Alternative Techniques-Harbour House

Using Illustrator I was able to create all of my logo ideas for Harbour House. The client had said that they liked the use of negative space in logos, and so I thought I would focus on that as a starting point. Clearly my first idea was far more successful then my second. Playing on the House part of the company name, I used the direct selection tool to manipulate a H into a house structure, and then used the shapes tools and pathfinder tools to create a small door silhouette to complete the house as it was not very obvious that that is what I was going for without it.

I then looked into using basic shapes and type to create a clean, simple logo which I feel I did rather successfully, with the addition of a gradient to finish it off. I then returned to my first idea after thinking about trying to give the negative space house a 3D effect, and while I feel the result is not all that bad, the original idea is far superior.

I then created several ideas focusing mostly on the type, using different fonts and techniques to manipulate and create a range of different ideas.

Finally, I thought it would be worth exploring the use of shape in logos, and after some research, I saw that many shapes are created using the ellipse tool to create clean curves. Using this and the rotate tool, I was able to create two, very similar, ideas.

After I had create some logo ideas, I tool the best and placed them into different branding formats, such as, business cards, compliments slips and letter heads. The business cards I was especially happy with thanks to the ideas of having pieces cut out to give the business cards a unique aspect.

As you can see, my work placement gave me plenty of time to work on logo ideas and place them in different elements, experimenting with different ways to present them on said formats, which is something I rarely leave myself the time to do.

Work Placement-The Point Design

I have now finished my three week work placement at The Point Design and I have to say, it has been a very educational and insightful experience. First and foremost, I learned a great deal about the way the industry works within a company, how everyone collaborates on ideas and produce individual elements, bringing them together to create the final piece and how clients are handled, with much back and forth between client and designer.

I also learned some useful techniques within Photoshop, such as how to cut out images using the pen tool and how everything needs to be saved in terms of file sizes for the benefit of the client. I also had a lot of time to work on a branding brief for a company called Harbour House, all of which will contribute greatly to my Alternative Techniques university brief.

Overall I would say that my time spent on placement has provided me with invaluable knowledge about the world of industry and has helped prepare me for a future in graphic design.