LCA Christmas Card // Final design and evaluation

In the final design, the combination of hand rendered type and painted illustrations create a lighthearted and upbeat aesthetic. The illustrations show figures creating and placing different festive objects; this is to communicate to alumni the art and design talent of students at Leeds College of Art. The type is in a playful, personalised style to create a friendly and warm feel, as it is a lighthearted greetings card.
The back of the card is simply the college logo, as a more serious and legitimate reminder of who we are and what we do.

Evaluation

Overall the design clearly communicates the festivity of Christmas, as the features such as mistletoe are widely associated with the holiday. As my design did not get chosen for the final card, it is possible that it does not appeal to the target audience as strongly as it could. This could be because doesn't completely polished and professional. I could have created something more original such as putting thought into the packaging of it, instead of it just being a double sided card.

LCA Christmas card // development

From what I previously scanned in, I have arranged the illustrations with some of the typography in photoshop. 

I have cleaned up the drawings, such as making the lines neater and I replaced the christmas pudding with another better drawing.

In terms of colour, I have made the text red as it is a colour commonly known as festive. It's a deep red, which is quite warm and cosy, which is appropriate to create a mood of festivity.

For the background colour, I immediately tried shades of green, as it is very commonly paired with red in the context of Christmas. However, I really don't think it is effective - it looks too harsh and bright, and also very stereotypically festive - which it doesn't need to be and maybe that would be off-putting to look at.

Blue seems to work better, as it is quite muted, so the red type stands out more. More attention can be paid to the illustrations.

Next, online I found a textured effect which I added to the design, which gives it a warmer, less digital feel. This also made me think that it could be printed on coloured paper that would have a similar effect in its rough aesthetic.

I made the festive objects white so that the illustrations are clearer - now it is easier to see what exactly is happening. It also makes the design a little brighter, as the illustrations in all black seemed very dull.

I tried out some of the other type I created to see how it would look. Its a little too messy and childish looking. The other type is more exciting and friendly as the capital letters make more of an impact.

I added snowflakes, as there seemed to be some empty space. The white dots add even more of a festive feel, but subtly.

LCA Christmas card // Research and ideas

Last year two third year graphic design students were chosen for their card design.

Their design is pretty impressive, as the focus is more on the packaging rather than the design of the card itself.  It is packaged like a present, which is very much appropriate. The illustration for the front of the card is quite underwhelming and a very childlike - it doesn't seem to represent the college in all its diversity and creativity. However, the cracker package it comes in makes it very strong overall.

I am feeling quite overwhelmed by my dissertation, so I do not want to give myself too much to complete. As I want to expand my illustration skills, I want to create a one sided card with a simple, festive illustration on the front.

I need to create something that reflects how much talent and creativity LCA has, without symbolising our course's skills in particular.

It also needs to be festive. So the important thing to research here is Christmas symbolism.

In the brief it stated that these key words need to be considered:

Christmas, friendly, creative, vibrant, specialist, independent, unique, innovative, quality, and contemporary.

What do we associate with Christmas?

• Santa Claus
• christmas crackers
• party hats
• mistletoe
• holly and ivy
• presents
• snow, snowmen, frost
• christmas trees
• christmas pudding
• reindeer

I started sketching from these symbols to get the ball rolling.

It occurred to me that a drawing of a building with lots of windows could give a lighthearted insight into the practices of the students. It is a cosy way of showing creatives at work. But this could possibly lack a clear festive feel.

I have thought of making the building into a subtle christmas tree shape, to make it more festive.

Another idea is to have 'students' creating the christmas symbols on the card, to connote our skills in creating things. I definitely want to embody what we do and to remind the receiver that we're here and we're talented.

Using black ink and watercolours, I did some neater illustrations, taking the idea of painting the festive shapes further. By using a paintbrush I'm trying to create naive illustration that has a 'crafted feel', which was in the brief, aswell as 'friendly', which this feels rather than sharp and clear cut shapes.
The illustration in which I used colour was a little too unruly and messy. I prefer the black outlines, which I may or may not digitally edit. The naivety of the style is friendly and personal, giving a lighthearted feel - something important when it's Christmas.

 

I have begun creating a hand rendered typeface to use with the illustrations, as it fits in with the aesthetic well. I've tried out different styles to figure out which is best and which suits the tone of voice, which needs to be friendly and informative. I've concluded that the letters at the bottom of the first image work the best - the way that they are mismatched gives character and warmth - the other styles seemed a little too harsh or messy.

LCA Christmas Card // Christmas illustration and card research

I looked on pinterest at Christmas card designs and illustrations.

These designs are all very typical, but they successfully communicate festivity. I want to create something that has a similar friendly, warm feel, but also reflects the theme of the college - art and design.

Competition Brief // Leeds College of Art Christmas Card

Brief

To design and make 75 Leeds College of Art Christmas Cards to be mailed out to key College contacts. 

Purpose 

Leeds College of Art works with a variety of businesses including governors, community groups, artists, suppliers, creative businesses etc. As a seasonal gesture of appreciation and thanks, staff here at the College would like to post a Christmas card to those that we work with. 

Mandatory Requirements 

The card must have a crafted feel, but look professional and artistic. You will be responsible for the production of the cards. The final cards must fit inside an A5 envelope. 

Content 

‘Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Leeds College of Art’ 

Tone of Voice 

• A friendly and informative tone of voice should be used.
• It should be professional, considered, and innovative whilst portraying the College as a leader in art, design, media and communications education. 

Concept/Ideas 

Please consider and reflect these words in your concepts and ideas:
Christmas, friendly, creative, vibrant, specialist, independent, unique, innovative, quality, and contemporary.

This brief caught my eye as it is fun, is a good opportunity to use my illustrative style, and really gives me a platform to get creative. I have never done Christmas-themed design before, so it should be an interesting and new experience.