OUGD603: Brief 7 - Coffee Culture // Latte Art

As I'm planning to implement Latte Art as a symbol, which will work alongside the logotype, I've pulled together some images of Latte Art. Below are some examples of Coffee Culture's Latte Art, all of which have been taken from their Facebook. Unfortunately, the majority of which have been layered in photo filters, but they'll do.

OUGD603: Brief 7 - Coffee Culture // Further Logo Development

Following my further research, I've tried to push my logo design for Coffee Culture even further. Trying to develop a symbol which will work with the logotype, which I struggled to do previously, earlier this week. 

Illustrating the two elements which are a staple at Coffee Culture - the coffee, and the takes. It's a very literal take on the design for the symbols, and they would certainly work, however, the could be regarded as too simple. Not really extravagant or creative, just illustrating what's already there. 

Based pretty heavily on the San Francisco design in the research post, I tried applying a similar style to York. I was able to include the York city walls, the York Minster and the York Eye. The issues are that it isn't really applicable to Coffee, and that the logos will not work on a small scale. Below 5mm they will just become a blur. 

I then found something which might actually work as a symbol for the company - it's the patterns and images which are created into the foam of a coffee, as decoration. It's called 'Latte Art'. Using this as the company symbol might work, as it's not too obvious as to what it would be, and it's very specific to coffee.

Here's a video to show some 'latte art' in action.

OUGD603: Brief 7 - Coffee Culture // Further Logo Research

Following the initial logo development, I've expanded my research into symbols and iconography, which will inform my further logo development. I really want to add a symbol into, which will work alongside the logo type to represent the company.

The illustration above uses a series of circles to create the logo, the vast majority of the curves have bene created using circles to form the design. Other symbols, such as that for Apple and Twitter use circles to create their logos - which means circles could be the key to creating symbols which a timeless effect. Logos which are designed to last, or at least, the foundations of which.

The logo above uses a series of symbols, surrounded by type. Using the type as the container, the wrapper for the type. Using the type to create a shape.

This symbol has also been constructed using circles to dictate the shape of the lines within the illustration. Which has been been mirrored within the typography.

This logo uses a large amount of illustration, contained by a circle. It illustrates San Fransisco. It uses a container for the central type to act as a base for the illustration, San Francisco is  built on steep hills, and the type container reflects this, which is also emphasised by the tram traveling up the hill. Using different stylisations of type to add empathetic to different elements of content.

OUGD603: Brief 7 - Coffee Culture // Logo Development

This morning, I spent some time trying to put together some ideas for the logo. I think it will need revisiting and refining from this, I didn't really come up with anything I'm overly keen on, it all seems very basic - nothing too special. 

Standard typography incased in a circle, using a strong sans serif font for the name of the company and a calligraphy for the surrounding type. Trying to add some diversity and character to the type logo by using a collection of fonts in a vintage fashion.

Another variation without the circle around the type. 

Experimenting the iconography, trying to develop a symbol which can be used throughout the brand. A lot of my research used symbols alongside their logo type, and this allowed them to function stand alone without the type on smaller elements of collateral, where the logotype might not be appropriate due to point size.

Digitising Existing Ideas

OUGD603: Brief 10 - Japan Rugby World Cup // Planning and Ideas

Today Ewan and I started to book in some time to work together on our collaborative brief, which is designing the identity and promotional material for the 2019 RWC Rugby World Cup in Japan. 

We're basing the vast majority of the existing content produced for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, which is being held here, in the UK. As all the 2019 World Cup will be is another version of previous World Cups - however, we would also like to push the boat out, and see what we can come up with in addition to this, so we can propose the most visually innovative Rugby World Cup yet. 

We began by mapping out the content found in existing Rugby World Cups, so we're able to divide up the roles effectively. Ewan is a print designer - and I'm more leant towards web design - but we both work on branding and identity design. So I imagine the initial stages will be a very side-by-side frequently meeting collaboration, until we get the overarching identity sorted, which will be mapped out into brand guidelines, then we would crack on, on our own, in our own specialisations. 

We threw together some initial sketches and ideas, un-research and unrefined as it stands, none of this would be final of course, it's just playing with thoughts. Taking elements from the rugby world and the Japanese language and trying to see if there's any obvious connections or synergy we can create or discover. 

Ewan and I also looked at some stuff on some design blogs and websites - just initial research, to see if we can gain any interesting ideas or views from any of the work. Below is some Chinese typography, not Japanese - but the glyphs take on a similar eastern style. 

The typography has been deconstructed and broken down into it's separate elements, and to us, this looked like a team strategy plan - the method in which the coach communicates plays to the team before a match. 

A really bad example I've found on Google images, but it demonstrates the point. 

Similarly, the layout of the typography is similar to a line of play in Rugby. In Rugby, the ball must travel backwards at all times, so the team assembles themselves in a diagonal line, players moving further back by each person - so the ball can be passes down the line, without forward passing.

Another image to demonstrate what I'm failing to explain...

OUGD603: Brief 7 - Coffee Culture // Logotype and Symbol Analysis

I'm planning on redesigning the logo for Coffee Culture as part of it's collateral, however, to do this I need to make sense of the existing logo. It ended up taking a while to even figure out what It was, let alone break it down for analysis.

I actually have to message a friend, who is from York and has visited Coffee Culture a vast amount more than myself - she also did art, which is probably why she could figure it out, and I couldn't.

"If you just look in the black square you'll see a tiny dot for an eye, and a profile of a woman's face and then you'll see the sleeve and a super sketchy tiny cup of coffee." - Hermione Crowe (textiles student at Manchester)

I crudely tried to illustrate this in photoshop, to demonstrate what it is - it's fairly obvious now, but I had no idea previously. I was worried it might be a symbol which I wasn't familiar with, and ignoring it might alienate the identity too much. However, it just looks like a print which has been seconded as the company symbol. 

The triangle around the print could mean something deeper - some occultists use the triangle as a summoning symbol. At the culmination of a ritual, the desired being is expected to appear within a triangle inscribed upon the floor. The occultist often performs his ritual from the protection of a circle.

However, I'm not sure the spiritual context really works with the existing identity of the brand. The brand itself has a very homemade, rustic and independent feel - not that of a cult, despite the name. 

OUGD603: Brief 1 - SAC Ampleforth // Further Logo Research

I'm conducting extended research into just logotypes, as I'm fairly stuck on the logo design for this project. Doing so should help me move forward, and finally get this out the way so I can progress with the design for this project - or at least help inform any revisions to previous logos.

I tried to look at a range of 'logos' - ranging from logotypes to symbols, as there is a difference. As I'm not such which would be best suited to SAC Ampleforth's branding, as the company isn't really a design company or a corporate business - it's in the fitness industry. 

I looked at the logo for Erija - not as it's really relevant to my project but the designer included the construction of the logotype, how he's used the fibonacci system to fabricate the logo, assuring the consistency in the weight of the logo. 

https://dribbble.com/shots/1782207-Erija-Software-Studio-Ambigram

https://www.behance.net/gallery/16623101/OASIS

https://dribbble.com/shots/1102563-Water-Logo-2?list=users&offset=4