OUGD503 RESPONSIVE: Design boards for Individual studio brief 1 - Cath Kidston.

Design boards for Cath Kidston (Studio brief 1)

OUGD503: Responsive : Studio Brief 1 : Cath Kidston print.

Today I started the design process of my print for Cath Kidston. The way I thought woud be best for me to achieve the typical Cath Kidston style would be to sketch and paint my subjects before I went to work with them in digital format.

Knowing what I wanted the 5 main subjects on my print to be, I went in search of an image of each of these that I could use as inspiration for the print:

- Beach huts. 

- Donkeys.

- Deckchairs.

- Pier.

- Sandcastle.

Although one could assume that trips to the beach that include activities such as building sandcastles and donkeys rides is not relevant to my audience (29 year old woman without children), the focus of the print is not on the relevance of the subjects to the audiences life now, but relevant to memories that they may have had as a child. Nearly every british person has had a holiday to the seaside in which they would take part in these activities, especially before going abroad became so popular around 25 years ago, when people had more money to do so. Before then British holidays at the seaside were somewhat 'The norm', and so this is what I have decided to be the theme for my print 'memories of the British seaside'. 

The images i found which I will use to inspire my print:

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Using the 5 images above as a template and a light box, I sketched up outlines of each of my subjects. 

Next I moved onto painting each of the sketches with acrylic paints, to try and achieve the Cath Kidston painterly style. Although the painted pieces would not be final edits that would be put straight into the print, I wanted to test out the painterly style. 

It was also at this moment that I had to start deciding what colours I would use as the limit on the brief was 12 colours and so I made a list of what colours I would need to use for each illustration. 

Beach huts:

- white

- blue

- red

- dark red

- yellow

- light grey 

- dark grey

I noticed straight away as soon as I started making the list that I had used 7 of my 12 allowed colours already within one illustration and so for the next 4 sections I began to see whether the same colours above could be used. 

Deck chairs:

-white 

-blue

- light wood

- dark wood

- light grey

Total amount of colours: 9

Pier:

-black

-blue

-yellow

Total amount of colours: 10

Sandcastle:

- light wood (lighter tones of sand)

- dark wood (darker tones of sand)

- white

- brown

- red

- blue

Total amount of colours: 11

Donkeys:

- red

-dark red

- dark grey

- light grey

- blue

- black

- brown

- white

Total amount of colours: 11

When finishing selecting colours I had used 11 colours out of my 12 that were allowed. Leaving one colour to use for the background. As I had to create the pattern in three different colour ways, I decided that the background colour would be the colour that I would change, as this would influence the overall effect of the piece and cause the largest visual change. The three background colours I want to work with when producing my tile are; white, light blue and light grey. I wanted to inkeep with the the of the british seaside, as when visiting, sometimes the sky can be blue, whilst other times, a pale grey. 

I began painting my subjects, I started with the Donkeys. 

I used the images I had collected as a guide, as to how I should shade the donkeys, selecting the colours of paints from my pallet that would work in each area. I decided to incorporate a previous Cath Kidston print into this illustration to push the style to evermore be classic Cath Kidston. I did this by painting one of the donkeys coats in a signature Cath Kidston print... The red polka dot. 

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I was pleased with the way my representation of this subject came out, with the nod to Kidstons previous print, and the tongue in cheek vibe that the brief was looking for, painting the donkeys from the back end instead of the front. 

Next I moved on to the pier, this was probably the easiest object to paint, as it was a silouette, therefore mostly black, with accents of yellow for lights. I decided once i had finished painting the very detailed underneath of the pier, I would progress with the rest in illustrator, as I didn't particularly need to work out 'tone and shading' on an almost all black piece. 

I then worked on the sandcastle which was the easiest object to paint using to tones to create the castle and the simple union jack colours to re create the flag. 

Once I had painted the 3 of these, I decided I was comfortable enough recreating the painted effect and so I moved into illustrator. The first piece I digitalized in illustrator was the sandcastle as I wanted to start of easy, to get the hang of working with the painted style. 

This was especially east, as I scanned in and followed the painting I had done for exact reference of where to shade etc. 

