Website: Whites@Home

I put these mock ups together as an after thought to the cookbook. This website would enable customers of Whites@Home to access up to date information about the brand and for potential customers to learn more. 

What you can see in the pictures above is how the menu bar would work. With the ability for consumers to give feedback and even suggestions relating to the cookbook. Customers that visited the store whilst on holiday could order produce for delivery. The chef at Whites already has his own blog, so there is the possibility of linking this site to the Whites main site and his blog too; all in all this platform holds so many opportunities to expand what started life as a book!!

Neon Glow

I am finally getting round to designing my promotional posters for music events at the RNCM, I have been influenced by neon signage for one of the posters and this was me having a go at recreating the look.

Babs for Topshop

I picked this up at Topshop last week, at first I was attracted to the black on grey text, but the illustrations are really good too. And the use of the bright orange contrasting with the darker background is really attention grabbing.

Mood Boards

Photographs of some mood boards I created to get a better idea of what colours to use in some poster designs I am currently developing.

I really enjoyed compiling the images and papers you can see on each page. You may recognise the images from an earlier post on my blog, they were taken by my granddad on some of his many journeys around the world! 

Finished??

Final spreads from my Cookbook project, I am really pleased with how the images and text work together, I am now working on a wraparound for the book which will hopefully feature large scale prints of the images featured in the book.

Taken from my journal:

The initial aim of this project was to create a cookbook that features the recipes of a working kitchen.  In the current financial climate people are cutting back on life’s luxuries, this is an opportunity for the brand to utilise a different marketing platform. However as I began to develop the brief it became clear that in order to create an entire book of the chefs recipes would have taken at least 12 months, as the kitchen team had not documented every recipe they had every created in a form that could be translated into a cohesive book. I therefore decided to turn the brief around and focus on another aspect of the business called Whites@Home. This is the section that makes and sells all sorts of jams, chutneys and condiments to the general public. 

In order to understand what form the book would take I had to explore and research how modern and classic cookbooks are laid out, the typographical styles that are used and the way these relate to the audiences they are aimed at. 

I found that it is important to engage with the audience and that a book such as a cookbook must be easy to follow but still be visually stimulating.

As part of the brief I spent 3 days photographing the Whites kitchen which was a new experience for me, as although I had done photography at college I had never tried it in this context before. It proved to be a real challenge but I was pleased with the results, some of the images I feel would work as stand alone pieces that could be featured in the shop.

Final Cookbook binding... fingers crossed

I was really nervous when sewing the final version of my cookbook together, I really didn't want anything to go wrong, well lets face it who would!! Luckily it all ran smoothly and I am really pleased with the final results... more images to come soon...

Journal... DONE

[above] My project write up for my cookbook project
[above] Guest lecturer Si Scott

[above] a quote that appears in my inspiration section

Images of the spreads from my 3rd year Journal. It features all the projects that I have done this year, along with write ups of guest lecturers and exhibitions I have visited over the course of this year.

MMM: Brand Identity

An example of an identity I developed for a friend as part of my second year work. I really enjoyed producing this piece, the music management company gave me free reign on the design of the logo and typeface choices. The example above is printed onto neon paper.

TRIP: Brand Identity

(above) The Logo

(above) poster design using images by Lee Elliott

The aim of this project was to create an identity for a Manchester based dance and model agency. A second year photography student (Lee Elliot) who already works for the client approached me with the brief. 

The task included creating a name and identity for the client. In order to meet the client’s request the identity needed to be young, fresh and upbeat, following current trends in dance. Using eye-catching graphics and memorable typography. I also wanted to include the use of previous photography work done by Lee for the client.

The development of the identity happened quite fast. During conversations with the client we decided on the name ‘Trip’. For research I looked towards sports brands and popular logo forms, and decided that it needed to be dynamic and bold, with a shape that would be easily recognisable. This was the reason for the forward slashes; they add movement to the text and the also bring the image and text together.

Getting there...

(Above) The front page, showing the 'Whites' logo

(Above and below) The template I used to punch the holes in the spine reading to be french stitched.

After what seems like an age of staring at a computer screen and using Indesign I am finally getting to do some bookbinding. After a few hiccups in the mac suite this morning I have actually got the finished version printed. I cannot wait to see the final results of this project which I have art directed myself from start to end!!

Victoria or Vicky???

Playing on illustrator to develop my business cards, I prefer the simple text examples to the neon sign effect, they reflect the way I work with typography better. The neon sign was a result of an online tutorial which I would like to develop for my RNCM posters.

My First Book...

After the afternoon I spent in a bookbinding workshop with Lucy this was the result. I am really pleased with how it turned out and am looking forward to seeing how my mock up cookbook turned out after I was left to my own devices in the bookbinding studio earlier today!!

Press it further...

The development stages of my designs for concert posters. I used my original letterpress then edited them in illustrator and photoshop layering with sketches of possible ideas. I am now working on developing the poster so that they work in a series of three... watch this space...

'Ministry' of Sound

This was one of a series of images taken for the research and development stage of a YCN brief earlier this year. Although I did not pursue the brief further I was really pleased with some of the images I took in the early stages, with this one being my favourite.

Fashion Show - Arndale Centre

On my way to work this saturday (2/05/2009) there was a huge crowd gathering in the Arndale centre. A fashion show featuring clothing from the stores within the Arndale and Triangle centre was taking place. But it wasn't the clothes that caught my eye, it was the disco ball Vauxhall Tigra, I have to have one!!