#artg310

For proof 3 we had more progress. Once again we talked about all the changes that I asked for last week.

The faces and background on the full-page look way better, we had 2 options for the background, but it looks cleaner now. For the half-page, I was expecting something different but after this session, I think I explained myself better. And for the banner, the new image looks better, the cherries are more visible than in the last picture and now they're the main focus.

Between the 2 backgrounds, the light one fits better (as contrast) with the other colors, but the logo gets lost in both versions, so we decided to add back the outline but with a thinner stroke or find another solution to get more contrast with the background and the logo. For the half-page, the background is still too busy, so we decided to get a solid color. Also for the type, the line also uses the word jealous, like in the full page, so we're also going to make it the same color as the word in the logo; and the cherries should be aligned at the bottom of the jar instead of at the top. Lastly, for the banner, we decided to make the type the same red as Canadian cherries and then add more details like a stem, shine, etc.

Graphic Designer: Grei Orser Brand & Produce: Hazelnut Hills (Hazelnuts) Publication: Reader’s Digest Best Health

This week, Grei and I reviewed the progress she had made since our last briefing session. I had asked her to refine a few elements of the designs, but keep the taglines the same. We've also been working on the nailing the colour palette down. Last week the designs felt a little bit too red, rather than a warm brown.

First, let's take a look at the banner ad:

This one probably needed the least work out of the three, as it is a fairly clean and simple design. We narrowed down the tagline, and I asked Grei to zoom in on the bag of hazelnuts more. For next week, I wanted her to place even more emphasis on the product, potentially by enlarging the image even more, or darkening the background. I wanted her to see what it would look like if just the top of the bag was in frame, and then the "Crack Me Open" was centred above it (as seen in one of the rough sketches later on in this blog post). I think this design is effortless and elegant, and is just in the fine-tuning stage now.

For the half-page ad, I had asked Grei to find a different image for the background. The one she included last week (left) felt a bit distracting, and didn't match the orchard style look I was hoping for. This week she presented me with a much stronger orchard picture with a deeper brown overlay. She also blended the corners of the paper textures so that there wasn't distracting edges anymore. The deeper brown colour creates a lot better contrast for the type to stand out. I asked Grei to move the bottom ripped paper texture up slightly so it didn't feel so tight to the edge.

Finally, the full-page ad! During our last meeting, I asked Grei to change the background image to a wooden surface or desk to help ground the paper. This also places more focus on the typography and hazelnuts in the foreground. I also suggested that she move the logo onto the paper and render it to look like it was stamped right on the page. She did move it, but I think we will change the colour of it so it doesn't blend into the paper as much. I think another way we could bring some dynamism into the piece, is to have some of the hazelnuts off the page as well. This will lean further into the "spilt" look that is working well in this design. It will also help lead the viewers eyes up towards the tagline.

Graphic Designer: Grei Orser Brand & Produce: Hazelnut Hills (Hazelnuts) Publication: Reader’s Digest Best Health

I was very excited to meet with Grei in person this week! After our brief phone call catch-up on Wednesday (because this week it was my turn to be sick), she had a bit more direction from me. I told her which layouts and taglines felt the strongest to me, and which images I'd like to see used. I also asked her to keep hunting for photos and expand her search to other "free" photo websites. She then tied all of this feedback together to produce this week's proof:

I was so impressed how much work Grei put in this week. To go from essentially just ideation, to fairly refined proofs is a big jump, especially when recovering from illness. The way that she refined the original Hazelnut Hills logo really gives it a more elegant feel, and almost a seal or stamp-like appearance. I did suggest that she add the full "Hazelnut Hills" to the logo on the full spread piece since there is more space. She also picked a lovely cursive typeface that aligns with the rough-but-classy tone I was going for. However, I did feel it might be a tad too rough, so I requested she source a few other options for next week.

As far as the taglines go, Grei nailed it. During our meeting on Wednesday, I told her the ones that I thought were the strongest, and she refined them for our Friday meeting. We both agreed the "crack me open" design might be too inappropriate for print, so we will dial that one back. One of our classmates also mentioned that the nut in "nut your average hazelnut orchard" should have quotes around it, so it doesn't look like a typo.

Grei brought in some ripped paper elements to a few of the designs (she knows I love a paper texture). I felt this worked well to create the hand-written letter look that I want to explore some more. I suggested she change the background of the full page design to look more like a desk, to help ground the "letter", as right now, it's just floating. This will also help ground the hazelnut image she used for that design and create the illusion of nuts spilled on top of a letter. I'm also hoping to utilize some of Grei's illustration skills to bring some more depth to the designs. On the full page, we discussed adding small hazelnut leaf doodles. We can then use this doodles to create some interesting texture to the banner and half-page designs by enlarging the illustrations and lowering the opacity. I think this will create visual interest and the use of a repeating element will help develop cohesion between the designs.

In Proof 2, we went over the first digital draft of the project and discussed the changes that have to be made for the next proof.

Donnavan showed me the 3 ads he made, the full page one was the one that need more iterations, but he still did a good job and followed the specifications. The banner was almost there, but need a couple changes. And the half page needs a little bit of work, but I'm liking how it's looking so far.

For the full page, the background needs to be changed, and the edges on the graphic elements need to be smoother and changed to black instead of white. This ad also needs a second line in some places to match the other 2 ads, and the hands on the cherries can be simplified as well. For the half page, the background image needs to be moved (because of a distracting part is taking a lot of space), or it can be changed completely if moving it doesn't work, and lastly, make the type just 1 color. For the banner, use a different image and use a different color for the type.

For the first proof, we discussed choosing sketches and details before moving to the digital draft.

We started by revising the sketches and some of the slogans my designer brought to class. I chose the best 3 and matched them with the best 3 sketches.

Graphic Designer: Grei Orser Brand & Produce: Hazelnut Hills (Hazelnuts) Publication: Reader’s Digest Best Health

Unfortunately, Grei was sick for this week's briefing session, so she sent me her documents digitally instead. My checklist for Proof 1 was:

Layout Thumbnails

A collection of photos (and sources)

Tagline Concepts

She provided all of these on-time and had a good variety! Grei did mention that finding photos was difficult, which was an issue I figured might arise. However, I was still impressed with the images she presented me.

These were some of the layout options she shared with me. I am leaning towards the designs that feature a close-up of a hazelnut, as this feels more "elegant" to me. When I think of advertisements for high-end products, they tend to focus on the textures or details of the product, so I want to imitate that. However, I was also drawn to the one with the orchard scene with the house/farm in the distance. This concept would work well for the full page spread and create a more personable feeling and create context as to who the "we" is in the taglines.

This was the collection of photos Grei compiled for this week. As I mentioned before, she struggled to find imagery for this project. She did, however, nail the warm colour scheme I was hoping for with the photos she chose, and some nice close-up shots! Some of the photos she selected contain a mix of nuts, which I think could still work with some editing to make sure the hazelnuts are the focus.

Last week, I tasked my graphic designer with creating some potential taglines to use for our advertisements. I requested a few to be a little bit cheeky and inappropriate. She definitely delivered! I was giggling reading through these, and I think they will be even funnier when they are in a beautiful cursive typeface.

Graphic Designer: Grei Orser Brand & Produce: Hazelnut Hills (Hazelnuts) Publication: Reader's Digest Best Health

For the second project, my designer is Donnavan. During the class, we discussed the creative brief and talked about specific ideas/ elements I want this project to have.