Patrick Holmes - Design Practice

Module Evaluation

2009-12-18T03:28:00.000-08:00

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
I have developed my time management skills extensivelly, being able to work on several briefs at a time and managing my dissertation work and ppd work alongside was something i thought i'd struggle with. However, I now work at a faster pace, making descisions more frequently and not lulling over problems i may come across, i feel this is something which has greatly improverd my design practice.

What approaches to generating work and solutions to problems have you developed and how have they helped?
I now research graphic design much more at the start of a brief, looking at books and keeping up to date with design magazines, this gives me inspiration to get started with the brief and i often have lots of ideas to get down onto paper as a result. I also seek the advice of my course mates much more, even if its just a quick question on a particular part of my design they are willing to help, as do i, returning the advice. This is very valuable to my practice.

What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I feel i can design at a faster pace now, from coming up with initial ideas to producing the outcome, this will put me at a more professional level as a designer and will be a valuable trait when seeking a job at the end of the year. Also, I feel my ideas themselves have improved, the concepts behind them are stronger over this module as opposed to last year, I think this is a result of practice, and i now have so much passion for my work to put everything behind it and hopefully continue it as a career.

What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how could you exploit these more fully?
I recently had a chat with a senior designer at Dig For Fire, Sheffield. His advice was to explore more into web/screen based design as this is a vastly growing market for graphic designers. I wouldn't say this area was a weakness of mine but definitely an area i need to devote more time towards, i plan to include more web/screen based design in the coming modules to improve my experience and portfolio over a wider range of media.

How would you grade yourself on the following areas:
(please indicate using an ‘x’)

5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor

Attendance = 4
Punctuality = 5
Motivation = 5
Quantity of work produced = 4
Quality of work produced = 4
Contribution to the group =4

Skype - Finals

2009-12-16T04:21:00.000-08:00

Here's the context of which my final Skype cards will work in. They are received in the mail and the user can hold them up to any view, the di-cut card shows the view through it, this delivers the message 'Skype gives you more'. Also with the other cards, holding different images: phones, people, buildings, they give the same message but in different areas like being able to see more people, see more vies and see more on the move. I have used royalty free images for the context shots as impressive images are required to give the cards their best look.

Leeds Public Art - Context

2009-12-16T04:20:00.001-08:00

I photographed the Leeds Public Arts Publication in the best context: Leeds! Capturing not only the publication itself but the lively background of Leeds too as the Leeds community is the target audience and content of the publication. I particularly admire the table shots, showing the publication can be read over lunch with work colleagues.

Tag: Pac - Xmas Cards Context

2009-12-16T04:19:00.005-08:00

The target audience for my christmas cards are designers, those who may well have to work through the Christmas period..therefore i have photographed the cards in a busy designers working environment.

Tag: Pac - Xmas Cards Finals

2009-12-16T04:19:00.003-08:00

Here are my xmas cards, re-designed to a smaller scale than previously to relate to the 'mini-jest' of the statements on the cards themselves.
I think the cards work well at this scale, they are different to the rest and this is appropriate for my audience.

After gaining feedback on theses cards, it was apparent that they may be a bit too small and difficult to read.. therefore i have enlarged them slightly but maintained the quirkiness of small cards.

Tag: Pac - Xmas Cards

2009-12-16T04:19:00.001-08:00

Seven Deadly Typefaces - Context

2009-12-16T04:11:00.001-08:00

I took my poster down to vernon St. print rooms, here i could photograph it in context; a working environment focused in typography with a hint of history.
Some of the photographs are great for my final boards, the top 3 will be used.
I played around with layout and angles in the print room, i wanted a shot with the huge gold/black printing press but the thing was just too big and out-shined my poster!

Seven Deadly Typefaces - Final

2009-12-16T04:10:00.000-08:00

Here is my printed 'Seven Deadly Typefaces' Poster.
I chose to print onto an off-white cartridge paper to add to the historic style, the poster is narrower than an A2 but of the same height relating to historic manuscripts. For the type on the poster, I chose to use Baskerville as this is appropriate, being a historically used typeface, also the colours red and black are largely paired throughout historic documents. Keeping the layout simple and focusing on the content, the seven deadly typefaces are clearly presented with the use of point size, spacing and colour separation.

Headline Poster - Final

2009-12-16T04:08:00.001-08:00

here is the final Headline poster i have screen-printed.
Things didn't go quite so smoothly as I made an error in the screen-printing process...I didn't 'white-out' the text when printing black, therefore i was printing green directly on top of black which instantly darkened the colour. Due to a tight deadline and considering how long it takes to prepare another screen, i didn't have time to re-print the poster.
However, I'm still pleased with my outcome, the text is still visible and after some photoshopping it doesn't look quite so bad!
Over the course of this brief i have determined that screen-printing isn't an area i'd like to re-visit.

