Wash Design - Bigger

Beautiful Logo that really creates a visual of the branding name. Its clean crisp and right to the point with it and has that certain corporate feel to it that a PR company need as well as injecting a little bit of character in.

Spy Studio - Open University

This project for the OU was done by spy studio who have produced a mailer pack that contains information about the OU. I dont particularly think the branding works and the green foil seems a bit much for this but the concept they have worked with has been inspired from the sexually alluring M&S adverts, and so the language they have used is much more appealing than their visuals.

It is an interesting way of approaching it, one that i though the OU wouldn't have directed into. But its good to see the sort of work they have had in the past to inform my own design for them.

Grupo Habermas

This range of packaging has caught my eye simply for the use of colour and to distinguish the range. The brand is still predominately there with the style of image, font and layout but colour has been used to show a difference.

I am looking into doing this same approach for showing a range in a project and this has just shown me how subtly it can be.

Ben Jeffery

Love the bold colours in Ben Jefferys' work contrasted with the white title gives it a real stylish and clean feel. Even though the images are a little unclear and dulled down the fashion element to these publications still comes through.

My website proposal

Finished website mock up for the straw bear festival and its everything I wanted. Sometimes my website mock ups can be quite generic but i have really tried to push the boundaries for this and i have even consulted a web developer to make sure that these elements are workable. 

The home page is actually the 'This Year' page as this is what I want people to first click onto. The page then consists of a full navigation bar and has a scoll across section on every page that has a link to a different page.

Navigation Bar Roll Over

Similar to the image but showing the button that is highlighted instead. The navigation bar is quite cramped and so having something distinct to show which page is important.

A simple line could be all it needs to show the page. Its simple enough not to interrupt with the design but also the colour makes it clear about the navigation.

Changing colour is always a popular one and it works relay well, its bold, obvious but doesn't compromise on legibility.

Image Roll Overs

I really want to design this website properly as i have designed mock ups before but they have been very visual and flat with no functionality specifications. I have been talking to a web designer/developer who is a close friend and he has given me some tips about what actually needs to be designed. 

One thing was roll overs on buttons, we did a very basic lesson on this when learning about dreamweaver but now I want to apply this to the Straw Bear website. 

So I have started looking at image roll overs and how they can function. This first example is a triangle colour over the image to start with and then when rolled over, the triangle disappears to reveal the full image. However Chris said that roll overs work better in a  positive response meaning that they work better if something appears of changes when rolled over rather than disappear.

So instead i tried having the full image and then when rolled over the coloured triangle swoops in with the title. However this gives no indication what the link is until the viewer rolls over it.

So after that i though about having a full bleed colour and the the roll over reveals half the image and reduced the block colour to the triangle.

Website Heirachy

So what do people need to see first (because you know I cant spell that word again)

• Festival Name -The name of the festival needs to be the first thing people see as they need to know they are on the right website within the first few seconds or else they will leave if its not obvious.

• Date - The date of the festival is important as this is the most common reason for people to visit festival websites.

• Navigation Bar - People want to see what there is, who is playing is another common one, but basically we are all lazy when we visit a site and if its not there in front of us then we sure aren't going to hang around and ratch for it.

• Latest News- This is important to be on every page as it will be update all the time with new information and confirmations about the event.

What the website should be

Website Advice from the Professionals

1. Always take pride in your work. Whatever you are working on , you have to care for it.
2. Clearly label and organise all your files, it will easily get complicated so naming your files folders and layers with sensible names will help.
3. Its the little details that make it special, spend that extra time to focus on detail

• Use rulers to align images, text and make your measurements perfect.
• Symmetry helps a design look more solid, always sol, gutters, margins and spacing.
• Always render your typefaces with 'none', have the font size, weight and colour on a place hold copy

1. Always work with content, get as much as you can from the client but if not make it up
2. Textures are a subtle but effective way of showing personality in the website, its a key for the user to understand the site.
3. Gradients can increase a design, make things stand out on a page, don't be lazy.
4. Design with purpose, create a heir ache list of important elements to your site.
5. Use a 1px highlight drop shadow to make elements stand out.
6. A;ways show the process of roll overs, each element is important don't leave it to guessing.
7. Learn basic CSS, what are its strengths, weaknesses? Basic knowledge will help to understand what you are designing.
8. When presenting to a client always be positive and organised. 

LOVE WHAT YOU DO AND LET THE REST SHINE THROUGH.

Straw Bear current website

Even though this is under construction at the moment, it wasn't much different at the time of the festival. Its a very basic website with very dated visuals and really doesn't promote this vibrant event.

I want to totally scrap this and start fresh, its needs updating and it needs a fresh new look that shows the excitement and fun of the event.  I will explore this through the branding identity have already created to make use of the web for advertising the festival. 

Pint Mock-up

Final Glass Graphics

The designs for the pint glasses are simple and small but still portray the identity, we dont want people stealing them now do we!

The graphics are in 2 colours each and only show on one side of the glass, should i have been more outrageous  maybe but I don't think it needs to be.

pint glass graphics