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I no it would probably be better if I did lots of different development for my packaging, but as I have been developing and designs the different products for this brief, I have used so many different materials I new exactly what I wanted and what would connect all the different products together. Below I have posted a vector image of what I will be printing for my packaging, these will consist of belly bands and labels, I choose these because I don't want to products to be hidden away, I want people to be able to touch them and see them. The belly bands will be used on all the fabric items and the mug tree helping to keep them secure whilst keeping a professional approach. I cant use belly bands for the mugs or jars as they will cover the designs on them so I have opted for labels in the shape of part of the NT logo. I mentioned above I had an idea of being able to link all the products together with the packaging. I am going to do this by using the veneer I used for the wooden items in the range and laminating them together with the text on top. This is a really simple but affective approach to packaging but I feel the items are detailed enough to speak for themselves.

Printing Fabric

I have got my document ready for printing this week, I have posted a snap shot of it below I decided to print the shapes of the products to make it easier for me when cutting as I wont need any patterns, it also allows for me to use different patterns for the different products rather than the same, which is what happened on the baking set for the previous module. I have booked my slot and I all my fingers crossed I get to keep it, with all the priority printed textiles have at the moment.

Product Development

To complete the kitchen wear set I am going to make some oven gloves, again I think the uneven placement of the trees in the first design works really well with the irregular shape, however if I want to use this design on the apron I need to develop something different for the oven gloves, unless I choose a different apron design. I don't like the second oven glove layout, the trees look too structured and the two line trees on this shape doesn't work as well as the mixed up trees.

Product Development

After the crit, I went home and thought about other kitchen products I could finalise the set, looking at the NT and the type of customers who purchase from the NT shop, Aprons seemed the perfect product to add to the collection. This first apron works well but I feel the pattern is too structured for the apron, this design is far more suited towards the jars I developed earlier. The second apron works well, I wanted to experiment with a simplistic design as most of them are full and detailed, however it is a little too simplistic for what I was going for with the apron designs.

The third apron layout I choose to place from the tea towel design on the previous post, the inclusion of the NT symbol helps tie the two together, however if I do choose this I wont be able to use it on the tea towels, this pattern is definitely too detailed and noticeable to be used twice. The fourth apron, I wanted to experiment with using type instead of the NT symbol, this doesn't work as well at all, but I wanted to post it to shoe the opposite of using the symbol vs the type.

I have applied my favourite pattern design to the apron, to see which product it bests works on, doing this I have decided the design is much more successful on the tea towel than the apron, so I wont be using it for the apron. I really like this last apron, the random spread and layout of the trees works really well with the apron, I think this is because the apron shape is irregular, the mismatch positioning and size of the trees really works.

Product Development

A second product idea developed from the crit which I now feel is a vital contribution towards the kitchen wear set is tea towels, I am going to package a set of 2 to be sold together, the design for these have been developed from what I felt were successful designs from the previous product mock ups and earlier development work. I really like the first design, its probably my favourite, but I need to remember to not use this across all products, especially as the mugs have all different designs, I want the products to be the same, I must however remember to keep the products looking like a set even if the illustrations are not all the same.

Product Development

Again I developed this from an earlier design I had mocked up for a mug wrap, this is my least favourite but I chose to post it to show the difference in what does and doesn't work, it has far too much going on and unlike the previous design where the trees arch into the type to create an enchanted forest look, these trees stand too tall and straight to work with text centred. The illustration is much stronger working as an illustration alone and not mixed with type.

Product development

Some earlier design work led me to this layout and positioning of the illustrations, I find it quite enchanting the way the trees almost arc over the text, its really similar to how we find walk ways in forests, which links to the preserved walks in the NT. I am however not satisfied with the placement of text, it doesn't work with the illustrations as it does on the previous two posts, something I will need to further develop if I choose to use this design as a final.

Product development

As I only used 3 linking trees on the previous post, I wanted to create a woodland look which I feel works better than the previous design, simply because it fills a larger areas and that it creates a forest look rather than random trees. The type face I have used across all the jar designs is Optima, when researching the type face NT use I found they have a custom made type face but that Optima is extremely similar to it, so this is the type face I choose. I felt it was necessary to show a link between the jars and the NT I have done this by including the NT symbol, I think it works really well positioned just above the word, very similar to the placement above the type in the logo.

Product development

After discussing the addition more products to this brief, to enable it to be classed as a substantial brief and to get the most out of it, one product I decided on was Sugar, Tea and Coffee jars, this keeps with the kitchen wear theme but will also experiment with different materials and shapes. This first design is simplistic and only uses 3 trees, I really like the use of linking line between them connecting them all together. The textured background I have used on the mugs, so firstly I have used it to match design but secondly it helps add to the earthy feel the kitchen wear have.

