HW Design

Graphic design student at Falmouth University.

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D&AD New Blood

The D&AD New Blood briefs were launched yesterday. I am definitely looking to do one of these. I've narrowed it down to three potential briefs... Pantone, Air bnb and John Lewis. The John Lewis brief has particularly got my interest, I like the idea of producing an efficient product design outcome and graphic designs. 

For now I am going to look at the briefs in more detail and then make a final decision by the end of next week.

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ISTD: Milestones Brief

Choose a person or subject, that has existed for a significant number of years and produce a body of work that gives the user greater insight into your area of research and how the related milestones have played a role in the current existence of the subject matter, whether good or bad.

I have chosen to base my response to the brief around Robert Downey Jr's drug phase. I see him being a particularly good subject, considering how he hit rock bottom and is now the highest paid actor in Hollywood. There are also many stories that link to his drug fuelled days. 

Thus far, I have begun research into his addictions and history. I hope to produce a piece that incorporates some for of art and abstraction as well as clever typography.

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Self Initiated: Dogs Trust

For another self initiated project I have chosen to address the issue of ‘online dog shopping’. This is particulary relevant at this time due to the surge in use of technology and how many people who use it. It is also a serious problem as people buy dogs without much thought and end up having to abandon the dogs because they cannot cope.

Instant gratification in a world where we want something and get it almost immediately, has caused a surge in people buying dogs without thinking about the care and attention they need. People want a dog and they want it now.

I will produce a piece of design that makes people think twice before purchasing a dog online. Something that provokes thought and informs people about how much responsibility a dog is. Teach them about dogs and how they are for life. In addition to this you could also cre- ate a piece that informs people about how to look after their dogs properly.

Currently I have done the research stage and am working on idea concepts. 

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Self Initiated: Aston Martin

This year at university requires us to come up with one (or more) self initiated briefs. One of mine involves Aston Martin.

In 2016 Aston Martin hope to increase sales to 7,000 vehicles in a year, from the 3,400 they do now. Along with an investment of around £100 million each year until 2017, to achieve this goal there will need to be sufficient changes to the brand. Money alone will not be enough to reach the goals they are aspiring to.

A glimpse into the future of Aston Martin would no doubt see new cars models with new technologies, but how about a new target audience. The name of the brand itself will not carry it through, Aston Martin need to appeal to a new audience whilst also retaining the one they have now. By changing the audience they will reach a new branch of customers, ones who will buy Astons throughout their lives.

The audience I believe Aston are missing out on are 20-40 year olds. I have done extensive research into the brand and audience, created a thorough brand audit and researched into possible concepts for ideas. The design ideas I have been coming up with include everything from a complete brand overhaul to a simple advertising campaign.

I will upload some of my research soon, maybe even some initial idea concepts.

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Prepping some posts...

Hello, I am still alive & well. Its been a long time since I have updated. I apologise.

In the time I have been away, I have been on placement at Smith & Milton, been on holiday in Cornwall and Italy, and have started my third (and final) year of Falmouth University... scary stuff. 

I'll update you on my current projects soon. Keep an eye out.

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Bisqit Placement

I have recently finished a placement at a graphic design agency called Bisqit. Based in Clerkenwell in London, the company is a branding and advertising agency. Bisqit is part of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a global communications and PR firm.

I was at Bisqit for a placement of 3 weeks, 2nd June - 20th. I really enjoyed my time there and learned a lot. The team were lovely and the work was challenging but fun. I'm very happy I managed to squeeze this placement in as I truly enjoyed the experience. It was also interesting to see what London was like and the early commute everyday!

I worked on an array of projects and with various different people in the team. It was great to be involved in a social team and to experience different stages of work, it was quite stressful at times, but I feel the experience has definitely helped me grow as a designer. I hope to go back when I can, or perhaps, at the end of third year.

Thank you to the team for being brilliant - I miss you all already!

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*cryptic*

A personal project with a friend. A game of turn taking to create visuals. Each image has to have a diagram overlaid, the image has to link to the diagram. The image and diagram played previous has to link to the image/diagram you play. Basically - everything has to have some kind of link.

