Fabric Crafting

Over the break I started working on making the mock ups out of fabric
I also printed onto some utensils using stencils cut from acetate

After my mistakes in the print room, I wanted to make sure I got this exactly right, so I triple checked I had the right area before cutting any fabric

Using the eyelet function on my sewing machine I created simple holes which the cutlery would sit in

WHAT NEXT?
- Finish cutlery roll
- Create drawstring bags of different sizes
- Research the feasibility of making beeswax wrap
- Create glass mock ups

Tip waste

- I went to the tip today with my dad and it was interesting seeing how much packaging waste was there
- I was glad that there was so much being recycled rather then going to landfill
- It was still shocking to see the sheer amount of waste, most of which is quite unnecessary
- Also, I was able to see the differences in print quality based on the media, and the colours certainly seem more attractive and bright on the cans rather than plastic

Packaging research

Whilst out shopping I saw this display with completely sustainable ingredients

I like how versatile their product is, as the same materials can be used in many different ways to offer consumer choice, whilst still reducing waste

They've clearly laid out the environmental benefits to their product, but have not made this the focus point, which is actually their luxurious feel

They use different but similar colour ways and patterns to differentiate between the different scents and auras, this is similar to the outcomes from my designs

Their colours are also very modern and the use of white alongside these bright hues give a crisp, clean and contemporary feel, which ensures the natural coloured box doesn't fall into the trap of an 'eco-cliché'

From looking inside the product, it shows parity between the packaging and candle, as well as eliminating the use of plastic coverings, which gives a sense of luxury

December Evaluation

Keep Cup

I found out about Keep Cups from the Students Union, and did a little research into them:

WHAT I LEARNT:
- They focus a great deal on colour and simplicity
- Market themselves as extremely sustainable, even with the cork they use, as this is notoriously bad for the environment- This highlights how the company value look highly, and will find ways to make their vision sustainable, without compromising on design
- Versatile design means they can offer many different uses for their product, without creating more waste
- They market themselves as a luxury and in demand product before revealing their sustainable ethos
- By linking themselves with an attractive company such as Pantone, they add instant accreditation to their line

WHAT NEXT?
- Would really like my work to be driven my the luxury, but always considering sustainability first
- I also want to continue working strongly with colours
- I would like to explore what different ways I can use to promote sustainability throughout my practice

Late Night Fabric Printing

Tonight I was able to stay a little late in the print room to reprint my fabrics, but since we could only stay as long as the technician stayed, I rushed to finish it.

OVERALL:
- I'm a little disappointed with the overall quality, it's leaked in a few places because I was rushing, but hopefully I will be able to use the sections where the print is strong
- I don't think I'm going to get another chance to fabric print, as it always is very busy at the moment with printed textiles students, so I will just have to use what I have
- I'm just glad I was able to rectify this mistake before the holidays! It's taught me an important lesson to triple check before you commit to printing
- I also tweaked the colour hues to reflect my chosen colours, and I'm really happy with the new colours

Mega Crit

This was a really useful opportunity to look at everyones work and see where I need to do more work, and which bits I can ease off on.

Work laid out:

POSITIVES:
- Clearly responds to the idea I want to address
- Tried lots of different ideas and techniques

NEGATIVES:
- Maybe too broad at the moment? Really need to nail down the key outcome I want
- I normally have a really clear idea of what outcome I want at this stage, but I'm hoping the practice will lead the outcome in this instance

WHAT NEXT?
- Reprint fabric tonight
- Make mock ups
- Finish polishing essay
- Continue 'waste' sketchbook
- Create design boards

!! REPRINT !!

I've just realised I've printed the wrong colours onto my fabrics !!

Despite all my labelling on the paper screens, I thought I couldn't mess up the fabric screens and didn't label their colours. I got it into my head that the lunch was pink and blue, as that's what it had been in the initial mock ups, but I changed it to fit better with my colour intentions. So I've swapped the colours ways and have printed both of them completely wrong.

