Development of Gif Animations for Campaign Advertising

After my initial experiment with Gifs in an earlier post (see here) I decided to explore this further in Photoshop as opposed to using an online generator to create my gifs:

I chose to use  a simple slogan 'stop the cull' which I have previously included in previous campaign poster designs about badger culling. Keeping the font and colours the same for simplicity works well and gets straight to the point. 

As I felt the previous gif wasn't smooth as an animation, I wanted to break the text down so it flowed better.

To create this animation, I saved each frame at different points adding one letter per frame giving the illusion that the text is being written. In total 11 frames were used to make this gif.

The same technique in Photoshop was used here though I added more frames (71 in total!) by including some experimental artwork that I had created. Changing the opacity allows a smooth transition into the next image. 

Photoshop screenshot of frames used to create gif animation

Although this implies that it is advertising against the cull, it would not work in a realistic advertising scenario as more information needs to be included. This gif explores the techniques which may be used in the animation to portray numerous images simultaneously. 

Personally I believe these techniques have worked effectively and make the illustrations more aesthetically appealing to the audience. Movement in the animation will capture the attention of the viewer for much longer than a still illustration as the changing images make it more interesting. More professional elements could be added for an advertisement against badger culling and perhaps a narrative of the badger cull could be portrayed to demonstrate the effects of the cull and why the audience should appeal against it.

Packaging Design for Cosmetics Brand

As part of my self initiation to take on briefs outside of my University course, I took on a challenging brief to design for cosmetics packaging. This was set by a third year student at the University of Huddersfield studying fashion marketing. As the work would be for Uni work purposes only I was happy to go forward with the brief without expecting payment.

Here is the brief which was sent by the student:

BETSEY JOHNSON BRAND

UPTOWN PRECIOUS PRINCESS WITH A PUNK/ROCK TWIST IS HER TARGET MARKET

Distribution: Harrods Harvey Nichols Selfridges Betsey Johnson Flagshire Stores

Competitors: Illamasqua Mac Bobbi Brown

What I need done:    (Could the type/colour/weight be on the outer packaging somewhere)

I want a white base with a coloured illustration, these few images over the next two pages are kind of something that I am looking, so i’ll let you decide what the best thing to do is, since you know what you are doing!
the packaging design needs to be appropriate for the market it will be placed in and and as good as it’s competitors packaging!

To begin with I noted down things which related to each colour of the products so it would give me inspiration for my illustrations.

'Siren'

For the theme of siren I immediately thought of greek mythology and how 'sirens' would lure in their naval prey through harmonious song. I wanted to reflect on the nautical theme in the illustrations as well as focusing on the mascara product. Therefore I decided to only include the eyes in the facial features to highlight the use of the product.

I think both illustrations are effective and even when given a pink hue in Photoshop, the details are enhanced and romanticised. When I had sent the images to the client she thought the first illustration would better suit the foundation packaging but loved them both! Therefore, I didn't need to design a separate illustration for the foundation 'honey' theme as it was already decided that an illustration would be used.

'Punk'd'

The punk'd theme sparked stereotypical visuals to mind: more gothic, expressive and rock themes. As it is for packaging, I decided to keep to my original thoughts even if it meant being literal as I felt it would illustrate the product in the most effective way.

As the packaging was for lipstick, I focused on the mouth for this illustration. This effectively highlights the use of the product as well as keeping it with the theme. The passionate expression reflects on the stereotypical nature of punks and adds a sense of dynamics. The nose piercing also reflects on the punk'd theme and the stars relate to the print Betsey Johnson often uses in her products.

The client was pleased with this illustration and was impressed by the touch of red along with the blue, suggesting I add red tones into the previous illustrations. As requested I added the tones which I think is effective and breaks up the blue tones.

'Goddess'

The goddess theme immediately made me visualise beauty, elegance, romanticism and wealth. Immediately I thought of a peacock's feathers as they are naturally beautiful and demonstrate all of the themes which I thought of.

I love the delicate tones of the watercolour in this illustration, although once presented to the client I agreed that it didn't fit the brief and strayed from the style of the other illustrations. Therefore, I created a new illustration though incorporating the peacock feathers as a symbolism of beauty and elegance.

Below is the initial sketch and the watercolour illustration. The hidden face behind the face portrays a sense of 'blushing' whilst the feathers signify the beauty and elegance of the 'goddess' theme.

