Canvas Tote Bag and Earrings with Printed Box

Below are the drop beaded earrings I made to add to my press pack. I decided to make these as they suit the style of my customer profile, as I can see my customer wearing these earrings. I also made the box myself using my own materials and a template of a cube box, and added my own print to it to make it match the rest of my pack. I think it looks effective the way the beads on the earrings match the blue parts of the print on the box. The box compliments my print well as it shows off the techniques I have used for my print.

Below are my canvas tote bags complete with my logo printed on the front. I decided to make these a part of my press pack as I can imagine my customers taking this bag everywhere with her, whether that be to a quaint little cafe for lunch, or to the beach, I think this is a very versatile bag to take anywhere. I have also chosen to attach my final swing tag onto the bag to give it a more finished look.  

Identify what branding/promotional material I will apply to my specific chosen brand.

I have been looking on various packaging websites (such as the Tiny Box Company and Progress Packaging) to help inspire me with different ways of packaging I can use in my press pack. I aim to create a box that will reflect the style of my collection which will be used to package my items. I want my packaging to look luxurious and be of high quality, therefore I want them to be professionally made. I need to create a standout logo that will be placed onto all my packaging. Below are press packs that I have found and what I would like to use as inspiration;

I really like this box as a way to package my products as it looks high quality and sturdy which is what I am aiming for. I would use this box to present my press pack as well as to present my products. I would probably add tissue paper on the inside to make what's inside appear more luxurious but with a personal touch. I would have the box fully white with my logo in the middle so it stands out more. I also like the ribbon as a fastening, I think this looks more effective than using a metal lid fastening. Therefore I will create my own ribbon, which will feature my print on.



Above is an example of how high end brand Chloe present their invitations for guests to attend their events and fashion shows. This is a really unique, yet simple design idea for an invitation. The fastening on the envelope is not only practical but also looks pretty, and Chloe as a brand is know for it's feminine and pretty style. 



Above is anther really innovative and creative technique of marketing your brand. Designers such as Kenzo, Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen and Burberry are all brands who have created their own lolly ices with the packaging to match, for their events, possibly for fashion week. Each packaging compliments the style of the brands, further advertising their brand. This would be a good idea to develop maybe into sweets or lollipops complete with my logo on the packaging, I think this would be more viable for my project.  

Another option I am considering is buying a white fold over luxury box with a ribbon fastening, and get my logo printed on large stickers and then stick it on the front of the box. This option may not look as professional but may be easier to do in the time I have to make it.

This is the box I went for, I wanted a luxurious but minimalist feel and I felt that this was the best option. I decided to buy it in rather than make it myself, as I think that this looks a bit more professional. The box comes with a plain white ribbon, however I have made my own ribbon with a print I created, and I will use this as a replacement. In addition, I started making prototypes for the type of logo I wanted on the front of the packaging. I decided to get a piece of card engraved with my brand name 'Elemental' on it, along with 'By Georgia M'. I think that this would look really professional if I got it made out of something that relates more to my theme and looks neater. However, I am happy with the outcome of this experiment.

This is the same box as above, along with the same branding plaque. However, I wanted to see what it would look like with my logo on the front too. I think that this looks good, however I think it may look too busy, and was maybe more professional looking without the logo. I want to have my logo on the packaging somewhere, but maybe I should think of somewhere else without it looking too over crowded.

As mentioned above, I was thinking of getting my logo printed onto a large sticker and using this to place on top of the lid of my box. This is the printed sticker, I think that this has turned out well, in terms of the quality of the image and also the size that I wanted. I also think that this would be a more effective option for the logo on the box as it shows off my skills more; I created the print and the logo is clear. Therefore I will be using this on the top of my packaging box instead of the experiments above.

Anselm Kiefer- artist research

Anselm Kiefer is a German painter and sculptor who uses straw, clay, lead, ash, shellac, broken glass and dried flowers in his work, which result in a textured surface and thick layers of impasto. He wanted to show off the natural forms of the materials he uses in his work, and believes this is created through creating texture. I have used him as inspiration for my fabric manipulation samples and to develop my prints. I have used Kiefer's techniques as inspiration as he focuses a lot of his work on texture and layering surfaces, and this is a similar approach I have used for all my branding and packaging. I have also included some of the media he uses in his work, such as straw and paint. I have included some of his work in my sketchbook along with keywords that describe his work such as; textured, layered, subtle and natural. Some examples of his work are below;

Business Cards and Swing Tags

These are some prototypes of the business cards I have made. I made them using my print as the background and then adding onto them my logo and other details such as my Instagram page, my website and my telephone number. I have used the same sort of style but played around with different layouts. I wanted to get both my details and my logo onto the business card without it looking too busy, therefore I decided to make it double sided. On the right hand side are the two final cards I am deciding between. I have included in both, my details along with my print to show the different techniques I have used, especially the techniques used to make the print. Below these are my logos which have been printed out onto acetate and these will be on the back of my business cards, as the logo is clear as well as my details without it being over crowded with information. I think overall, I will choose the one on the right hand side for my final business card, as it is the easiest to see the details compared to the other without the white background.