I feel so silly and I'm going to have to buy more fabric and hopefully reprint tonight.

LESSON TO SELF: Triple check the colours before printing (Bring down a mini printed off version to work from)

The. Wrong. Way. Round.

Late night printing

Tonight I stayed late with a couple of my coursemates to make the most of the keyholder access we have.

ALTERATIONS:
- I changed the placement of the colours to eliminate the purple and increase pink to make them more cohesive
- I decided on the following:

Blue and Pink for 'Shopping', as it is most eye catching and is ambiguous enough to describe all shopping items

Blue and Yellow for 'Disposable', as again it offers ambiguity through the blue, as well as linking to 'new' products through the use of yellow

Green and Pink for 'Lunch', to refer to the green of salad and health, and pink to represent the treats and add vibrancy

Green and Yellow for 'Kitchen', as this is the most subdued combination, and would work best in a wider variety of kitchens

POSITIVES:

- By labelling each screen with the range and colour combination, I was able to easily organise the printing and ensured I got it right

- Even though it's really rough, having a little scrap of paper detailing each colour way was really useful to refer back to

- Because the print room was so quiet and tranquil, I managed to print all of my colours onto paper, as well as the two fabric designs

- As my designs didn't have to be exactly lined up, I was able to quickly use the registration sheets without worrying if it is exactly lined up

NEGATIVES:

- I struggled a lot mixing the blue, before starting with a cyan base instead of an ultramarine- remember this is often a base I work better from

- I'm worrying that the designs are too simple! I normally really push myself in the print room, so two colours feels a little 'incomplete'

- It's a shame I won't have my mock-ups ready for the crit tomorrow, despite how much I planned, I struggled to get everything done in time

WHAT NEXT?

- Start creating fabric mock-ups
- Figure out how to cut acetate into labels for mock-ups to mimic printing onto glass
- Create timetable for module to ensure I get everything done over the holidays

Rationale so far

Aims:
- To highlight and explore the key themes within sustainability of packaging
- To understand the impact packaging design has on consumer choice
- To learn about the variation of ideologies concerning packaging use


Intention:
- Promote sustainable packaging solutions through effective design
- Utilise theories learnt in the theoretical side to inform practical outcomes
- To begin to solve the issues of packaging waste through offering alternatives


Rationale:
- To recognise the need for a compromise in packaging, through cutting down and using sustainable or reusable materials where possible
- To use learnt knowledge about colour and design to build a strong set of outcomes


Next steps:
- Construct reusable fabric bags and utensil storage roll
- Incorporate weight and type into designs
- Create mock ups of packaging


Outcomes:
- Four ranges of re-usable ‘kits’: Kitchen storage items; Lunch box and utensils; Shopping items; ‘Disposable’ packaging for when necessary
- Record of packaging used over recent period

Layouts and colour tests

Colour tests:

THOUGHTS:
- Want to create a colour theme which communicates new, fresh ideals
- Need to use varying colours to appeal to wide audiences
- Prefer the colours which nod toward the 'idealised hues' of the contents identified by Cummings & Porter (1990)
- Still would like them to conform to the consumer desires of 'high legibility' hues to promote new items, also suggested by Cummings & Porter


Colour swatches:

Based on the Who Gives a Crap wrappings

Variants based on consumer reactions 

INTENT:

- To investigate existing colour palettes with environmental products, which are still fresh and appealing

- To expand on this to create brighter, more attractive hues

- To ask for peer feedback on what colours work better as a contemporary palette which promotes design alongside sustainability

Final colour choices:

POSITIVES:

- I'm really happy with these proposed colours, and the relationship between them

- I think the overlapping of colours ensures the designs are cohesive, but still very different

- I like the third colour being introduced through the natural overlap

NEGATIVES:
- Although it will be easier to print without stringent alignment, it means there may be slight differences throughout
- The vastly different colours may separate the prints a little too much

WHAT NEXT?
- Create positives and prepare screens
- Print finals!!

