Corporate Identity sourced

Seeking a client

To seek a corporate client that I could re brand I began with people I know. This way I can gain first hand feedback and critique though 1:1 contact.

The two companies I sourced are a Laser tag company that has been established for over two years and the second is a play centre for kids parties that has been operational for over five years.

If you look at the banding they both have lots of opportunity for improvement. My thought process analysed what kind of branding I could incorporate and which would be an interesting challenge.  My research of similar companies marketing material, logos, poster designs pushed me in the direction of the laser tag. This decision was based on the interesting factor, opportunity to explore new software techniques and the one that I felt I could offer the most too and even have my designs used in the future.

Examples of posters and logos from similar types of companies

The image above is various examples of some of the logos and marketing material that I found through my research of similar type of companies.

My view on the majority of the logos and posters I found in my research of similar style companies was that a lot of the software available today and techniques have not been utilised as much as I feel they could be.

Most of these designs seem to have basic typography, the photography is of poor quality or uploaded from a generic site and too busy to make it interesting to its audience.

The logo at the bottom of my examples for Gateway Laser tag is one of the best examples I could find.

 

 

The rules of a graphic designer

David Carson speaks at a conference on the rules of a graphic designer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttdDGnmDbBw

To understand graphic design I thought it was important to research those that have been the masters in this area.

This lead me to David Carson who is an American graphic designer, artist and surfer and is best known for his innovative magazine design, and use of experimental typography.

In the link above he talks about having the eye. No one sees something the way you see it, so use your own imagery and show what you see. You can use images from downloads etc. but it wont be unique and it will not show what you see.

He goes on to explain that in the world of corporate branding and marketing you must strive to show your clients company in a different light as this will make it more interesting to the audience it is tying to reach.

In this example of Carson's work he talks about a paddling board company. In most advertising campaigns designers use generic images such as sunny sky's, welcoming waters and smiling, happy warm models.

But Carson wanted to show the company in a different light, with dark cloudy days with the models wrapped up in wetsuits. Some of the imagery is quite dark and gloomy which is not very appealing to a first time surfer. However  through the visuals you are telling its audience to look at these guys, they are different, they don't need to dress up the image to sell there product, they must be unique.

So therefore the message is successful. You have shown that the clients company is unique and it is confident about its products. It does not have the need to add gimmicks to sell its paddling boards.

What is Graphic Design?

Graphic design is the combination of type, image, symbol, colour and logos used to communicate and influence its audience.

It is the graphic designers responsibility to understand the material that needs to be communicated through problem solving and how to communicate the message effectively.

In many ways Graphic Design is everywhere, whether you want to sell, explain or demonstrate a process it can be achieved through effective visual communication.

Graphic designers must build an understanding with people and through these visuals an audience can be affected in many ways.

It can be seen in many different places from something as little as our own homes to the largest cities in the world and it is used to perform all sorts of functions.  

The most common areas that graphic design being used is in branding, posters, billboards, websites, and packaging. Other areas that you may not even notice include signage within a building such as a hospital. Without it you would not be able to find you way around the building easily and without much trouble.

 

The composition is the most important aspect of graphic design and without it the message would not be achieved visually.

Graphic designers work with drawn, painted, photographed or computer generated images to create image based designs, type based design, image and type or symbols, logos and logotypes designs.

 

David Carson a well established graphic designer uses rules in his designs that he adheres to:

 

- Who the audience is

- Who you are tying to reach

- What the message is

- What is the audience used to seeing

- What stuff are you in competition with

 

He also says that to show a company in a different light will make it more interesting to its audience.

In summary graphic design is the art in which we communicate through words and images strategically placed and arranged to influence the audience in a specific way.