Brand Corporate Identity: Task 03
WEEK 07 - WEEK 10 (11/10/2022 - 04/11/2022)
Adena Tan Sue Lynn (0345769)
/ Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Brand Corporate
Identity
Task 03
DIRECTORY
- Lectures
- Instructions
- Final Submission
- Feedback
- Reflection
- Further Reading
- References & Picture Credits
* For the ease of seeing progression of each submission, rather than jumping to every application as time goes on, I will be writing this in categories!
Brand Identity Slides
During Week 06, I looked at multiple references from Pinterest for my inspiration behind my brand's applications. For my collaterals & environment, I focused more on existing restaurant/café related designs to provide myself more insight as to how other designers had done so in the past.
Then, I placed these in my ~Mind Waves~. Below is the completed Mind Waves! (Sorry for the mess..)
Once I had established most of the data for my brand, I started with my actual slides. I got my template from SlidesGo.
For me, I chose this template as it matched my logo quite accurately, with the usage of curves & sharp edges which I thought complimented my brand nicely.
Then, I input all the information I already had from my mind waves as well as the previous task.
View my final slides in the Final Submission section!
Stationary
01. Name Cards
I first started on my applications with the name cards. I had designed one ages ago, but at the time I didn't have much guidance, so I wasn't sure how to start. I figured if I try a few and played around, I could potentially get it done right.
As I wanted to include the secondary colours within my applications, I decided the pink circle (with gaussian blur) would be a perfect addition as it emphasised the roundness of the logo, while being subtle. Overall, I think it went really well with the beige colour so I stuck to it!
After I had received feedback from Ms Lilian, I tried adjusting my three chosen ones to fit her feedback.
Next, I did mockups!
02. Letterhead + Continuation
For my letterheads & continuations, I was a victim of the margins as I thought they were the most corporate and formal thing to be done for it. However, I also tried one with my round gradient as it related to the name cards which I preferred the most among the rest.
For this, I also made the back of the page, utilising my brand's pattern in a subtle way:
03. Invoice
Similar to my letterhead, I was focused on making a corporate looking invoice. However, with Ms Lilian's feedback, I got rid of the margins once again.
04. Envelope
For my envelope, I tried to think of ways to incorporate my brand's identity but keep it fun as well.
Finally, I created mockups for the stationary.
I had also generated some more through Illustrator. (My loyalty card is also here!)
Collaterals
01. Loyalty CardsI decided to work on my loyalty cards first as I had more of an idea for what to do with it.
For the loyalty cards, I wanted to prioritise differentiation between it and the name cards as typically in stores, I think they would be placed near each other. Thus, I added curved elements to the card (relates to the brand's logo) as well as the darker colour of the brand, utilising the white version of the logo. To me, it looked way better in the dark green as it was more eye catching and provided more contrast of where the gradients were.
I created mockups for these too!
02. Stamp
To make use of the loyalty card, I figured a stamp would be fitting. Thus, I made the stamp's outline on the loyalty card (seen above).
After this, I did a mockup.
03. Sticker
For my sticker, I knew I wanted a rounder shape for it to complement the shape of my logo. Thus, I got to working on it.
My sticker then went through mockups.
04. Menu
What is a café without some sort of menu? Anyways, I first drafted my menu on Discord.
Then, I tried it out Illustrator with multiple attempts.
If you've read until here, I'm sure you can expect what is the next thing I did.
Digital Presence
01. InstagramFor my Instagram layout, I was highly inspired by really pretty cafés I had seen. One which really struck out to me was Nuldam, a café which I had visited in August. They had a really strong brand identity which I was really in love with.
However, with the amount of time I had with other classes as well, I strategised the best possible way to ensure I had a consistent Instagram layout, but still have a sense of brand identity laid out within my posts, instead of just plain photos.
I experimented with pictures of food with text to showcase what the name of the menu item was, which I thought would be easier for consumers to remember their next order, especially since the menu did not feature any imagery. Additionally, I also added other images which further enhanced the brand's identity, like promoting the loyalty cards, the shop's outlook and a notice.
Next, I used one of my abandoned Instagram accounts to make the Sobuya Café Instagram.
Then, I edited some parts of the screenshot to make it seem like a more reputable cafe.
Random fact! The 2605 represents a special date to me. Same goes to the 12, but it comes out from 0218.
After this, I placed it in a phone.
02. Website
The website was hard. Websites are definitely not my strong suit, but alas I am made to design one.
Then, I put the one I was satisfied with on a mockup.
Environmental Graphics
01. Store SignFirstly, I started with the store sign. Below were my two tryouts.
I also edited the bottom version's surrounding metal to be green to match Sobuya's colours.
02. Store Interior
I found this image on Pinterest, the neutrals bring perfect for my vision for Sobuya.
For this, I warped my logo to fit the perspective in the image. Then, I used the Bevel & Emboss effect to provide more depth to it, rather than just plastering it on the wall. With this, it also added some shadows.