Above are a short sequence of 6 to show how the game works. Can you figure out the links and the narratives behind them?

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National Trust Competition Brief

The final outcome for the competition brief I did for university this year was based around signage. The idea came originally from escaping to National Trust from the busy lifestyles that the target audience, 21-40 year olds have.

My idea for a National Trust campaign uses simple, block graphics to show the audience what they can do at a National Trust site. Each graphic shows an ‘activity’ and then points to National Trust as the provider of it. The simplicity of the idea means that almost anything the charity provides to the public can be used as an icon. Creating a universal campaign people around the world to understand.

The four images clustered together show an electronic billboard, which would change every few seconds. Only the symbol for the different ‘activities’ would change, therefore showing the audience the different things they can do at National Trust sites. As well as a poster campaign, the design could also be brought across onto a leaflet design. The use of the bold cover (inspired by the poster), allows for a photograph to be used on the back without being too overwhelming. The leaflets I have designed here are very simple and act as thought provokers. Inspiring people to find out more about the ‘activity’ they have picked up. 

Another extension of the poster campaign could be an app. The app screen below show a basic layout it could take. The first screen would act like the electronic billboard and show several different icons to the user, hopefully inspiring them to find out more about the ‘activities’. Once using the app the audience can find out more information about the chosen ‘activity’.

Finally, the campaign could be progressed further to incorporate different colours for different sections of ‘activities’. e.g. sports could all be blue, outdoors could be green and orange could be for kids.

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Throwback: Black Gold Cornish Caviar

At the beginning of my second year of university, I produced a brand called Black Gold. The brief was to produce a suitable identity, and packaging, for a brand new product in a new market. Out of the list we were given I chose to brand a Cornish Caviar company.

The brand's core values are based around attention to details and purity of produce. The logo mark contains a tiny 'o' in the 'gold', this represents smallness and delicacy. 

The packaging itself is formed of tiny fish shaped sachets, which contain the perfect portion of caviar for one serving - 2.5ml. In each net there are three sachets. Not too many that they would be wasted and not too little that they cannot be shared. The booklet alongside the main net packaging shows the process of obtaining the caviar via strong imagery. The emphasis on small details is also shown in the poster campaign, which uses imagery with focus points in the bottom corner. The photo shown here, in the example, was taken by me.

I really enjoyed this project and was very happy with the outcome. I will keep this project in my portfolio for as long as I can!

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/// no parking /// the start of a new collection ///

I have begun collecting photographs of London's no parking areas. Whilst on placement at Bisqit I was inspired by one I saw on my first day as I was walking to work. Any I find particularly interesting or eye catching I am photographing on my iPhone.

The only rule is that the *no parking* sign, gate, symbol, wall etc has to be found on the walks around London.

You can follow my progress on my instagram page: instagram.com/hanawarrick

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SAS: Supermarket Brief

A designer led project initiated by SAS London. We were set the task of solving a problem within a supermarket setting. I found a problem everyday consumers are faced with, a sea of brands.

Every time someone goes to a supermarket they are faced with a large number of different brands and varieties of product. This can make the shopping experience overwhelming and stressful, how do you choose?

My idea was to solve the problem by offering people an alternative range of products to buy. A simply packaged, one ingredient, local produce range. A range people can trust and know it will taste good and be from a good place. A no-nonsense range of products. A range of products for those in the know. A range people would simply go in and purchase because they trusted it and knew it was ‘good’ produce.

The packaging is very simple and bold, by being white it represents the purity of the produce and allows it to stand out from all the colours/brands on offer. Providing tranquility and peace amongst the sea of brands customers are faced with. All the products in the range come from closest British supplier possible.  Helvetica is used because it is simple and a widely recognised typeface. The most minimal amount of information is shown on the packaging, this works well because each product only has one ingredient. The pure produce also only comes in one type e.g. one type of milk, the most popular, semi-skimmed.

The information on the pack shows the product name, weight, use by date, barcode (which can be scanned to reveal more information) and a small narrative to simply explain what the range is.

