Freelance Design WEEK NINE - TEN 29.11.07

iStock image of the week - Medical Symbols

.

My full iStock portfolio can be viewed here

.

Stats so far:

.

Uploads. 160

Downloads. 728

.

The past two weeks

.

May I begin by apologising for not writing a post last week, although I'm always busy I was seriously busy last week. This was due to landing a large branding project for a new premium cosmetics company over a London Design Consultancy. The reason I mention this is not for the ego factor but to highlight how freelancers can compete against large agencies. The cosmetics company liked the idea of investing in maverick (their words not mine) and the close contact and 24hr service that a freelancer can offer. OK cost did have a factor but this in its self doesn't have to be the main sell, we can offer better deals because we have less overheads so the percentage of final profit cant be that different.

.

I guess your wondering how I managed to even get a meeting? Again, and I hate writing this but it was pure luck. They searched Google for packaging designers in Nottingham and found me, liked my website and gave me a call. It was clear that the work I had done in the past wouldn't be suitable for what they required but I was keen to assure them that I was very enthusiastic about their brand and could easily shift to different design style.

.

So the key here was to be easily located on Google, have an exciting and diverse website, be enthusiastic about what you do and ultimately their brand.

.

With it being a new industry (I usually deal with furniture shops and online companies) I really had to shift my perspective and style as they were interested in developing a light feeling brand. The brief was quite difficult as the brand was predominantly for women but had to have a unisex appeal, it had to reflect the natural ingredients but from a scientific background. So I really had to draw together quite opposing factors.

We are now in the final stages of the brand icon which they are very happy with. They have offered me the design contract on their first product packaging which includes a silk screen printed bottle and carton so again is another substantial piece of work. I will add an image soon.

.

Other bits and pieces

.

I was walking down the street to catch the bus the other day and noticed my redbed brand up in the windows which was very exciting. I dropped in that evening to see how my clients are getting along with the shop renovations. From that I got a quick web and shop illustration job and was well worth dropping in.

.

Books

.

I bought the book Logo by Michael Evamy which I really recommend, it has a fantastic layout and a wide breadth of brand styles with some insightful explanations of their origins.

.

I also invested in a Pantone Colour Bridge swatch, as the majority of my work has been online this hasn't been a massive must but with the recent cosmetics company, making sure your colours are accurate is a necessity. I particularly like how the Pantone colour is set next to the closest process colour and it's value. If you are just starting out freelancing I would recommend this as it helps minimise terrible color mistakes.

.

Equipment

.

For my birthday a very dear friend bought me a Wacom tablet, this is a awesome piece of kit that allows you to get those hand drawing illustrations and typography nailed. I am looking forward to working on this equipment and developing my illustrative abilities.

.

Thanks for reading!

Freelance Design - Week EIGHT - 12.11.07

iStock image of the week - Ghosts and Demons

My full iStock portfolio can be viewed here

Stats so far:

Uploads. 158
Downloads. 628

Whats new?

As the iphone is finally launched in the UK I thought I would draw on some of the influences Apple have had on the design industry. Not only did it bring about the prefix of 'i' on the front of anything remotely technological (iTeddy, iRiver,I-DECT etc) it is also having an influence within graphic and web design. The sliding album covers of the iPhone's interface are a good example of this. I really love this effect combining 3d effects and reflections (see below). This has already started to diffuse into other online work, the example I have used is the Radio 1 website. Although this example has a very clunky feel to it, it captures the essence of the original functionality and the cool factor developed by Apple. Reflections have become a heavily used feature online and is a must for any new website site. I believe we will see a lot more Apple-esq inspired visuals as we have seen with their hardware in the future, cementing Apples bold development as having a significant influence on all things design. You have to admit that Vista is starting to look a bit appley.



This week (but technically last week since I'm late posting)

My apologies to those who expected a post on Friday but it got very busy towards the end of the week.

I began this week with a 3d visualisation commission for an animal care product, the client wanted to show a variety of concepts in spun aluminium. Although these were simple revolves in Solidworks getting the exact profile was quite testing. I finished up in 3D Studio max to apply the spun aluminium material, a slight reflection and lighting.

Midweek I went for a meeting with a high street retailer which was the highest profile company I have ever had the pleasure to be involved with. Naturally I was quite nervous but put it aside in time and really enjoyed going through my portfolio and discussing possible future projects.

I spent the second half of the week on and interactive website which allowed the user to flick through a brochure. Technically this is a difficult feature to work on, as images often get compromised but after a lot of trial and error a nice feature was achieved. I will post a link to the website when its live.

Thanks for reading.

Freelance Design - Week SEVEN - 2.11.7

iStock image of the week - Characters

My full iStock portfolio can be viewed here

Stats so far:

Uploads. 158
Downloads. 590

What's new?

Ok it isn't new but I really wanted to comment on how cool these new identities look (below). But this by no means detracts from the originals (left) which I felt also captured the sense of the BBC at the period they were designed. The opportunities for these identities to sit together is going to be rare but together they look exciting, vibrant and modern. The only quarm I have is the smile on the seven, it seems poorly considered when compared to the dynamic typography of 5 and the insightful illustrations of 3 and 4. Radio 1 retains its presence as the dominant station with the black and only a slight typographical change to the number 1 which I feel really draws the set together as a diverse 'there's a station just for you' brand.



This week

My Redbed client came back to me with their decision after the initial concepts were presented last week and decided on the concept below. The design was developed from a sketch by the client and although they loved the initial concepts, felt that the treatment of the sketch with regards colour and typography suited their style. It also draws on the new trends of lower case typography discussed in last weeks post. Please feel free to leave your comments on this design. The shop will open in Nottingham on December 1st.





During this week I have been putting together quotes for a brand and packaging job and have a meeting later today with a prominent design consultancy. They are researching freelancers to add to their books so I am really looking forward to the meeting (a great opportunity to get feedback on my new portfolio).

Thanks for reading.