03. Promotional Posters
For this, I had two ideas in mind which I thought would be suitable for Sobuya. Thus, I executed them:
For me, I found that the left one felt classier, but the right one was more intriguing (in a sense like "what is this??") while still maintaining a sense of class.
After this, I input everything into slides to showcase my final applications.
FINAL SUBMISSION
Feel free to view my Google Drive folder to see my submissions.
Brand Profiling Slides
Applications
Stationary
Digital Presence
Environmental Graphics
FEEDBACK
Week 07 (11/10/2022)
I seem to have gotten a bit lost with the brand values, vision & mission as they do not describe my products. They're a bit of a hit & miss, and better qualities would be to emphasise the versatility and quality of Sobuya. For my environmental & space, I could do posters or billboards to promote my brand to the public. For my stationary, I should not forget the invoice as it a vital aspect to a brand. For my merchandise, I had a good variation, but was told to focus on more important aspects first as it will be more beneficial. For my digital presence, the layout of Nuldam and Tono were agreed to be good examples for my idea as they had a proper identity and suited Sobuya's outlook.
Week 09 (25/10/2022)
For my brand purpose, it could be more expressive to emphasise certain elements of Sobuya. For my name cards, Ms Lilian noted that the font size was too big as name cards have to factor in printing which would make the 18pt size too big. Ms Lilian recommended size 10pts or smaller. For my letterhead & invoice, Ms Lilian advised me to stray away from the margin idea as it restricted my work too much and to consider spacing. She also informed me that I could use a mock letter to experiment if the letterhead worked or not. She recommended for me to design the back for the letterhead. Next, for my envelope, she told me I could put in the pattern I had used inside as well. For my collaterals, we agreed on the darker version of my loyalty card being a better option. For my website, Ms Lilian suggested I try out the darker green I had used previously as it might bring a good contrast to the website.
Week 10 (01/11/2022)
Ms Lilian said my name cards were better compared to last week. We agreed on two that were the best for the detail side. For my invoice & letterheads, she really preferred the ones which did not make use of the margin, and employed the gradient circles as they were consistent with my previous works. Next, for my stickers, they were good uses of the medium. As for my menus, Ms Lilian suggested putting the brand's information at the bottom as well as experiment more with the layout to make it more aligned so that the space is used better. When I asked Ms Lilian for her suggestion as for an idea as I wasn't sure how to make a 9th post for my work, she recommended a post with just my logo. For my website, she looked at my different colour combinations and said my first one was the best, but she did like how the green was used as a contrast colour for the menu bar. Finally, for my sign, Ms Lilian recommended changing the sign colour to a dark green to match the brand's identity.
REFLECTION
Experience
Wooooweee! If this wasn't an exciting and stress inducing experience, I'm not sure what else could have been said for this. Exciting in the terms that I really did enjoy this task and everything it had to offer. Despite some of my confusions on how to structure things as I felt I needed to follow a set standard (especially for those letterheads...), I was most intrigued by the workings of the name cards and the collaterals! For the stress-inducing terms, I would just like to any lurkers who partake in this task in the future to have a strong plan. I did not and thus slept @ 4:30am during the day of the submission, far away from my normal sleep time of 11pm. Do not be like me. However, I feel like I did learn a whole lot from this task and it allowed me to discover ways to think for my brand instead of just myself. I think this has been one of the most fun tasks I've ever gone through despite the time crunch and worrying.
Observations
Thanks to the brilliance of Pinterest and seeing my friends (mostly Adeline) works, I was able to observe the different strategies and thought processes behind their works. I got to see how they applied certain elements to further emphasise their brand, which in turn was able to teach me how to further maintain consistency within my brands overall look & feel. It is a silent teacher, but it is an effective one that moulded my mind into the right direction.
Findings
I found that the brand's identity heavily relies on the brand's overall look. With Ms Lilian's feedback during my first feedback session for this task, she reminded me that I had to focus on my brand's style when I showed her I liked Dao's consistency in their Instagram feed. Also, I had to keep reminding myself to maintain the classier feel that I aimed for with Sobuya's outlook.
FURTHER READING
For my further reading, I looked into an article about creating a brand identity.
The article covered topics like the basics of brand identity which was a great reminder of what the lectures had taught previously. However, I found more information pertaining this task when I went to their subtopic number #5, Brand guidelines. I was able to learn a bit, especially for the website's outlook.
They constantly reminded to use the brand's colours & typefaces and to ensure that everything was consistent throughout which was helpful as when I kept reading these reminders, I kept asking myself whilst designing if my work had a consistent look throughout the many designs (which can be hard for me), but it proved a useful thing as I had to stop and constantly ask myself questions. Once I could tell myself, "yes, this is the way I want to go," only then would I be satisfied.
REFERENCES & PICTURE CREDITS