I didn't however like how the flag of the sandcastle looked so static, and therefore using the beneath image for reference I changed the flag so it would appear as if it were 'blowing in the wind.'

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Next I moved onto the donkeys, which again were quite easy to digitalise due to previously painting them. However when I began to recreate them I felt that the shading was not particularly right, and therefore decided to play around with silouettes and shadows in order to make the donkeys seem more 'real' yet still 'painterly'. I increased the ability to make the donkeys look more authentic by employing the use of opacitys. layerind white and black with low opacity in sections which I thought need more highlight or shadow.

First donkey digital illustration according to my original painting:

Second and final improved donkey digital illustration:

Next I moved onto the pier. When I had painted this object I thought ahead, and painted it clearly and with detail so that when It came to recreating it digitally, I would not have to redraw the whole thing but merely image trace it to achieve the desired effect. 

However I found that once I had traced this up and filled in the parts that were missing, that the pier may not work within the pattern. The other illustrations were so full of colour and light, and this was lacking both, meaning that it could be entirely inconsistent with the rest of the images. 

Next I began filling in the deck chairs following both the photography for colour reference and my pencil drawing scanned in as a stencil. I added accents of light grey to give the chairs some depth and movement. 

Next I moved onto the beach huts. From the sketch that I scanned in, I picked 3 of the huts and combined them in a row in order to create the motif. 

I decided to do them in a nautical theme of colours, blue and white, yellow, and red wood. 

One I had got the simple outline and block colours shown above I began to highlight and shadow sections of the piece using a range of opacities of colours in my 12 colour pallet.

On this piece I also added extra detailing of rocks and sea puddles found commonly on the british seaside. I felt that these extra details gave sections of the print more rythum, placement and context, and so I began to add them to each of the illustrations. 

I also made a set of 6 by themselves that I could place inbetween the main motifs in the pattern to prevent it become too 'cluttered' and allow space between each of the main illustrations. 

Once I had all the motifs digitally illustrated I began to stagger them in illustrator to create a single tile formation. I had to remember what I had learnt in my research, that any motifs which overlapped the boundary of the tile must connect exactly on the reflective side. 

Below is my first tile I have constructed with all of the motifs staggered to create a tile. I have tried to include enough negative space, so that the tile does not look cluttered, a detail that the writers of the Cath Kidston brief wanted to avoid. 

Notice that the beach huts on the left hand side disappear off of the top and the bottom edge, when the tile is then stacked into a column, this section connects up seamlessly. I continued to make each section of the pattern overlap seamlessly.

The choice of colours I chose to use for the background is directly related to the hues seen in the sky during a British summer, as these do not have the best weather, the colours I have chosen are a pale grey, powder blue and white. 

Grey:

Blue:

Once I had finished the print, I passed the print over to friend of mine, whom used the 3d program sketch up to apply the print to a set of bedding, as the pattern would be applied across a range of products at cath Kidston including home. 

Once this had been done, I was able to see exactly how my pattern would work in context. 

OUGD503: Responsive: Studio brief 1 : Cath Kidston.

Responsive.
Competition brief one.

For the next task we were asked to find a competition brief that would be large enough for us to work on up until Christmas. After looking on a few different competition websites I came across one that interested me on YCN. 'Design a new print for Cath Kidston'.

I wanted to begin my journey on the responsive module doing something that would really spark up my own interests. I have been a follower of Cath Kidston for a while, never manage to walk past the store in Leeds without going inside, and therefore have made a few purchases. I have also become very interested in pattern design, particularly over the last half of the first year, however I have not yet undertaken a project that allows me to explore into this sector of graphic design until now. 



The Brief.

Cath Kidston

Design a new print for Cath Kidston.

Background

If you wanted to buy an ironing board cover in the early 1990s you had limited options. One: utilitarian grey. Two: 'comedy' – think a man in his underwear. Cath Kidston realised there must be a way to update something traditional with a modern, unexpected new look, and cheer up a dull chore in the process. Having recently opened a shop selling vintage fabrics, bits and pieces collected from flea markets, and car boot sales, and old furniture repainted in bright colours inspired by the interiors of her childhood home, it was inevitable that Cath would start designing her own prints and products. A floral print ironing board cover was one of the first Cath Kidston products and it caught the attention of customers and press alike, helping to establish the brand.