Overall, the client was happy with what I had produced. With a few suggestions and minor changes, I am happy with the outcomes and would definitely produce work similar to this again. Hopefully the client will get back to me soon with mock-up packaging designs and I will be able to show my illustrations in context!

Business Card Case Design

To make my business cards more unique, I wanted to design a simple but effective case that they could be carried in. Through online research, I was led to a blog 'D.I.Y or Don't' (click on image below for link to site) which demonstrated how a simple envelope could be designed to hold a business card.

http://diyordont.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/tutorial-business-card-envelopes.html

A template was provided which could be printed on the back of some printed paper to make a fun and interesting case like these:

D.I.Y or Don't's personalised envelopes

Template with instructions

From this, I thought it would be a great idea to create my own patterned paper in Photoshop using my simple logo design.

Personalised patterned paper

I then followed the instructions on how to make the envelope, cut and mounted the two sides of the business card onto card with spray mount. Et volia!

Here is the final product:

Final Designs

Of course, the business cards would ideally be printed professionally which will be done at some point in the future. For now, my business cards are elegant, simple, informative and provide the client with a snapshot of my work. A very successful design indeed!

Designing a Personal Business Card

Initial Thoughts:

For the promotional part of the self-initiated brief, I decided that the best way to get my name out there would be so design some business cards. My aim is so create a simple yet effect design so that potential clients or even those interested in my personal work, get a sense of my style and most importantly provide links to my email and social networking sites, including this blog, which includes my work as a budding illustrator.

First of all, I felt it was important to create business cards based on my current style which I am developing. At the moment I have been creating a lot of watercolour illustrations, therefore I chose to include these as the main feature of the front cover on the business card.


Designing the Front Cover:

Using Canva , the same website I used to create a new cover photo for my Facebook page, I used a business card template to help me start my designs. Here are several front cover business card designs using my own watercolour illustrations. The slightly transparent black strip along the top of the card helps break up the image and allows me to add text in a clear way so it doesn't get lost in the tonesof the illustrations.

The website also allowed me to manipulate some of my illustrations using a filter once place in the template.

I think the filter does enhance my illustrations in interesting ways, though I do like the authenticity of my original watercolours which prove I have a sense of tone.

From all of the designs I created, one stood out to me the most and I feel relates to me personally over the other watercolour designs.

Front cover of business card

The magpie watercolour illustration is elegant yet subtle, just what I want people to see in my work. Personally, I have always loved the beauty of the magpie and so this highlights my interests as an illlustrator, and also my interests in nature. It is simple and not over-powering, alluring any viewer into seeing what more I have to offer. I just want to give the client a taster of my work so that they can use the links on the back of the card to see more and then hopefully contact me for potential commissions!

Designing the Back Cover:

The back cover of the business card is the most essential part in my opinion. This is where personal contact details, websites and blogs are found so that potential clients can get in touch with the artist/ illustrator. I will include my name, email and links to my blog, Facebook and Twitter. This is all the information which I regard as essential at this present time as an illustrator. I will not include a personal statement about me as an illustrator on the card itself as I don't want to make it too busy and overwhelm the design. Therefore, I have included this information in the 'a bit about me' section on this blog and also in the information section on my Facebook page 'Carla Taylor Illustration'.

As I had chosen the watercolour magpie as the front cover of the business card, I wanted the back to compliment the illustration. Therefore, I choose the background colour as a light blue to reflect the tint of colour in the magpie's wing. 

Logo Design based on magpie

The next stage was to add my signature logo which I had designed myself on Photoshop and use as my display picture. However, as I couldn't delete the white background on Canva, I had to change the colour of the logo on Photoshop. To get the correct colour I used the colour code to select the right one.

Matching the colour in Photoshop

New logo design

Logo is now embedded into the background.

 Once I was happy with the background, I then added the details including the same semi-transparent strip along the top to compliment the front cover, and also all of the text. Icons relating to each social media account helps bring more visual to the back cover and uses less space, making room for the important information.

Back cover of business card

Overall, I am very happy with the outcome. The design is simple enough not to clutter the business card too much, but still holds all of the required information. The front cover can be updated to suit the style of the illustrations I am working on at the time, and the colour scheme of the back can be easily altered.

Designing a New Cover Photo for my Facebook Page

As part of a sub-brief along side my self-initiated brief, we were asked to focus on self promotion, and create a piece or pieces of work promoting who we are as illustrators.

