My Envelope

Having researched and drafted what qualities i am after in an envelope and what would best suit my work, i have had a couple of outcomes. The first is my initial thoughts and mock up ideas:

The inside of the envelope is lined with my logo, something that adds an extra desirable quality.

The front of the envelope also holds my logo, but in the style of an old postal stamp. This intentionally sits below the address.

Naturally this needed developing. For example, the folding flap barely met, there were gaps in both bottom corners from the rear view, and the lines all seemed a bit too straight.

So with that in mind, here are my developed outcomes as a result:

I have flared out the rear of the envelope, rounded the corners on the side folds, and lengthened both the folding flap and the rear of the envelope.

With this development i have also taken away the fold lines on the front of the envelope so that i don't have to worry about lining up perfectly, it just counts on where the chimney stamp goes.

Again, this needed developing, but this time i really think that the flap needed to have rounded corners to sit flush with the rest of the design. So here it is. (The front design has stayed the same.):

The Size

It is stated on the brief that i am to produce a card range in one of the suggested sizes:

159mm x 159mm
121mm x 184mm
137mm x 159mm
110mm x 210mm 

Now that i have my imagery and text all set out, i need to find the right size. You may have noticed that all along i have been working to the size of 159x159mm, this is because it's a square and the simplest to work on.

Here are what my designs would look like on the other sizes;

121x184mm:

The cover works well with this image layout. I have extended the text further from the image towards the top of the page to fill the space, but i still feel that this layout works.

This middle spread doesn't look very attractive; the fourth line appears rather untidy on the inside cover page definitely due to the height.

137x159mm:

This cover works well. It is very similar t the 159x159mm example, but comes across more quaint due to the lack of width which is very nice in some ways, but also restricting in terms of art work.

I think that in this open spread, the inside cover appears more easy on the eyes because it only shows three lines at the bottom instead of the four. Therefore these don't com across as garishly on this example in contrast to the 121x184 example as the longer card shows all four lines. However, it does come across a little messy when compared to the 159x159 example because of the writing used for the division between the correspondence and the address. Above it sits right on the boarder of the card, whereas on the 159mm it sits well into the page suggesting a full postcard theme.

110x210mm:

This card size would only suit a portrait stance due to the chimney and the burner that i have. They simply wouldn't work as images in this format.

Again, this spread doesn't work with the inside cover image. It appears too messy, especially with the double line at the bottom. It doesn't work.

The rear, however, looks very professional, something that i have found with every example so far. 

159x159mm:

The cover fills the space completely which is what i am after.

The same goes for the inside spread filling the space. The inside cover image sits well and works.

The rear of the card again looks professional which is of course very helpful.

Over all, i think think that it's wise for me to go with the 159x159mm card sizing simply because everything fits and comes across professional. 

The Rear Of The Card

Part of the competition brief from UK Greetings is that i have to think about a range name and logo to be printed on the back page. So it'll need to look something along the lines of:

Range Name

Logo

My Name + Copyright

Examples of this:

This is a very standard looking, sensible card with it's message clearly given along with the publisher and its website. SImple, but perhaps not what i'm after as this doesn't really shout excitement, and i feel that it would  have to reflect the card range in some way.

This is a more to what im looking for; the colours relate along with the text and details. I will thrive on this research.

This is a very simple et recognizable design. They can get away with something this basic because of their market/ audience/ customer base. Something that perhaps one day will happen to me? Anyhow, i cannot draw too much from this at the moment, but an example it is none the less of branding.

This is nice and simple; brand with logo, and the brand website. All i would need to add is the range name.

Again, another fine example of the simplicity of a card range name, logo and details.

I am thinking that i will use one of my front page images as that would refer to the range and in the time that i have left, it seems most sensible. I dont think i will use the Coffee Table or the Wood Burner simply because i think that the Sofa and the Chimney stack are stronger images. I will create thumbnails in my book of potential outcomes:

Prior to using the stamper.

Now with the stamper in use, here are some more detailed thumbnails:

I am unsure of which one to chose in terms of layout. I think i am set on the Chimney as the logo image though.

In my opinion, i fear that if i were to place 'I Wish You Were Here...' above the Chimney stack it would become too tall and uneasy to look upon, however, placed underneath, i think it would be a bit too much text in one big chunk to take in.

I should produce the outcomes in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to get a better idea:

 Text Below...

Text Above and Below...

I think i prefer the latter after all, and with peer feedback this confirms my decision. It appears more symmetrical and pleasing to look at. 