P&O Ferries - Final Booklet

2009-12-16T04:07:00.003-08:00

Here are shots of my final booklet.
I have improved the type, changing it from Ultra Light Helvetica to Light Helvetica and increasing the size of the cover title.
I have printed on matte stock, however i would have specified a double-sided gloss paper to add to P&O's image of quality and consideration to it's image.
For context shots i have photographed the booklet in hands to show scale, and in pocket to show the handy nature of the booklet.

P&O Ferries - Prototype

2009-12-16T04:07:00.001-08:00

Here's an initial print of the P&O booklet.
There is an apparent problem throughout the booklet, the text has 'drowned' in the blue ink, Ultra Light Helvetica is just too light for this printer/stock.
However, the format, scale, colours and pagination of the booklet are spot on, only the type will be amended for the final booklet.

P&O - Finalizing the Design

2009-12-02T03:13:00.000-08:00

I have made some alterations to the design of the booklet. I decided to remove some of the vector line work, the illustrations, and keep the design largley type orientated. I think the use of typography to emphasise the statements is more subtle and clever as opposed to the blatetly obvious illustrations.

This example still includes the suitcases but is adapted to incorporate the type more.

I have used a very subtle type edit for this statement, the S and C are linked to represent a chain or handcuffs. This works much better as opposed to my previous metal detector line work illustration which didn't incorporate the type at all.

Similarly I have replaced the champagne glass on the 'U' and only edited the small ferry icon at the bottom of the page for the statement 'Endless Fun'.

For the front cover I have maintained the divide between P&O Ferry and Plane.Asking a question for the title shows that the booklet shows you which one is best. Very clean and simple design, nothing to clutter and confuse, or lose people's interest and make them not want to read it.

For the back cover I have included a map of P&O travel routes. This gives the booklet more solid information like the accompanying paragraphs under each statement throughout the booklet. And of course the vital phone number and web address, as the booklet's purpose is not only to improve people's views of P&O, but to get them to travel with P&O.

P&O - Type edits

2009-11-28T07:35:00.000-08:00

Using strikethrough text gives the impression of the text being pinned down, restrained, just like the seat belts on an airliner.

I have created a ferry icon to represent the P&O side of the DPS's, this mirrors the Airline plane symbol and interacts with the horizontal line similar to the plane.

Above are more variations on the statements, I want to keep them minimal and focus more on the typography as opposed to the illustrations, I may go back and alter these so they are purely type.

P&O - Type edits

2009-11-26T07:32:00.000-08:00

I feel my layouts are sufficient enough as they are, whoever, i want them to stand out more, be more interesting and show more of my skills with type and layout. Therefore I have been experimenting with the headlines on each page, trying to edit them appropriately to their meaning.

P&O - DPS Layouts

2009-11-25T09:56:00.000-08:00

Here are my layout designs so far, I have narrowed down key points of why P&O travel is better than airline travel. Chosen a blue/white colour scheme as it's relative to P&O and Airline travel, (blue sea, blue sky).
Splitting the booklet left to right for the two methods of travel is clear and looks good following a horizontal theme as you read left>right etc.

Typefaces - P&O

2009-11-25T09:46:00.000-08:00

Abadi MT Light

Abadi MT Bold

Avenir LT Bold

Bookman PS Demi

Underground Bold

Helvetica Neue Ultra Light

Here are a selection of typefaces i am considering to use for the P&O booklet. I have chosen to use Helvetica Neue Ultra Light as it's super clean and professional, very clear but at the same time subtle and modest, (a good image for P&O), due to its ultra thin strokes.

P&O - Typography/Layout Exploration

2009-11-24T08:04:00.000-08:00

Here are updated designs, picking up from where i left off. I have focused more on type but still included the images as part of the type (full stops and question mark stop).

I have decided to use a thinner typeface, here I have used Helvetica Neue Ultra Light. I feel it keeps the design clean and lets the page breath, also it makes the image more visible.

A reverse-out of my design further improves the cleanliness and legibility of the type. I chose blue as it's relative to P&O, they use it, and it's the colour of the sea!

The bar at the base of the page will split the statement from the statistic below. With the icon of P&O or Airline next to the statistic it's clear as to what is what across the page.

P&O - Typography Exploration

2009-11-24T04:42:00.000-08:00

Here I have used a small present image to represent all the gifts you can buy on the P&O ferry.

In contrast, I have used a small suitcase image to represent all the lost luggage across airline travel.

I think this idea is much stronger than my others, However, I think a supporting fact or statistic about the points I'm highlighting is almost essential, just to back-up and solidify the statements. plus, facts/stats seem to win peoples trust.

P&O - Typography Exploration

2009-11-24T04:27:00.000-08:00

For the P&O booklet of comparisons, I want to use type effectively, editing the form of type to relate to its meaning. Here are a few experiments i have started.

Here I was trying to include the suitcase image into the type, i like the simplicity of it, and how you have to spend time to see the cases..