I am not entirely sure what this task could mean for me, as being a student I am still finding my feet as an illustrator, learning new styles and ways of working. I would say my work is quite versatile which could be an advantage, though clients seem to want a consistent style and focus. 

Even so, I created a Facebook page called 'Carla Taylor Illustration' back in Summer 2013 and think it would be ideal to use this as part of my promotional brief. 

Right, you can see that I have actually linked my Facebook page to this blog so that the audience can see both what I post onto Facebook, but also Blogger.

Therefore, I decided to created a new cover photo for my page using a website called https://www.canva.com/, a free online platform where you can design for several purposes such as posters, soical media sites and business cards. 

Canva home page

When designing my cover photo, I felt it was important to consider how this would reflect my own personal style as it would be the first impression to whoever viewed my page. Therefore, I decided to include a range of my work which most suited my current style. 

Below, these are the initial designs I came up with for my Facebook cover photo design. Noticeably, I have gone for a theme of purple. This is due to the simple fact that it is my favourite colour, and although I wouldn't say it defines my illustration style, it credits my personal interest which is an important step to defining me as an illustator. 

The circular frames in the top design demonstrate a bubble-like effect. This enables the illustrations to be more refined, limiting the amount of unused space around each one. The logo is prominent, being the largest image so the public can easily identify my brand. However, I think this design is too simple, and with limited illustrations, it fails to portray my work as an illustrator so far.

The design below is another simple layout with a banner style heading including the brand name. Although the images are clear, I feel this design is also too simple.

Once I had experimented with various layouts and images, I designed the final one (below). The varied images demonstrate my abilities and more recent style I have been undertaking. This is important to portray my current style and let potential clients know that I can be consistent yet versatile. Images with purple tones break up the illustrations on plain white backgrounds in a symmetrical fashion. I believe this is effective, showing that not only I can use traditional methods to create my work, but also manipulate them in Photoshop to make them digital. There are enough images to demonstrate my work as an illustrator to hopefully capture the attention of potential clients and the general public who enjoy the work I create. Adding the brand name 'Carla Taylor Illustration' in the cover photo helps the viewer to understand who created the images, the most important aspect of my page.

Final cover photo design

After putting the cover photo onto my Facebook page, I realised that my logo design had been included twice at the top and was therefore unnecessary in the cover. So, I decided to change the logo image to one of my watercolour illustrations which fit into the design well, and think it works better.

New final cover photo design

Overall, I think this was a success. It is better for promoting my work as I understand it is unrealistic for everyone who views my page to scroll down and see every post, and therefore every piece of work I have created. This can be updated as I create more artwork so I can hopefully keep my 'likers' and new visitors up to date with my latest work.

You can view my Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/CarlaTaylorIllustration

To access Canva you can register for free and start creating your own designs here: https://www.canva.com/

Photography Edits in Photoshop

Using Photoshop, I manipulated my primary source photography to alter the tones which give different moods, almost changing the context of the natural form.

Whilst these Photographs above are of the same plant, they are captured and edited in unique, innovative ways. The image on the left presents a calm atmosphere with the orange tones, hinting at a morning sunrise. The image on the right is darker and appears more mysterious. The sharp white of the plant cuts through the darkness, creating a strong image.

The image above is more simplified with its black and white tones. The plant almost imitates a 'scribble' in the air. I love the natural delicacy in all of these images which the camera has captured. The different colours emphasise a variety of moods which the viewer can interpret.

On my venture to Castle Hill, I actually found and photographed some burr plants which were initially used by George de Mestral to inspire him to create velcro. It was intriguing to see them in person as when I photographed the oddly shaped plants and edited it in Photoshop, it gave a sense of futurism. Even the background gives a sense that they are on another planet.

These images are cropped versions of the original close up dead flower which was photographed indoors. The pink is natural and unedited whilst the blue tint on the left image gives a more subtle hint of tones and a greater sense of elegance and calm.

Simply rotating an image proves to be effective as this one imitates a flame, when in fact it is a leaf. Changing the colour to reflect its new shape instantly puts the natural leaf in an entirely new context.

The edit of the left highlights the line in the image, framing the individual petals. This was created using a gradient filter in Photoshop. The photo on the right is more natural looking, it almost appears at though a bright morning sunrise is shining down onto the petals, highlighting their beauty.

I believe that editing the photographs was a success, there a some new innovative approaches to standard photography which are unique and re-contextualise some of the nature. This kind of approach could be adapted to traditional media artwork inspired by this photography.