Sophie Henson...

Sophie Henson is a illustrative typographer. Her work is very eclectic and expressive, it allows personalities to be shown through design and illustration. Her hand drawn style is not individual, but the use of colour combinations, integration with illustrations and her ability to adapt to commercial work. The variety within her work is impressive and it can clearly be adapted to suit different themes.

Work sourced from Behance Network.

Soulmates...

The Guardian produce all of their own in house design work. These pieces of advertising are for the Guardian Soulmates websites - their own online dating forum. The designs focus around simple image/illustration and then things which come together to make 'the date'. I have highighted these because they are similar to my 'pairs' idea for Valentines cards.

Each advert focuses on a different 'date' activity and lists the things that might occur. My favourite is the cinema - 'Bogar, Bacall, A couple of plot twists, some midget gems, and adebate about the ending'. This nicely sums up a date to see an old movie, something that could have been listed as a favourite hobby within a persons profile.

The majority of these summaries work quite well; the illustration complements, but allows the type to be the main focus of the advert. The design is strongly 'Guardian'; using bold colours and blocky type. Overall they are very engaging and quirky

Type Calendar

I came across this piece on typographyserved.com. It is by a mexican graphic designer called Jasho Salazzar AKA Mouschacho. I picked out this piece because of the use of colour and mulitple typefaces. The design looks screen printed or letterpress, but it is in fact a digital print.

Each page of the calendar is totally different; each using a different colour sheme and a range of typefaces. I think that the overall design is so effective because of the clashing colours, and the feeling of excitement within the design. The designs are actually very simple; the month in three languages and the number of the month - thats it.

What I have learnt from this research:

1. Complimentary colours can work really effectively with a range of type

2. Multiple type faces do not have to clash with each other

3. White space and empty space are very important to a design

4. Repetition is not necessarily a bad thing

Clintons 2010

I chose these 4 cards from the Clintons range for Valentines 2010. I have chosen these specifically because they are similar to the types of designs that I am thinking of producing. I know that they are all quite different from each other, but I think that they all carry a sense of youth and fun. The designs are in no way old fashioned, they are bright, engaging and they don't carry sickly sentiments.

The gift wraps were the only two I found. They aren't exactly amazing - the read background with white hearts is nice, but predictable and is in no way special. The I Love You type design seems to be a bit uncomfortable - the serif design doesn't work very well and fells as though it was rushed and just produced for the sake of it.

The card designs here are strong and interesting, but contrast the wraps are dull and boring. I wouldn't buy these wraps - I'd rather use brown paper!

Gift Wraps and Bags - 2010

These are the gift wraps and bags that are available on the market at the moment. The designs for Valentines are probably quite obvious, but I think that these designs are quite modern, appealing and totally commercial.

These are the wraps and bags by M&S for 2010. The cut out heart shape that uses different textures has a very homemade feel, it is personal and non-commercial. Clearly the primary design for 2010, it covers two wraps, three bag designs and has a complimentary card design. Quite a ubiquitous and mature design, would be suitable for a wide audience.

The glittered pink bags is more flashy, probably suited to a younger audience, or those who appreciate a bit of dazzle. The use of glitter will make it more expensive than a printed bag of a similar size.

The black bag is very mature; possibly aimed at those who want to celebrate valentines day, but don't appreciate the commercial side. The large bow is girlie, but glamourous and quite sexy. The lack of pattern isn't noticed because the focus is on the bow; this would work well in contrasting colours - maybe black and pink, red or a white bag with pink or lilac ribbon. Overall the range is very suitable, commercial but not over sickly or lovey, and could be used for other occasions.

This is the gift packaging for 2010 by Paperchase. The top two bags are made from felt, more expensive than the coventional gift bag, but also longer lasting and slightly nicer to receive. The design on the left is sort of a one off, using an illustrative image. The felt bag on the right matches the rest of Paperchase's valentines range - the black and read hearts motif.

The heart shaped box is black with velvet/flocked hearts, the same with the bag. These are quite mature, and maybe a little more retro. The flocking is definitely something that is slowly coming back into fashion, and being used for gift packaging more frequently. The design is nice, uses hearts which is obvious, but the design is clearly of high-quality and well made.

Hazel Bee

These quirky illustrations by Hazel Bee are more about the emotive words than the actual drawings. The silly expressions are quite endearing and bring a smile. I think that the low-fi production appeals because it isn't over the top or too sentimental.

Blush Publishing

These are a few of the 2010 Valentines designs from Blush Publishing:



















































These are type focused designs Blush produce: the quote is very simple, but emotive and meaningful.
The letterpress style design are very bold and in your face, sort of openly mocking valentines, but still being a part of it.






















































































These are a few of the image focused designs Blush have available:
The heart is made of a repeat pattern which is very subtle but delicate and beautiful, appropriate for an understated declaration of love.
The illustrated robots are more playful and humorous, but still quite sweet and innocent.
The love birds are part of an extensive range; each quote and illustration is different.

Claire Giles

Claire Giles' work is quite simple, and very commercial, but also has the pretty-ness factor. The designs use appropriately love based colours, with a contrasting blue thrown in occasionally. The illustration is quiet, but sits well within the heart shapes and brings variety to the designs. The wording of some of the sentiments is generic, others are more quirk. Overall these designs are very good, would easily sell, but aren't 'special'.

Sunlight on closed lids

Sunlight on closed lids create designs that incorporate image and text. Their style is quite defined and unique, and the way they incorporate texture makes the designs more interesting and quirky. These designs are playful and funny rather than sentimental and lovey which is nicely refreshing. I think that the variety within their range is good and encourages buyers to return.

Cavania

These pieces are by Cavania. They produce a wide range of cards and gift wraps for multitude of occasions. Their work is very graceful and intricate, I would say mainly designed for women. I think that the type based designs are possibly a little overly decorated, and probably only need one message on the front, they look a little crowded.

Ryland Studios

Ryland studios use primarily illustration in all their design work. This one piece demonstrates the types of illustrated type and image that they use. This style is very friendly and whimsical, appealing to a young audience, but not necessarily a valentines card - I would maybe send this to a close friend as a thank you note, or just as a nice card to write a letter in. I think that the design style works well with the limited colour pallet because it emphasises the design and doesn't over complicate it.

Five Dollar Shake

Five Dollar Shake create beautiful embellished greetings cards for a range of occasions. Their work is very decorative, uses both image and type, and has a slightly vintage feel to it. I feel that these design probably appeal to women, but they may possibly buy them for a male partner. The decorative aspect will make then more expensive (possibly unnecessarily so) but may appeal to a higher calibre of customer.

Hello! Lucky

Hello! Lucky are a fabulous paper product company that use letterpress to product the majority of their designs. Their designs range from the cutesy and silly to delicate and subtle.
I think that the two colour printing used on the majority of these designs works really well, and will also make the overall cost of the cards lower, but does not affect the quality of the design.

My favourite is the whale - it is a beautiful design, and doesn't require any type because the emotion is clear from the illustration. I think that the inclusion of type can be very important, but it also needs to be appropriate.