Design Process Example

Wedding Invite

For the brochure task we are focusing on the Develop and Deliver stages of the design process. See the example below:

I have coded my annotations:

All annotations about TYPE and LAYOUT are bold.
Explaining steps/tool/processes in Adobe are in GREEN.
Feedback is in purple italic
Annotations about GESTALT principles are underlined.
Divergent Thinking is in pink. This includes annotations about:
- - Gathering & analysing inspiration
  - Brainstorming
  - Generating imaginative ideas
  - Drawing & making
  - Creating, recreating and experimenting.
Convergent thinking is in purple. This includes annotations about:
- - Critically evaluating ideas
  - Collecting, documenting and addressing feedback
  - Refining concepts
  - Testing, iterating and evaluating
  - Resolving final features & details

Brief

Clients: Sel & Rob

A wedding invitation design that includes some of the things the couple love with a fun party mood. The information MUST be clear, organised and easy to read for ALL guests.

Some things the couple would like in the invite below.

Sel: 80's disco colour scheme with neon colours, arches. Australian native plants/gum trees. nature,

Rob: favourite colour orange. Colourful. Dungeons and Dragons? Fantasy and Sci-Fi.

Screenshot 1:

Colour scheme that creates a party fun, party mood. 80's disco neon colour scheme. Neon, contrasting with dark blue/purple background.

In Adobe Illustrator I experimented with a radial pattern of ombre dots. They made me think of planets in the universe.

I chose one of my favourite typefaces Elephant - It's a serif typeface, classified as a modern typeface because it has very high contrast between stroke thickness.

Screenshot 2:

Next, I incorporate mountains to give the image some context and create a stylised landscape.

I added a semi-transparent rectangle to darken the bottom half - trying to create the effect of reflection in water.

The black silhouette of a dragon subtly symbolise Dungeons and Dragons.

Feedback (Ask classmates, teacher, family, friends etc.)

FEEDBACK from an artistic friend: The mountains disappear and can't be made out. They need to be lighter and/or have texture to provide more contrast against the background colour to look more mountain-like. The dragon is too subtle - maybe make it bolder.

FEEDBACK from Rob: The dragon seems unnecessary and out of place.

Screenshot 3:

Wanted to somehow link the imagery on the invite to the venue. So, I added the gum trees to represent the location of the ceremony in a park with big gum trees.

The radial pattern of dots was overpowering the trees. Arranging the dots into a colourful comet shower is more subtle.

The comets frame the top of the image with an arch (arches are Sel's favourite architectural feature).

FEEDBACK from Rob: the reflection at the bottom doesn't look like water. Maybe add ripples?

Screenshot 4:

I found a YouTube tutorial to create water ripples in Adobe Photoshop. How to Create Water Reflections With Realistic Ripples in Photoshop - YouTube

I opened the Illustrator (.ai) file in Photoshop and cropped the bottom half of the image. I watched the tutorial and created the ripple effect. I saved the Photoshop (.psd) file. I opened the .ai file in Illustrator. I placed the .psd file into the image and put it on the bottom half of the composition.

Screenshot 5:

I started adding all the information to the composition and realised that the ripples were impacting the clarity of the information, so I got rid of the ripples.

I want to keep layout of information symmetrical. I centrally aligned all the text and arranged the information in a central column. The information was not going to fit, so I fit a column on the left and right side to keep the symmetry and balance.

I experimented with the eyedropper tool to use some of the colours in the comet shower in the sub-headings.

I tried to create a hierarchy of information using different pt size and colour for headings.

I went searching Google for a similar style typeface with some more unique/decorative features. I found Blacker Sans Display. I like the contrast in the stroke thickness and the sharp corner on the capital "R".

I also considered the GESTALT principle "Similarity" (how people will perceive the information). I realised the sub-headings need to all be in the same colour to make the information easier to read.

Screenshot 6:

PRINT TEST: After a print test I felt that the A5 size invitation looked awkwardly large. (A5 is half the size of A4)

FEEDBACK: I asked a few friends, they agreed that it looks too large,

Screenshot 7:

The other available size at the printer is A6 (a quarter of A4).

