believe.

I also transferred the design onto phone cases to give an idea of what they could look like on products. I think for the design to look really appealing on a phone case, more would need to be added to it.

Overall though I am quite pleased with the design I came up with and hope to develop and expand similar designs in the future.

Cross Research

I have decided to gather all the information I have learnt from looking through various brands to see if I can find any reoccurring factors throughout. Which I can them hopefully develop into my own work.

Key;

Green - Small business with target market of teen girls.

Yellow - Large Established Company, products also sold in other large retailers. Target market of young, on trend female.

Orange - Medium size company, higher luxury products. Target market of fashion conscience, young people.  

The first table I created was about the similarities I noticed across each of their websites.

From my website research the most common similarities throughout the four websites where the added annotations to the product photos. This brings more interest to the page, drawing the eye of the customer leading them to want to find out more about the certain product. Eventually leading to a possible sale. The next similarity I noticed was the pleasing layout 3/4 websites had. With the product photos placed coherently around the home page, all working with one another. 

• detail to the use of colours on home page (all work well together, is aesthetically pleasing)
• all product photos work with each other/similar layout/style

I looked at the style each brand displays throughout their products and designs.

Most commonly used style throughout the four websites where Hand Drawn, Digitally Drawn and Digitally Enhanced. Although a lot of the hand drawn, specifically in Sighh where brought onto photoshop/illustrator and further edited on there (digitally enhanced).

I will be concentrating on digitally drawn but I would like to try experimenting with photo manipulation and playing around with real images. Specifically looking at the natural world rather than man made.

Themes I have noticed which made an appearance is each website/brand was Cacti. Cacti seems to be a very popular trend at the moment, throughout the retail world. Trends is something I want to make further research into, throuhout my research project.

Other themes/trends I noticed throughout the brands where;

• flowers
• digital media influenced design ( hashtags/slang/emojis etc)
• skulls/spooky (halloween lines) [this was written and researched in October so was expected]
• unicorns/cats/mermaids/dogs(specifically pugs)
• graphic illustration/typography

Below I have summed up/listed what each company sells, product wise.

• Sighh - Phone cases, pocket mirrors, tote bags, stickers, planners, note books.
• Paperchase - Stationary, greetings cards, bags, stickers, badged, phone cases, wrapping paper, note books/folders.
• Skinnydip - Phone cases, bags, stickers  
• Riahnna Ellington - Bags, pocket squares, prints.

Summary

This cross analysis I have done across the four brands has really helped me look closer and see what exactly they are making and selling. I will carry on this information as I continue my project and relate back to my findings which will hopefully help in my development and progress. I also hope to get into contact with at least some of the brands to find out more information on their brand.

Skinnydip London

Another brand which I have become obsessed with is, Skinnydip London. A brand which has become increasingly popular in the last few years, which is now being sold by brands such as TopShop.
I had a look on their website and again the similarities appear. The instagram like lay out, big appealing/bright pictures with limited but informative text (click bait?). Also the clear indication that they have lines throughout their products. Also direct links to their social media pages.

Skinnydip also have a blog segment where they do a lot of reaching back to the consumer. Including weekly pictures of customers with their products, being named 'skinny dip selfie of the week'. We all know how popular selfies are at the moment (by why???!).

They also had a particular post called 'Brand Focus', where they talk about another design brand and have a small interview with the owner/creator! Which I have linked below. I found this very interesting and refreshing to know that a successful brand is willing and happy to spread news about up and coming smaller design brands!

http://www.skinnydiplondon.com/blogs/news/16828353-brand-focus-mabel-and-bird

Skinny Dip have a whole segment on their blog dedicated to Brand Focus, I found a few more brands which I really love;

Rihanna Ellington

http://www.skinnydiplondon.com/blogs/news/17782829-brand-focus-rhianna-ellington

http://rhiannaellington.com/collections/all

Lucky Dip Club

http://www.skinnydiplondon.com/blogs/news/16659713-brand-focus-lucky-dip-club

Rihanna Ellington

During my research I have come across designer; Rihanna Ellington, whom I have instantly fallen in love with! Her designs are simple yet beautiful and I'm very intrigued to learn more about her and her development as an artist.
She has had great success within the last years and done collaborations with companies such as Motel Rocks.
She has a blog attached to her website and a contact email so I'm hoping to do an interview with her too!
Below are some screen shots of her website and some prints she has created;

http://rhiannaellington.com/collections/all

Paperchase

I've always been a huge fan of the Paperchase chain, they continuously bring out with what seems like always on trend designs on an array of products. All are quirky and unique, drawing in a wide range of consumers.
They always have a fair few different lines available at one time, each line completely different. This may be part of the reason the shop is so successful, as their products attract a wide range of people.
They also always have lines out for different holidays throughout the year, such as halloween, christmas, easter etc.

I took some screenshots from their website just to show what their overall aesthetic is like.

What I have noticed website wise between Paperchase and Sighh;

• Blog-like/Instagram lay out (pleasing to the eye)
• Eye catching text describing the product/any offers etc
• Great product photography
• Consistency 

I tried to find more information on the specific designers who work for Paperchase but so far I have had no luck. Although I do believe Paperchase head hunt themselves for designers, although that could be wrong. I was hoping to interview a designer or someone related to that position in the Paperchase company but that might be harder that anticipated. 

Inspiration; Sighh

For the last couple of years I have been following a girl called Polly, who runs her own company selling originally designed products. From phone cases to tote bags, aimed at teen girls. Her positive, colourful designs along with her uplifting energy and great outlook on art and designs as inspired me greatly. She is part of the reason for myself starting my own company.

Below are some screen shots from her website and the work she creates;

I hope to get into contact with her and if possible, interview her about an array of things todo with her art work and company. Something which I can include in my dissertation and overall research.