20 years on we’re still cheering up the everyday with our fresh, witty take on design. We’re known for our original, practical products and cheerful, colourful prints which have a hint of nostalgia but are always fit for modern life.

We are The Home of Modern Vintage, and now have more than 130 stores worldwide.

Our brand is…

• Approachable and inclusive
• Warm and friendly
• Cheerful and fun
• Confident and quirky
• Imaginative and unique
• Modern and relevant
• Comforting and homely
• Straightforward and real

Our prints are…

• Contemporary classic but not retro repro
• Reinventing our favourites but not copying our past
• Coloured using a bold and distinctive palette
• Used in a fresh, surprising and modern way

… and based on our…

• British sense of humour and cheekiness
• English heritage

… but not…

• Too pretty, too sweet, too soft or too twee
• Too cluttered, too fussy or too busy

Our Target Customer is…

Female, 29 years old, has just moved in to her first proper home of her own, has a job she really enjoys, has a close group of friends and a family she values, she doesn’t have children yet… but she’s got plenty of friends who have.

She’d describe herself as…

Fun, witty, interested, creative, optimistic and independent.

Her style is…

• Stylist… but not trendy
• Individual… but not showy
• Feminine… but not cute
• Well put together… but not overly groomed
• Fashion conscious… but not slavishly so

She likes…

• Making stuff… be it food for friends or cushions for her new sofa
• Going out… but she usually remembers how she got home these days
• Festivals, car boots and vintage shopping
• Going to an exhibition… followed by a bit of reality TV
• The idea of country life… but not just yet

She is a modern British woman.

The Creative Challenge

Design one new conversational print taking into account our brand values and print style. Examples of conversational prints within our range would include Cowboy, Garden Birds, Guards of London – these are prints with a recognisable picture within them. Classic Cath Kidston floral, spots or stripes would not be described as a conversational print.

The print should be designed to be used across three of our product categories; Women’s Fashion, Women’s Accessories and Home. We are looking for an original theme and a fresh new take on our unique visual style. Your print can take any visual direction you wish, as long as you believe it to be in tune with our brand.

A selection of entries will be exhibited at our new London flagship store at 180 Piccadilly (opening December 2013) during April 2014. All commended entries will be considered for a 12 month internship within our Print Design team.

Creative Requirements

Please submit the print in both repeat tile and stepped out versions, and create three different colourways. You should use a maximum of 12 colours.

Additional Information

For more information and to view our entire product range visitcathkidston.com

Deliverables, Artwork and Additional Information

For guidance on how to submit your work, please adhere to the main deliverables information which can be found here.

Any additional supporting information referenced in the brief can be found in the supporting project pack.

What do I want to get out of the brief?
A better understanding of designing for an external clients, deadlines and preparing work for submission, as well as a more knowledge on a section of Graphic design I have not yet had the chance to design for. 

What do I want to produce in response?
A individual, innovative not yet done conversational print that draws upon British humour and reflects the brand values of Cath Kidston, and fulfils the brief, as well as improve my own ability to design print/pattern.

What do you need in response to the brief?
A better understanding of Cath Kidston brand values, the history and brand up until now, as well as recurrent themes within the brand such as, English heritage/ culture, the modern women etc.

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What is the problem?
Cath Kidston are lacking ideas for new prints, and need to bring in more revinue.

What are we being asked to do?
Design a print that will communicate how fun and quirky the Cath Kidston brand is, to bring in new customers and therefore, more money.

What is the brief trying to achieve?
A larger following of the brand, through the use of classic Cath Kidston quirks.  

Who will benefit mostly?
The company will benefit most through the loyalty of existing customers and the attraction of new ones. 

What is the message?
To display Cath Kidston as the individual modern brand that is tongue in cheek, funny, but not over the top, iconic, but not cheesy, feminine and well collected.

How is the message being delivered?
Through a fresh new conversational print that displays the quintessential brand personality that is Cath Kidston. Classic, Stylish, quirky, tongue in cheek humour, with the target audience in mind. 

Can you forsee any problems?
Knowing where the border is between British heritage/ culture and British gimics as well as the difference between classic and retro etc.