Primary Research 2

For part of my research, I took photographs of different cafes and restaurants that were in Leighton Buzzard Town. I looked at the menus, the typography they used, the colours and the signage that they included, such as 'open' or 'close' signs or prices.

I started my research in Subway. They use bright colours and large imagery and typography. The name of the business is very clever and works really well with the theme. The arrow following off from the letter 'Y' shows the customer that you can take the food away. It also makes you want to come in as the arrow is directly above the door, pointing inside. The open sign is simple, however because they are using complementary colours, red and green, my eyes are instantly drawn the this cafe. The colours for the advertisement posters are very vibrant, and the images are large, which makes my eyes look twice. The theme and the design of the posters/typography makes me think of an American/Las Vegas style cafe, with big shiny pound/dollar signs and images.

 Afterwards, I looked at Costa. My client mentioned that she loved the mood that Costa brings and the branding of Costa. They have big billboards outside of their cafe, with the logo design and the name included, so that the customers know who they are and what their main product is that they are selling. They have included simple stickers on the front of the door, which is easy for the customers to recognise the information, however because Costa is busy most of the time, customers cannot spend too much time standing in front of the door, as they are in the way of others. Costa has recently change the design for the menu. Recently, they used white chalk on black board. This created a calm vibe throughout the restaurant. At this moment, they have included white and a light green as the centre colours. This creates a calm, cosy feel and makes the customers feel relaxed. The individual prices for the sandwiches and cakes look effective, however there is no colour or fancy decoration, which may not attract the customers' attention.

 I looked at 'Coffee & More', also situated in Leighton Town. I love the simplicity of the typography and the logo, as it can work on any materials and colour ranges. The type is easy to read and understand, however the 'Open' sign in the door is quite off-putting. The sign is placed to one side, not directly in the middle which does not look as effective. The colours used and the shape of the sign is very boring, making it look like a Fire Exit sign. This could divert the customers' attention. The menu signs are created from blackboard and coloured chalk. This looks really effective and definitely catches my attention. The images, vibrant colours and funky type make my eyes wander around the menu, drawn to the food ad drinks on offer. The table menus are very simple but effective as they are easy to read. The boards and different promotional offers are eye catching, full of colour and life and the text is imaginative and bubbly.

 The last place that I visited was the bakery. They do not have a wide area of wall space and the shop is very slim, therefore the price list is placed behind the door. This is a bad idea as most people don't look behind doors, so have to keep asking for the price. The logo design and the layout of the opening hours sign looks inviting as it is simple and uses the same colour range.

I also conducted research on two artists to gain inspiration on designs, typography and colour. I looked at Kate Moross and David Carson, as their designs are bases around typography and colour. 

Kate Moross

I looked at Kate's official website, researching about her and her work. Kate is a 26 year old London based creative designer. She is the director of Studio Moross (founded in 2012), has a fascination with 3 sided shapes, illegible typography and freeform lettering. Moross attended South Hampstead High School and studied art foundation at Wibledon School of art. She went on to complete a BA degree at Camberwell School Of Art in 2003. Moross has created nationwide billboards for Cadburys, Signature clothing range for Topshop and illustrations for Vogue Magazine. 

Analysing her work:

I studied a couple of her designs and I instantly loved them. This piece of work is very funky. I love the use of curly lines, and bubbly text as it makes my eyes wander around the page. However, some of the text is quite hard to read, therefore would take away peoples attention. I love the style, although I need to think about how clear and understandable I need to make my text as the students and adults need to be able to feel comfortable in the environment they are in and the information around them. The colours are very girly, creating a cute theme. By incorporating the red on the refectory walls with blacks and whites, I could create similar designs and  funky typography. I feel that this would look great as it would fit in really well with the theme that I am going for, although I don't want to make it too child like as my target audience is mainly the students as this is their main area to eat and chill with friends. I love how she has used different font types together as it creates a powerful feel. I would like to incorporate this method in my designs. 