The Wood Burner / Fire Place

Sticking with the idea of using either a wood burner or fireplace i started to draw from reference around the house. I want to use a fire place or a wood burner because it provides perfect imagery for my theme of homely warmth, and it also partners nicely with the chimney stack, as the sofa and coffee table go hand in hand.

Although my initial outcomes of fireplaces proved simple to take further i felt that the burner offered more in terms of a modern home and therefore seemed a more contemporary design to develop. 
My final Burner outcome is at the desired angle that reflects and complements the other pieces of work in the range:

Development Of The Sofa

Development of the sofa design goes only as far as trying out various ways of presenting the final design. The actual lines of the sofa have not changed as this is the one that my peers and tutors have said that they like from my initial design idea process when gathering starting images. From this i was then able to grapple my idea and turn it into what it is now.

I have experimented with thick marker pen, and water to accentuate the lines and to see if the outcome is worth continuing further perhaps into the final design.

Armchair Idea Development

Having referred back to topic after feeling like i have strayed a little away from furniture and warmth, i knuckled down to developing the idea of the book resting on the arm of a chair supporting a cup and saucer. From redrawing the angle of the sofa along with how i wanted the book to appear from observational drawings, i realised that i would need to include the whole chair if i were to have it in-keeping with the sofa and blanket design. This led me to notice that i could not include this chair as there was already a form of seating within the ideas range (the sofa and blanket). Therefore i have suggested a coffee/side table or a desk. I may have drifted into the idea of a shelf when focussing on books, but unfortunately this would not work if i wanted to keep the cup and saucer, which i did, and why would someone place a cup on a shelf of books? The shelf idea is out.

I have started to develop coffee tables from observationally drawing various different forms of side tables, coffee tables and desks. The coffee table seemed the most natural to pursue as it would fit in nicely with the sofa and blanket.

I have struggled to get the shape and angle of the table right, i don't want it to look too large compared to the sofa design, but i want it to resemble the same angle from a different point of view so that it isn't exactly the same outcome; the sofa's point of focus is the front right hand side, i therefore would like the table's point of focus to be it's front left hand side.

I have drawn in different books placed in various places depending on the style of coffee table i am experimenting with. I like the idea of having a shelf underneath the table housing a few books, but i am afraid that this may look a bit too busy. On top of the table i will be using the cup and saucer on top of the book placed on the table's surface.

Eventually, having revisited this idea, i have referenced both the original drawing of the book and cup on the arm chair for the viewing angle i desire, and the sofa and blanket design for the size i would like to base the drawing on. My outcome is a four legged table (with no underlying shelf) with it's point of focus the front left corner/leg opposing the sofa so as to not look the same. The book and cup are placed on top. I intend that the book be red as the feature.

Further Ideas for Imagery

'In Good Shape' Style in Industrial Products'
1900-1960
Stephen Bayley

The idea of a record player/gramophone relating to a favorite piece of music, wishing you were here listening to it with me.

The same applies to the television; i wish you were here watching our favorite TV show.

The tandem just speaks 'Couples'.

The idea of an escape - Wish You Were Here

Having had the idea of a roof top / roof line and chimneys from the view out of my window:

I wanted to research further into the architecture side to keep it interesting and potentially offer something a little different to my research and perhaps my outcomes. I spoke to my friend (a Post Grad Architecture student) in order to get the ball rolling and he came back telling me to look at Antoni Gaudi and the Secret Skyline of New York City.
I started with Antoni Gaudi and in particular focused on his house 'Casa Batllo' which has the most incredible roof top.

I also found a video of Gaudi's work below:  

Gaudi's work makes a complete difference to the skyline of Barcelona, it offers the idea of an escape through art, a different way of thinking.

Continuing this theme of escape, i have looked at the second item, the secret skyline of New York City. 

"Just a few stories above the non-stop hubbub of city life exists an incredible oasis of lush gardens, restaurants, swimming pools and even tennis courts. Thanks to Mayor Bloomberg’s eco-friendly ‘roofscaping’ initiatives, the tops of dozens of buildings have been transformed into amazing outdoor living spaces and models for green-city living." 

http://www.younilife.com/content/99/new-york-secret-rooftop-world-ny-skyline-like-you-have-never-seen-it-before/

Again, this offers the idea of exclusion and a longing to get away from day to day life styles. I Wish You Were Here fits perfectly as a theme in my opinion.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2139899/New-Yorks-secret-skyline-Amazing-aerial-shots-rare-glimpse-hidden-rooftop-world.html