I like the use of image in this design, the suitcases appear to be hiding behind the text, which is a good visual play on words. However, again i think the message is being repeated by the repeated image, maybe one suitcase will bring back the subtly.

Here i have experimented with overlaying type onto image, the image is a simple yellow suitcase, allowing the type to be read clearly. I admire the subtly of the idea and think it could work well throughout the booklet.

Similarly, for the P&O side of the booklet, I have used imagery of products for sale on the ferry, and overlaid type over them. I think this approach is possible going down a route i don't want to take, the work needs to be more type driven, whereas this is more focused to the illustrations behind the type.

Continuing the inclusion of a suitcase in the type, here i have used the counter space on certain letters. i think the composition works better than the previous as it's more consistent, maybe only one suitcase is needed, as these 8, all say the same thing.

This is a design to use on the P&O page. I have replaced letters with vectors of products you can FIND on the ferry, on your journey. This tells the audience what you can find without an accompanying text, which may disturb the simplicity of the booklet.

I plan to use the same text for the P&o page AND Airline page, this links the comparison more and further simplifies the design and overall message. The use of a question mark is only apparent on the Airline page as the statement is to be questioned, whereas its 'true' with P&O.

This method relies on an additional fact as there is no image to backup the statement.

This design makes the lnk the previous one didn't. It has the inclusion of a suitcase to help link the statemtn to a specific point about theairline, and also uses a colour to provide a clear division between P&O and Airline travel. (P&O would be a different colour).

Headline Poster

2009-11-06T07:26:00.000-08:00

Good news,
My Headline poster has been selected as one of the screen prints to be on display in Leeds' Urban Outfitters.
I plan to print around 10 A3 posters in black and green with an additional 5 posters printed black and glow in the dark ink.
Here are the positives which I will expose onto a screen next week.

Here's the digital copy of the final print, We decided to remove the moths as they just confused the design.

Leeds Public Arts - Photographing the Publicatiion

2009-10-26T10:59:00.000-07:00

Here are my final shots of the Leeds Public Arts Publication. I recently accuired a DSLR (CAnon 450D) for my birthday so put it to some use. The result of using the camera is I can show my work to the best possible standard.

Tag: Pac - Xmas Cards Finals

2009-10-21T03:43:00.000-07:00

Tag: Pac - Xmas Cards

2009-10-13T02:24:00.000-07:00

For the Tag: Pac brief, I am designing christmas cards which will be posted and emailed to various design companies around the UK. Therefore, an ordinary card design will not do, the audience is aware of design and the cards will require a high level of whit and knowledge only a designer would know.

Here are my initial design sheets and a few starting ides, just experimenting with words an trying to be witty.

Infectious - Design a Flash Drive

2009-10-10T07:39:00.001-07:00

Follow the link below to vote on my final design for the flash drive competition.

http://www.infectious.com/voting/holmes7711/medusa/4922

Infectious - Design a Flash Drive

2009-10-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

I have decided to extend the Infectious brief and create a series of flash drives. I will design 6 Greek mythology inspired drives, keeping the same template and colour limitations of the original brief.

Here is my first design, Medusa.

Infectious - Design a Flash Drive

2009-10-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a brief I came across recently, It is to design a USB Flash Drive to be sold on www.infectious.com.
Here are initial ideas/designs, a template is provided and a there is a colour limit of 8, no gradients allowed.

Skype - Character development.

2009-10-10T07:27:00.000-07:00

Character designs for the Skype brief. I wanted to create something/someone friendly and memorable. Therefore I have used the Skype colour scheme and kept the characters simple.

Skype - Why Skype is better than a phone.

2009-10-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

Here are my initail design sheets for the Skype brief, which is a past YCN competition brief.
I plan to create direct mail to promote Skype, illustrating with characters and showing the individual features of why Skype is better than a phone.

2009-10-07T04:50:00.000-07:00

2009-10-07T03:16:00.001-07:00

Infectious - Vote for me!

2009-10-07T02:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.infectious.com/voting/holmes7711/medusa/4922

Leeds Public Arts - Photographic type

2009-10-07T02:21:00.000-07:00

Leeds Public Arts

2009-10-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

For the Leeds Public Arts brief, Angus and I experimented with photographing type. This is a relative subject as the book we are producing is photography based, containing many photos from members of the community. This would tie in with our design for the cover, flow chart and page layouts.

Here's a few shots of today's progress, we used the vinyl cutter to create type-stickers('Beauty in the Ordinary' - The publications title), then we photographed the stickers on the stone floor, this brought the title into the environment which the book is highly focused on; our local community.

The outcomes were good, they have potential, but some alterations need to be made. We plan to change the text to a sans-serif typeface to ease readability and create more of a focal point on the cover. Also, the colour of the typeface will be toned down, the red here looks luminous against the stone, it's a bit too much..

Beauty in the Ordinary - Leeds Art Publication

2009-10-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

Here are a few initial ideas and the start/experimentation of our chosen idea for the flow chart, which involved=s using balloons to hold type.