PRINT TEST & FEEDBACK: I printed this and showed to friends and students. One person said her mum could not read the 8pt size type.

I also considered the GESTALT principles. The proxitimy of all the information is way too close making all the information blend together, there needs to be more space separating each bit of information.

I decide to go back to A5 size.

Agency FB is too condensed and too rectangular.

Originally, I chose Blacker Sans Display for the subheadings because I liked the contrast between the thick and thin strokes. After a few test prints I realised that the thin strokes disappear at 14pt size and become unreadable.

I chose Queenside Medium (screenshot 8), because geometric fonts are my favourite. I love how it is made up of perfect circles and arches.

Screenshot 8:

The white display font for Sel & Rob has a high contrast against the background, making it too stark.

FEEDBACK: I showed screenshot 7 and 8 to a few people to see which fonts they prefer. One comment was that the font used in screenshot 8 was too typical (not unique).

When evaluating the entire composition of Screenshot 8, I decided that the san-serif and geometric fonts in the heading and sub-heading made the type feel disconnected from the organic imagery in the background. I needed to find typefaces that included more gentle curves and maybe some organic characteristics.

Screenshot 9:

I added a pale gradient to the heading to soften the contrast between type and image. I was going for a shade of orange, but it looks a bit peachy.

I decided to revert back to Elephant as the display typeface for the main heading - I think the fine delicate serifs and a very high contrast between thin and thick strokes has a good balance of classic and modern features. The contrast in weights at large point size creates dominance. The serifs also provide the soft curves that I was looking for to connect with the organic imagery.

I reduced the point size of the ampersand to make it less dominant and save some space.

Licence: Elephant is supplied by Windows so it is free for commercial

For the sub-headings, I searched for a formal typeface that had a nice flow between the glyphs. I found Chrunchy. I think it has natural curves and looks like real handwriting. It adds an organic effect that connects the type to the imagery in the background. It is also has a perfect stroke weight for the subheading - giving in the right level of dominance in the visual hierarchy.

Licence: Chrunchy is for personal use only - which is fine for a wedding invite (not ok for marketing material)

Pairing Fonts:

The Elephant and Crunchy typefaces are both dominant in very different ways. I think they work together because they have contrasting characteristics.

All other information should be in familiar/common typefaces, so they don't draw too much attention - with some basic features that connect back to Elephant - such as serifs.

Anymore decorative or formal type would make the composition to crowded and upset the visual hierarchy.

Bodoni is a famous and common Modern typeface (like Elephant). It relates harmoniously with Elephant without drawing the viewer's attention away from the heading. The high contrast in the stroke thickness connects it with the main heading, the smaller point size and placement under the heading make the date second or third in the hierarchy.

Licence: Bodoni is supplied by Windows so it is free for commercial

I chose another commonly used typeface, Garamond for the body text (body text is the text in paragraphs). This was simply for it's east readability at 12pt size and that that the gentle curves of the serifs and slight contrast in stroke width, relates to the characteristics of Elephant and Bodoni. Garamond is a Humanish/Old Style typeface - this classification relates to calligraphy - the gentle curves of Garamond seem to sit harmoniously under the sub-headings in the Chrunchy typeface.

Licence: Garamond is supplied by Windows so it is free for commercial

Screenshot 10:

FEEDBACK: Rob said the capital "T" in the Crunchy typeface looks like a "G".

To fix this in Illustrator, I select the type > right click > create outlines. Then I use the direct selection tool to move the anchor points until the T looks like a T.

Screenshot 11:

I added pink to the gradient in the heading. The pink somehow enhances the orange.

I experimented and evaluated the point size of all fonts by doing multiple test prints.

I aimed to make the information clear by having enough space around each group of information -but also make the point size clear to read.

Screenshot 12:

SETUP FPR PRINTING: I added the 3mm bleed and trim marks to the image, so the professional printers know where to cut.

Pink in the title is overpowering.

Screenshot 13:

I reduced the pink in the title. I changed the comets at the top to turquoise. I put a light fog over the mountains in the centre to create a sense of depth and a bit of a glow around the heading.

DONE!

Page updated

Report abuse