Packaging research

In Hotel Chocolat I found some lip balms packaged in wood which I thought were quite attractive.

- I liked how they had used the packaging as a simple addition rather than the main 'eco attraction'

- However, they also used plastic inners, which may have been difficult to separate and recycle, so I presume their intentions were not entirely altruistic, and may have been to market their product rather than help the environment- at least it shows how attractive these materials can be

I found this beer bottle whilst recycling, and I loved the tactility of it:

- I like how the main focus is the feel and quality of the bottle, and also eliminates the use of resources to make a label

- I like how the minimalist design of the bottle is attractive of its own right, and the eco-friendly benefit 

Sustainability interview

Today I got interviewed by Kaitlyn from the Students Union for the Sustainability section of the website.

It was a really interesting experience, as it made me realise how much I had learnt about this project and how passionate I am about sustainability!

I also felt it clarified where I stood within my practice, and how much this project has improved my understanding of packaging use and waste.

Design cut paper

I cut the original shapes without focusing on colour, and decided on this later based on my research

POSITIVES:

- I stacked some of the papers up, but with a few different shapes, so that I could quickly replicate them whilst still retaining individuality

- I like the 'flow' of the overall shapes of the items

- By using my reference drawings, I was able to effectively portray items in a fairly abstract manner

NEGATIVES:

- I may have to re-arrange some of the compositions to fit into cohesive designs

- I'm hoping they'll still be recognisable once I've played around with abstractifying the colour and composition

WHAT NEXT?

- Use photoshop to play around with compositions and colours

- Really focus on the colour meanings and how I can use these to boost my products appeal

- Strip and prepare screens for printing

- Follow timetable closely to ensure I don't rush the last steps

Layout experiements

-By using offcuts and rough shapes I've played around with different compositions and ways to construct images
-It helped broaden what I thought I wanted to create, and has given me a little inspiration as to how to use cut paper

Tutorial 6

This was a really interesting tutorial, as as well as getting a lot of feedback on my essay, I also answered a lot of questions about my practical work:

WHAT NEXT?

- In practical work, focus on 'kits' what could they contain? how could they play on the desire for packaging whilst still being environmentally friendly?

- Fine tune citations and references

- Edit grammar

- Look at introduction- what could be emphasised upon? What isn't needed?

- Finish this the way I want to- have fun with it and discover my passion!

Packaging mock ups ideas

Using the prints I'd made last week, I really quickly mocked up a few labels just to give an impression of what they would look like

What worked:
- Weighed the jars today and really like the idea of 'branding them' with their weight to help usage
- Use of abstract, overlapping pattern (design 1) works through layout, colour and content
- Use of white space in Designs 1 and 2

What needs improvement:
- Invest time in colour choice, reflecting on theory research
- Integration of type- try different typefaces and sizes
- Use of printing media- try plastic to mimic printing onto glass? Paste to attach paper?

What next:
- Find and prep screens on Tuesday
- Develop final designs by end of Wednesday
- Develop final positives by end of Thursday
- Prep screens and collect medium ready to print on Friday

Design 1

Design 1

Design 1

Design 2

Design 3

DIGITAL MOCK UP:

I actually really like the effect of having no background to the label- is this something I could explore?

Screen printing development

After reflection on my past experiments, I again quickly tested a screen print, which I could possibly develop into finals:

POSITIVES:

- Really like the interaction of shapes and the movement they contain

- The colours work as a starting point, they embody the theme of vibrancy and contemporary designs

- Mix of shapes and precision of cutting make it a changing and interesting design to look at

NEGATIVES:

- Transparency of colour could be more pronounced- add more medium

- Need more consideration between size of shapes, as some dominate a lot more depending on colour

WHAT NEXT?
- Need to think about how it will be applied, and on what medium

- Develop strong ideas about what foods to contain

- How many ranges- what should each do/contain?