These are prototypes of my swing tags, all have been printed out onto white card, however to add the illusion of more layers, I also printed out the same images onto acetate. I layered these onto each other and stapled a hole into them at the top so that I could feed through a white ribbon tag. I am yet to decide which one I will use for the swing tag that will feature in my press pack, however I think that the first one is the most effective. I like this one the best as it is simple with just the name of my brand printed on acetate, along with my print on the background. I think that all the others look too busy and a bit unprofessional, however this has made it easier for me to see which one looks the more professional. I am also unsure as to whether I should use the white satin ribbon as the fastening on my swing tags as this may look too synthetic and I am trying to convey a more natural and sustainable look, therefore I will probably use some sort of rope or piece of white string. However, apart from this I think the media I have used to create these swing tags look professional and high end.

Peer and self-assessment for mixed media illustrations

I mainly like to use collage for illustrations as they are simple to create yet can look really effective. There are many different ways to develop this type of technique also, you can easily layer it up using more images, cutting into parts of the images, adding fabric or stitching into the illustration. Another option is to scan the image into Photoshop and edit it using different tools such as hue/saturation, the levels, brightness/contrast and the colour balance. Then when the illustration is printed out it looks more professional and neat, however it gave no texture to the illustration and with my theme I think that it needs more texture. 

I was advised by my peers to carry on developing and working into my existing illustrations as they look good now however they have potential to look even better. They have suggested that I incorporate other techniques, such as using the sewing machine to stitch into my illustrations to add texture and to make them become more 3D as this suits my theme more than them being flat. 

One of the illustrations I created using collage, is not really the style I would usually go for as it doesn't quite fit with the theme of my collection. Therefore I may change the colours to make the illustration look more subtle, or add texture by sewing on pieces of fabric. 

I also did some more illustrations without using Photoshop, I used scrap pieces of fabric and layered onto them pva glue, blue and brown coloured drawing ink and white acrylic paint. Using strands of the scrap fabric I also placed these pieces into the paint and glue before they dried. I will use these as inspiration and as a starting point for my swing tags and business cards, as I may want them to be textured.

This was one of the experiments I made, by using a scrap piece of fabric I layered different media such as; white acrylic paint and pva glue, then I mixed in some blue drawing ink to give a marbled affect. To add more texture, I broke off pieces of white chalk where some pieces crumbled into small pieces and some stayed in larger chunks, creating a mixture of textures. Next, I found a long thin piece of white string, which I thought would further add texture into the sample. When this tried it was a great starting point to work from to develop prints out of.

These are more developments of the experimentation I did with the fabric, pva glue and inks. On the left, is another example of how I used scrap fabric to distress and tear into, fraying the edges giving a more textured look. I then layered on pva glue, white acrylic paint, other pieces of scrap fabric, and string. This experiment gave a lot of texture helping me to develop my ideas, which then allowed me to create the sample on the page opposite. I made this sample using just pva glue, I then added texture by adding in some chalk, and brown and blue ink. Once the glue had dried it had gone clear, making the colours and the chalk stand out more. As this was the sample that had worked the best, I decided to further develop this into a print. I scanned it into Photoshop and edited it slightly by adjusting the hue/saturation and the brightness/contrast, to make the blue colours stand out more. This has been my main print for the majority of my press pack pieces, such as my logo, my business cards and my swing tags. 

Photo Shoot Planning

I plan to do a photo shoot as part of the brief to add strength to my collection. I plan to use the images from this photo shoot to develop into a look book to add to my promotional pack, as well as my business cards, swing tags and labels. This will be a slightly different look book as I plan to use no models, just the items that I think will relate to my collection, as I want to focus on texture and colour palette to strengthen these aspects of the collection. 

• Where?

I plan to do my photo shoot partly in the studio in college, and partly at home. I want the back ground of the shoot to be very bare and minimal, this is why I want to use the studio as the background is plain white. I want this location as it allows the items that I am shooting to be centre of attention, I don't want any distractions or fuss, I want the images to be simplistic, as this fits in with the theme of my collection. I was also thinking of using items from home such as scarves or folded up jumpers in the shades of the colour palette I am using for my collection, as this hones in on the theme of my collection even more. I was thinking of doing this on the dining room table as it is white glass so this will make the items stand out even more.

• What?

I have gathered images off Pinterest to collect ideas of what I could do for my shoot. As I mentioned above, I want to take images of folded jumpers/cardigans/tshirts (whichever I think is best) at home and then possibly edit them on Photoshop. I also want to try and get a few different garments either trousers or a shirt and hang them up on a rail as I think this will add to the minimalist and simplistic feel of my collection. This will take place in the studio in college. I won't be using a model as I want the focus to be more on the products, and I think that this will create a more innovative outcome. 

I also plan to take shots of zoomed in details such as jewellery worn, such as this simple silver wire ring. In addition I will be taking detailed images of earrings, and hair styles. 

This is another example of what I want to include in my look book, images of jewellery on simple white background, or the fabric I want to use for my collection.  

I think that an image like this would fit in perfectly with my theme and would also be effective in a look book as it focuses on colour palette and texture. I would use folded garments, or maybe the fabric that I plan on using to create my collection with. I may even use scarves from home that relate to the colour palette of my collection.

This is one of the ideas I had for the photo shoot; take a clothing rail and set it up in the studio, then finding garments that will coincide with my collection I will hang these up on the rail. The background will be plain white such as this one so that the garments stand out and are the focus of the image.