Design Production for Print//Logo Developments.

Logo developments for my design production for print project, in which I hope to promote a hypothetical 
Wes Anderson film festival.

Yesterday, I had, to be honest, a complete freak out about my design developments. Going out and buying items from my list to represent Wes' films (items which included a model submarine, a red beret, etc) and realised how difficult it would be to source the items on such a short time frame- and with such a low budget (of course, the project as it's concept doesn't have a budget... but I do...). I even got to the stage where I reverted to the old vector comfort blanket and started drawing out designs- before I realised this was not at all what I wanted- and wouldn't be the best way to represent Wes' films- but the easy way.

I even went on to create three-dimensional nets of letterforms, with purpose for an instillation before I realised this was completely defying the "out the box" concept... more sleep is needed.

Inspired by the awesome logo for Belmont series shoes by Almond (http://www.almondfootwear.com/), with a great contemporary colour palette and bold design, I went on to create my own vector-based designs, influenced from yesterday's sketches. 

I felt this shape and visual representation worked well with the ideas that I had already been developing- circles and ribbons (ceremonies, awards, events- like the film festival itself).

The designs, still, in my mind, looked a little too "FedEx"... still focusing on the "box" idea far more than the film concept and stuck in a bit of a design rut. Starting to look back at my initial 150 logo designs for the one-week packaging brief that was set by tutor Fred, I looked at my initial ideas of how to effectively represent Wes' films- and the development came quite naturally.

I used the representation of a focus frame around my initial 'WA' Wes Anderson logo to represent not only photographic and visual imagery but also to loosely represent the idea of the box in the "outside the box" concept. Most importantly, it represents lens media and film- what the project and promotion is all about. The title of the festival can change, but now the concept won't.

Applying the logo to existing Wes images to see how well it works- I think it's certainly effective, and looks professional- it directs a message whilst still being discreet. Of course, the designs still need a great deal of work, but this is the very beginning stages, and ideas are still developing (too rapidly for me to get them all down...!).

Although I was initially against the idea for several reasons, largely for copyright/the feeling that I was "cutting corners",  I wasn't too keen to use existing photographs in my own work. Being so keen on photography myself, it felt like I were cheating in a way. However, after a mental struggle over the past few days, I really do feel it is the best way to visually and effectively represent his films- and the spirit they have (the picture of Wes and Owen Wilson, directly above, is a personal favourite). However, I will incorporate several primary photographs (particularly of the picture house) in my own designs, as well as typography, layout and griding, photo editing (duotone, enhancements, etc) net and packaging design, and perhaps an infographic/illustrative vector section in my programme designs (patterns, etc)- so I hope this doesn't compromise my practice, or grades, too highly.

I also feel that this style of design outcome is most suited to the brief and audience- not too alienating or misrepresentative as I feel other productions may have been- also suiting the existing style of the Hyde Park Picture House, but with a slightly different character and unique quality. It's enticing, not alien.