Statement of Intent & Brief:
My design process is all about visual engagement with the audience. The
main areas of my design practice are branding and identity, art direction and
illustration.
In this book I explore the ways in which my research, influences and
methodology shape my practice and how they each in turn build upon one another
to create a fully rounded outcome.
Anona Bakery is an English high-end Italian bakery that celebrates the
culture of ancient Rome. The brief required the creation of a brand and
identity that would clearly show the influences of ancient Rome, whilst
remaining relevant to a contemporary audience.
In this book I
explore the ways in which my research, influences and methodology shape my
practice and how they each in turn
1.Research
By using different methods of investigation, researching allows me to
create a base from which to develop my ideas, contextualising my design
practice.
Primary and secondary research is useful in different ways: primary is
helpful when putting a concept into reality and seeing it as part of a bigger
picture, while secondary research allows me to be more focused on particular
aspects of the picture and investigate them in depth.
2. Development
Trial and error is
a major part of my development process, figuring out what does and doesn’t work
whilst relating it back to the tone of voice and target demographics. During
the development I revisit my research to further inform my choices made
throughout the design process.
3. Application
This stage is all
about applying what I’ve created and seeing how it relates to the media and
format relevant to the subject of the brief. Similar to development, however,
this is a deeper refinement of what has already been created.
4. Presentation
Presentation of the final outcome to me is just as
important as the actual creation, putting what I’ve created in context and
giving it life. The work here goes into creating the scenes and knowing what
will add to an image by reinforcing a concept or theme. This comes in the form
off: props, backdrops, lighting and post-editing work.
British
The British Museum
is great for gathering an overall look at a time period and establishing the
context where previous civilizations positioned themselves within the world.
With the Romans,
at the British Museum, it is very easy to see the influence from around the
surrounding areas such as Greece, due to the locality and ease of access. The
two cultures do have some overlap, especially when it comes to mosaic design
because many early ‘Roman’ mosaic makers where in fact Greek.
This information
was incredibly helpful when it came to designing the mosaic patterns for Anona,
it helped define the look I was going for by knowing what type of mosaic would best
establish the brand as something intrinsically ‘Roman’.
Arbeia
Arbeia in South
Shields is a partially reconstructed Roman Fort, with a barracks and Commanding
Officer’s House that have been rebuilt on their original foundations.
The difference between
this visit and the British Museum is the context they provided, this museum
reconstructed the areas Roman’s would have lived in, instead of showing what is
left of their lives. This was influential in establishing the art direction for
Anona, and how the brand would fit into the modern world if the Roman’s culture
was still existing.
Rome – Request
I made a
photography request to have certain photographs taken in Rome by Grace Buckley;
in particular I wanted images of mosaics present throughout Rome. In addition
to that, photographs of the Latin inscriptions on the monuments. I had seen
previously inscriptions at Arbeia left over on the gravestones, however I was
wanting some closer to the source.
These photographs
formed some of the very initial pattern designs for Anona, without knowing the
best locations it’s hard to discover them easily on the Internet. It’s a lot
easier to find what you’re looking for because the city is one big relic. The
best examples of the mosaics came from the Baths of Caracalla; these were the
most influential, simply because of the variety and the fact that they all came
from the peak of the Roman timeline. (A.D 217)
Library
Concerning Primary
and Secondary research, I use the library as a top up once I have gathered a
basis for the subject. Books are great for having around to help continue to
reinforce and inform what I’ve already learned. But most of all, they make
great image banks, they have the best of the best on the subjects they cover so
finding prime examples to study is made easier.
In this instance,
examples of Roman wall paintings and mosaic designs. These books where all
incredibly helpful in further focusing what I had learnt and seen from Arbeia,
the British Museum and the City of Rome.
British Museum – Archive
The British
Museum, unbeknownst to me when I visited, had an online archive of the
artifacts from its collections. This provided some vital artifacts I wish I had
discovered before hand.
One of then been Roman
bread stamps, were used the leave an impression on the bread to signify the
baker’s mark. Much like today how breads have different brands. I thought this
would be incredibly useful in terms of creating a point of difference within
the Anona brand. An example of this mark can be found on the next page.
It was also here
that I found the name Anonna on a coin, featured on the first page. The British
Museum archive was an invaluable source of information throughout the project.
Bread experiment
Taking inspiration
from the findings of the British Museum, I wanted to create my very own stamped
bread. With the first batch I attempted to create a plain white roll, as a
benchmark for against different flours and mixtures. The method I used
originally was to stamp the bread before baking, however this resulted in it being
pushed out, while leaving the stamp while it baked made it sink to far in. I
created three different moulds from ones I had found on the British Museum
collection, however they all gave roughly the same result once baked.
I later abandoned
this idea due to the time it consumed and I wasn’t getting any closer to a
resolution after already having searching online and inquiring with an artisan
bakery in Bristol.
Colour
The information I
had collected during my research became incredibly useful when it came to
deciding upon a colour. One thing to note also with colour is the context it
carries, and why then it was used. Colour within the Roman culture had lots of
context I was previously unaware of, colours that where seen as most valued was
because of the effort required to make them. For example: Tyrian purple
associated with the Senate of Rome came from the glands of a sea snail.
This not only
applied to dyes but also the paints used in frescos, I created a swatch palette
of all the three main colours found throughout Roman wall paintings from my
research to try and find a balance in creating something that worked
contextually as well as visually. I use this method throughout a lot of my
briefs because of it opens up ideas to alternative routes.
Logo
The name for Anona
originally came from Annona, the name for the Roman Goddess of Grain. Shortened
down for to be more aesthetically pleasing, as it still pronounced the same,
yet the influence isn’t lost.