An addition to the no-nonsense packaging is an app. Food Finder is a simple application that allows the customer to find out more about the product they are buying/have bought. Although the range is supposed to be trusted, there will be customers who may want to find out more. By scanning the barcode on the packaging, the app brings up information on the producer and where the food is from. By providing a small biography, consumers can feel a slight personal connection to the producers.

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⁝⁝⁝ (9 grid)

A *game* I am playing with a fellow graphic designer, requires us to post 9 images in a 9 grid. They can relate, be completely random or be duplicated to create *pretty* pictures. So far we have created 83 and 15 containing videos. It's a simple way to create fun pieces of design and produce creativity (sometimes inspiration!)

I am enjoying it a lot, as I love taking pictures!

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Cornwall Food Foundation

For a live brief project at university we were tasked with designing a suitable banner and postcard design for a charity, Cornwall Food Foundation. I was up against 24 other students from my year group, making it a competitive brief. My idea was chosen to be taken forward and used at the local food market by the charity.

The layout takes a recipe style, showing the components of the charity and what they work with. By combining food and objects (like a tractor), the audience can see the different areas they want to ‘talk’ about. The simple style of the banner and postcard makes it easy to look at and understand.

The final idea was sent off to the client who then printed the idea onto a banner and a set of postcards, which were to be given out at the food market.

The local farmer’s market took place on the 15th March,The banner and postcards stood out well due to the bold graphics, colours and white background.

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Self Initiated: Driving Distractions

The final outcome for my self initiated brief for university came in the form of a small publication. The booklet uses bright neon paper contrasted against plain paper with images. The bright cover allows it to stand out against anything else it is put next to or with.

The target audience for the brief were young drivers,17-21 years old. The aim of the publication was to inform them of distractions and the potential outcomes of not concentrating when driving. The publication would be given to the audience in the same envelope as their driving license.

I decided to use neon paper and photography to gain the audiences attention, and to make the booklet itself a distraction. The layout inside is relatively simple, with text telling narratives or facts alongside images. 

The *neutral* photography of the distractions can be lifted to show the potential incident that could occur if you take your attention off the road. E.g. on the phone with a policeman calling your mother to tell her of your death. The photos used are supposed to flow and show some kind of link, for example, holding a phone and holding a bunch of flowers at a funeral. A simple flap mechanism hides the consequence from view, the reader has to lift the distraction to reveal the outcome.

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Airport Art

These images show a small self-initiated project I am doing. 

I haven't been abroad on an airplane since I was 3 years old. I have always wanted to go, I've always wanted to explore. My father travels all the time, for business, and I have long yearned to go with him. My mother always found a reason I couldn't go! I've only been abroad a few times in my life, to Spain when 3 years old (airplane), France in year 7 (bus) and Amsterdam 2nd year of university (bus). 

Recently I have found myself being very intrigued in airplanes, I have been reading this: http://bit.ly/1mh8lGV.  I have also realised the *art* of airports on Google Maps. 

This inspired me to begin a collection of screenshots of airports and parts of them I find visually pleasing. It's also making me want to travel more & more, hopefully I will somehow fit some in soon!

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Self Initiated Project

The Photography

For my self initiated project I have chosen to create a small publication warning new drivers of the potential distractions of driving. Focusing on things people don't get taught during driving lessons. The booklet will be designed to contain images that show the potential causes of an incident/crash.

To obtain the correct photography, my friend and I set out to take pictures of me acting out the distractions whilst actually driving along the roads of Cornwall. The main purpose of the drive was to get well focused images I could use for my booklet.

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Mytton Williams Placement Report

As part of my university course I had to fill out a form to show how my placement went and a little about the agency. I decided to take it a bit further and create a small booklet for one of my tutors, Darren. I designed a simple, flat graphic booklet that contained all the information he needed to assess my time at Mytton Williams. I thought it was a nice idea to create something rather than just handing in a simple Word document, like everyone else. I wanted to keep the graphic style simple, and opted for a nice pastel teal green to keep the style of the booklet friendly.