Crit Feedback

The crit today was suprisingly helpful, I went into it thinking I new what I was doing and just wanted to get on with it. At this design stage I am nearing the end with 2 of my briefs, but I wasn't sure these were large enough to be classed as substantial briefs, one thing I wanted to get out of this crit was suggestions on weather they thought they were and if not how I could make them substantial. I got some really positive feedback on my work and am finally feeling really excited about it and what I am doing.

The Wood

I took my document down to the wood room, as it was an illustrator file it needed to be converted to a CAD file as we discussed the CNC machine would be better for my design than using the laser cutter as I could use thicker wood to make the tree sturdier. The CNC machine cuts the wood using a drill bit with for my design 4 passes to help create a neater cut. I decided on using a 6mm plywood for my design, however I dint want the look of ply wood, I wanted my mug tree to look expensive and fit in with the standard the NT set with their products so I choose to use a wood vanier to make the wood more expensive looking. Below is an image of the basic piece of ply wood before I applied the vanier.

To apply the vanier to the wood, I first had to stick together all the pieces I had with some tape to the size of the wood, next I had to cover the vanier with some glue and lay it on top of the the plywood, the wood was then placed into a press for 15 minuets to secure the 3 pieces together with pressure. I left the wood to dry over night before I could cut into it the next day, once the trees had been cut out, I had to spend about 3 hours sanding the tree and coasters down before I could coat them with a finish. Below I have posted two images of the difference between the colouring from before and after the oil was applied. This was lindseed oil applied with a rag and left to dry. The finished tree is really beautiful and just completely helps bring the brief to life, it is definitely worth the 3 days it took to make!

Mock up mug tree

So I have finalised on a mug tree I want to take forward to cut out in the woodwork room, it was necessary for me to do this firstly to make sure the gaps within fit a mugs through and can hang of securely and secondly I needed to ensure this design would be stable enough to withstand 4 mugs. The idea behind this mug tree is to link to the mugs and the concept together, the material will be wood and the mugs designs and textures of wood and illustrations of trees, what iI really like about this design is the holes within the design are part of the NT logo they are leaves from the acorn branch, these aren't 100% obvious as I have had to adjust them to have a hanger for the mug and to fit the mug, however I still feel they add to the concept of the mug tree. A second important feature to the mug tree is the coasters, these are cutouts from the holes where the mugs hang, this adds another product to the brief but also links to the preservation of the woodland in that no materials are being waisted. My next step is to make a template in illustrator to take to the wood room and discuss what is the best material for my design.

Mock Up mugs

Before I send my mugs of to print I wanted to mock them up on some mugs to see how well the designs worked. I really like the over quality to them and the designs are really beautiful, I think the addition of the inner design really helps add something a little special to the mugs, which I feel is definitely a necessary element to have with the mugs. I have had some really positive feedback from the mugs which is great as they are only a mock up of the real thing. The only thing I may change will be the addition of the NT logo on the inner of the cup, i feel this is needed not only from professionalism of the mugs but to also help tie the mugs and the NT together otherwise they could be sold anywhere.

Packaging Idea Development

As I discussed on the previous post I want my packaging to have a reusable quality to it, from the design sheets I have decided my favourite idea was a mug tree, this would tie in really well with the illustrations on the mugs but also the concept of the brief for promoting the woodland. I have done a few mock up drawings below, I don't want to just make or use the typical mug tree so I have attempted to think outside the box with this concept and come up with a few different ideas.

Packaging Ideas

After developing the earlier idea of the basic packaging with information provided on the back, I decided after discussing it with other people this was far too basic and didn't help show of the quality of the mugs. Instead I have gone back to basics and done some design sheets so I can get an idea of some new packaging ideas. I have concluded from this I want to make something re usable and not a throw away pieces something typical of my earlier packaging work.

Back Covers

I have experimented again with the back info for the packaging but with the other mug designs, from this I have made the decision that I will only continue with the other design of the illustration, the designs are much stronger and more appealing to the audience I am aiming towards. I have also decided I want to create something a little different for my packaging and not just stick with the obvious box shape and card stock.

Packaging Info

I felt it was time to start looking at packaging ideas for the mugs, especially as they were coming to a print stage, I was hoping the mugs will help me with the style of the packaging. Throughout this brief I have had an idea of what I would like my packaging to look like, to start I have put together some layouts and ideas of what I could potentially use for an informational part of the packaging.