Going through the
process of elimination until a resolution is met that expresses the values of
the brand I’m trying to create. Here I met one logotype as seen [2.14]. This
was the logo I then refined and crafted to create [2.8]; I was attempting to find
a balance between the elegance of the Roman inscriptions to appear high-end,
yet still appealed to the people.
Pattern
The final pattern
[2.19] I created and used throughout the brand I made through the same process
as the logo and the colour choice. Which was to create, then eliminate the
items, which don’t fit the bill, and leaving the rest to develop further.
The Mosaic
patterns at the top and the bottom, on the right, where too much like the
pavement designs found within the Vatican. They didn’t appear to be very
inviting, however the pattern tiling of the bottom one was easier on the eye,
unlike [2.21]. So I developed my own pattern using the simple geometry other
Roman patterns are made of to get to my end result: complex as [2.21] but
easier on the eye then the bottom pattern.
Designer – Marian Bantjes
I find it useful
to find artists who aren’t necessarily graphic designers to help inform my
work; this is particularly useful when it’s within a field I’m personally not
that used to. I like the uncomforting sense that this gives me because I want
to learn more and be out of my depth. Although pattern design isn’t exactly
that complicated, I find it useful within my practice to see what other artists
are creating to get inspired to try different applications.
Cloth – Bag and Apron
Printing my own
fabric is something I’ve always wanted to try since seeing the Printed textile
show, going beyond paper and trying different materials to make the digital, physical
with. (Other than screen-printing and laser cutting). I like to experiment
within my practice and extend its reach. Not to be a jack-of-all-trades, but
rather someone who tries something different. This is what I think makes my
practice stand out, seeking that ‘something different’.
Paper Bag
Bringing life to a
brief is one of the most important things for me, finding the essential items
that might not be all the exciting and giving them a purpose. A paper bag for
simply taking the bread from the store and to advertise the store around town
is something that I carefully considered the application of.
Things such as
this are important to me and what my practice stands for; an all things
considered. The paper bag made for Anona had to represent a high quality
bakery, taking inspiration from luxury bags from fashion houses, yet not out
classing its self.
Bottles and Jars
This is another
application, with a similar approach taken too as the bag. It didn’t want the
jars and bottles to appear to rustic using hessian, but I didn’t want them to
look as if they didn’t fit with the period I was trying to create.
It’s one big
balancing act, as seen to the right. Creating a look, which fits with the
simplicity of the pattern, not over complicating it, but providing enough
information to reinforce the brand’s aesthetic and direction. Although the
label had to be edited on due to vinyl cutting limitations, the outcome
nevertheless fitted appropriately into the rest of the picture after refining
and developing the look.
Website – La Region Des Musees
Although I do, do
all my research at the very start, I carry on researching throughout the
project timeline to continuously inform my self of what I’m creating and to
fill in the gaps. The La Region Des Musees website was one of these gaps, I
wasn’t wanting to create a traditional website for Anona, It needed to be
something unique. Just how the Roman culture is a split away from our own, it’s
familiar but it’s still alien and hard to full imagine.
This website
brought to me a lot of them senses, it wasn’t difficult to navigate but it was
unfamiliar to what I was used to with a website and that had a lot of influence
on how I initially design my website.
Website final
Taking inspiration
from both the old and the new, with the Anona website I wanted it to be it’s
own entity. Although used to advertise the website, it saw it as been simply
more than that, as everything should be. It could be a hub for local events, or
even for learning new recipes to make with the bread you buy from the Anona
Bakery.
Making something
larger than it’s self is something that inspires my practice; things should
just have to end when they start.
Studio – Anagrama
I find Anagrama
influential in the way they present their work, they have a way of showing the
simplest things off in a way to make them more exotic than they truly are, as
seen here. It’s something I find admirable, but it’s what I also strive for
within my own art direction and practice, and is kept in mind while I’m
creating designing.
The way the products are presented plays a
big part in making the brand convincing. The balance and pacing of a project is
incredibly important, it’s something I keep reminding my self when taking the
final photographs of how it will look when It’s shown together and not as a
single image because I’m trying to tell the story of the brand.
Stage Setting
The presentation
of Anona was incredibly vital for me when I started the brief, using the
research I’d done I keep on look out for ideas or ways to present the bread in
the final resolution. One thing that really caught my eye was the window
display from Betty’s, which used a range of materials but most of all; It made
me want to go inside. I wanted to create the same temptation that Betty’s gave
me in photograph form.
I sourced the
glass and the bread from Waitrose after photographing the bread from different
supermarkets to make sure the bread I was buying was going to be in keeping
with the art direction I was creating.
The props for Anona made up more of the image than the actual design,
but the actual styling it’s self took as much work as the design
considerations.
Food Photographer
I wanted to see
how actual food photographers presented their images, to achieve a similar
standard my self. With these images open while I shooting images, really helped
me so I could get a feel for the look before I created it. Using different
colour backdrops, Ivana is able to display a wide range of various atmospheres
and moods available, this was very influential in the way I conducted my
photo-shoot because the look of something that handcrafted wasn’t going to be
represented well if it was too clean cut and clinical.
Outcome
The final images
sum up the brand story that I was trying to create with this brief, by putting
the products into a similar context that a customer may experience, it comes
closer to reality. The products them
selves aren’t all fully featured here, yet the brand it’s self is still just as
strong with or without them because at the core, the Anona Bakery isn’t just
about the bread and the jars of olives it sells.
This is the
product of my methodology; it’s applicable not just to creating brands, but also
to creating posters and illustrations. Each stage presented here requires as
much work as the previous to create a fully rounded and realised outcome.
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