I chose this next piece of work as it shows various typography designs, which I could use as inspiration to create my own funky type. I could use this type as imaginative words or phrases on the red walls to create a chilled atmosphere and to break up the red as it does seem quite over powering.  When looking at all the different types, my favourite one is the curly type as it is girly and sweet. It makes me feel happy, although  the curls at the ends look like they are curling up, tight into a ball, therefore making me or others feel isolated from other excited people. The word 'Promise' makes me think of best friends and family promises, secrets and lies, as some of the text is wobbly, therefore unstable and others block capitals, therefore never ending and unbreakable. I feel that the name of the design 'Pencils Of Promise' shows this, showing that you can erase your mistakes is life as well on paper, making up for them. When looking this piece of work up, I saw that this was hand drawn for charity, therefore Promise can be related to changing lives and keeping promises. 

 Moross created banners for creating online webs for Converse Online. The colours used and the typography work really well together as they are both aimed at teenager, young and old. I could use inspiration from these designs to use as different illustrations and designs to go in the walls as I am also aiming my brief at teenagers/students. I love the first banner 'Start Fresh' as it is quirky and fun. I love how Moross has only used four colours in both of the designs as it makes it simple but effective. The second banner could attract younger teenagers as the type is bubbly and the colours and the funky shapes create a younger vibe/feel.  

I went on to research american graphic designer, David Carson. I used Carson's own website and two others on Blogspot to research. Born on the 8th of September, 1995, Carson studied sociology at University. Before becoming a graphic designer, he was a sociology teacher and professional surfer. Carson became the art director for a magazine, named 'Ray Gun'. He is well known for his innovative magazine designs and experimentation with typography. Carson bases his work around making a statement using both typography and images. Each piece of work carrys different messages, which lead to the same conclusion. He tends to work in bleak tones, black and whites and sepias being commonly used. Carson rarely uses splashes of bright colours. He created his work to be aimed at teenagers, rebel like and discarded all type rules. This definitely would appeal to the students in the refectory, which could boost its popularity. 

 In this piece of work, Carson has used a mix of drawings/photography/typography and layering of images to create it. I feel that the thin, black text stands out bluntly from the ghost face, using neutral colours (black, grey and white), making sure that the title of the magazine stands out. I love the simplicity of the design, and incorporating the black blocks in various different letters, as it creates mystery. When looking closer at the design, I noticed how Carson used the strikes from the letter 'H' and used it to form a couple of the letters in the top section. It looks really effective and caught my eye, therefore linking different lettering or numbers together could be a great idea when re-branding the refectory at college. The expression of the women's face looks very blank and simple, and there is no bright colours or enthusiasm included, so I wouldn't design an idea using the neutral colours as it would not be exciting to the students. The layout of the text is clean as I am drawn to the letter A in the middle, then sideways towards the eyes, leading me all around the page. 

In this piece of work, Carson has focused on typography and colour. I love the positioning of each individual letter as it makes me follow around the page. The backwards and upside down lettering creates a funky layout, which catches my eye easily. Carson has used different shades and tones of Red with black, creating a mysterious, blood and gore theme. If I was to use different tones in a similar way, the students could be freaked out and put off by the effects. However, I could use this idea to create funky lettering on the red walls of the refectory, using black and white, would would make the area more eye catching for the students. By laying out shapes and letters in various ways, it would make a more cosy atmosphere, and a funky vibe. It would also break up the bright red on the walls, as this can be too overpowering for the students. I could create stencils out of plastic, or use paint to add the designs onto the wall, Although, to create a similar pattern, I could use large sponges to create a mottled effect, block paint to create a flat effect or add a 3D effect by placing wooden blocks on the letters to make the designs interesting. 

I love this piece of art work as there are various colours and a larger amount of detail involved.The large, coloured numbers catch my attention, however the background image creates a softer theme, therefore I notice it afterwards. The random placement of the numbers make the work seem very graphical and unusual, which often catches the attention of students. By overlapping the letters and/or numbers that I could include in the logo, signage etc, I could relate back to this image as it is quirky, which relates back to the client's needs. Carson creates a smooth, relaxing feel in the background as he is using natural colours, such a beige and browns. Then to add characteristics to the bland image, Carson added bold, simple colours which overlap and see through each other. This makes me think of different personalities, who is real and who is fake. Which characteristics can you see through.