DBA / Initial Ideas

We wanted to incorporate Nootropics into the user's daily routine or habits. Ideas were put forth such as putting it into drinks, such as coffee, tea, energy drinks or chewing gum.

Our target audience was professionals within the ages 25-50, just at the age of feeling 'old'. Our product will aim to deliver a feeling of youthfulness that can be regained. This age range will benefit from the use of nootropics, but we considered how we can fit this into their busy daily lives.

Initially we aimed to create a coffee product, but this has already been done, and been done well.

From this research we decided to try another similar route which had not been done, and this was combining Nootropics with tea. 

Our idea stems from the Nootropics being as part of a familiar, daily routine. Tea is very familiar, comforting and is usually part of someones daily routine. We wanted a sense of empowerment whilst the consumer uses the product. I suggested the idea of using Greek Gods as the main element of the identity, which was then developed into a more substantial idea. Each different nootropic could be assigned to a different Greek God. The name of the brand which Jack suggested was "Teaós", an altered version of Theós, which is the greek name for 'God'. We all worked on various basic logos, and got feedback from DBA judges.

They liked the idea of putting Nootropics in tea, because of the  ritual factor. But they felt using Greek Gods could become a novelty and wouldn't appeal to the audience. We decided to come up with a new name and concept but stick to tea. It should be a quality, high end product sold in stores such as John Lewis, Harvy Nichols or Waitrose, still targetting the age range where the fear of becoming old and decrepid starts to happen. 

Internship 02 / Everyday Something / Hand Rendered Prints

After telling James that I had some experience with hand rendered design processes, he thought this would be suitable for some products in both the shops West & General and Best Play Ever. I spent time doing various prints for different audiences and occasions, and greetings cards.

Motivational Prints

James wanted these prints to target a wide audience of professionals and even businessmen, so to try and keep it as gender neutral as possible I chose a capitalised type and bright friendly backgrounds which create a less aggressive composition that still gets the motivational message across.

Collage Prints

These were more experimental and fun, using mixed media such as mark making, digital shape and image. The audience was more of a 'crafty' or creative type, perhaps more towards women but not alienating men. The general feedback was that these prints are a little different and have a nice fun feel to them. I enjoyed making these ones the most.

Greetings Cards 

These also used hand rendered type. The shop apparently needed some cards which can last all year round instead of being quite niche and only usable at certain times of year. I thought of three basic cards and built upon this with texture, icons and smilies.

Nasty Cards

There was also room for some rude cards. These have a cheeky and rude vibe which you can send to people you hate or people you can have naughty bants with. The lettering was said to evoke a certain level of rudeness by being tall and connoting volume and personality. The splats also further communicate this.

Overall its nice to see my prints online and available to be bought. Although I haven't revisited this style since level 4, it has been nice to use the skills I have with hand rendered type and mediums and actually produce a working product for a shop. The feedback has been positive from James too.

PPP / Social Media Presence / Instagram

As a creative, social media presence is becoming increasingly more crucial, as a means of getting yourself out there and possibly reaping opportunities. It is a way to promote yourself as a designer and an important aspect of a personal branding. 

Personally I had set up a previous instagram but not kept up with it. Therefore I removed that account and started a fresh with my updated identity, @seek_lo. Hopefully now I can build upon this and keep it updated with new work. I will also be using instagram to follow and interact with other creatives and design studios to keep myself in the loop.