Researching Branding

Brand Identities

1 - Here is an example of a brand identity, tags/menu and a shop front
I like the swirly, quirky style to the brand name. I think it would attract people as it looks inviting and professional. The traditional style to it makes people think it is a long standing, established brand that would provide good service. The colours are bold and vibrant making the whole brand identity look very attracting and energetic.

2 - Here is an example of a brand identity, tags and stationery
I like the blue tones as it feels calming and serene making it look inviting to people. I also like how the stationery features only a small emblem from the branding so it isn't too overwhelming especially if the stationery has a purpose that needs to stand out more than the branding.

3 - Here is an example of a brand identity and stationery
I like this design as it is very simple and so it can be formatted into different colours and shapes without loosing the identity of the brand. The pastel colour scheme is very on trend at the moment so it would attract people while not being too over the top.

4 - Here is an example of a brand identity, packaging, tags and stationery

The soft, bright colours really attracted my eye as it looks like a happy, trendy brand that I would probably be interested in. I like the quirky shaped of the tags as they're very different to the average price tags. I would like to have a unique shaped price tag as it just adds a little more excitement to attract your eye.

5 - Here is an example of a brand identity, packaging and labels

I like the motifs they have as part of their branding as it is fun and inviting. They have a pattern/image that they clearly want to keep that going across the whole branding - I would like to design my own version for my branding as I think it adds some interest and would be a new challenge for me as well.

6 - Here is an example of a brand identity, packaging, website, stationery and accessories

The geometric, multi-coloured pattern really grabs your eye so it would definitely attract me in a shop as bright colours make a lot of people want to buy it as it makes them happy.

7 - Here is an example of brand identity, packaging, shopping bags and accessories

This design has quite a strict colour scheme compared with the other brand identities I have looked at but it means it looks more organised which some people may prefer as they are not overwhelmed by bright colours.

8 - Here is an example of a brand identity, business cards and stationery
The business cards are very different to what I have seen before and this has inspired me to think outside the box with how I can construct the branding elements. It is a very simple design but it makes just as much impact as branding with 7 different colours. I think it is important to keep to the basics sometimes as otherwise the brand identity can be forgotten amongst the design.

9 - Here is an example of some stationery
I really like the flip on this envelope design, as I have seen many envelopes with the pattern on the outside but this is practical, yet funky as the design is hidden inside the envelope. The blue accents on the outside of the envelope add a nice touch that continues the brands colour scheme throughout the stationery.

10 - Here is an example of some business cards
These have given me a few ideas for my brand identity as they use a range of typefaces to show the personality of the brand which I think branding is about. I like the block of pattern as it is fun and inviting so for my Shanghai clothing brand I could use an oriental pattern (that I'm hopefully going to make) if I was to do a business card like this one.

11 - Here is an example of a brand identity and some business cards
This design is really funky and offbeat take on branding and I really like it as it is fun and would make me want to know more about the business. It is very simple so it gets the message across quickly without any fuss.

Clothing Tags & Brands

1 - I really like the little character on this tag as it makes it more unique to the brand and is quite an inviting addition that would attract you. The fonts are also personal to the brand, so all of these personal touches gives the brand more individuality. I think that is important in this brief as a brand can differentiate itself in many ways but the biggest is its brand image and identity.

2 - This is such a creative spin on the clothing tag and could end up looking better than the product it's attached to! I would like to at least try a few of these as it would be a good way to put across Shanghai or my brand image without covering the product with it which some may dislike.

3 - This simple style is quite nice because you get all of the information you need and it is clear to read. They have included a small motif that can identify the brand so they make sure that the product gets more of the attention than the tag which people will rip off anyway.

4 - I really like this typographic and illustrative tag as it looks kind of mystical and fun. I would be attracted to this sort of tag as it has a life of its own and is bold without using lots of different colours. This would be a good route to go down for my tags as it can have a lot of detail without overwhelming people with colour.

5 - This is a fun homemade style that I think I can be inspired by for my clothing tags as it is a traditional Chinese style to hand paint their letter characters and also a lot of their designs. It would also appeal to the current generation as a popular style is gradients and tie-dye - as I am trying to make my clothing brand have a Shanghai style I need to find a way to make it appeal to a wide audience outside the Chinese culture.

6 - I really like the overlapping shapes with the colour scheme - it looks trendy while organised. I also like the way they have written the size as a word rather than a number as it's different to the other tags.

7 - I like this illustrated tag as it adds a character or story to the brand which could make people attracted to the whole brand and not just the item of clothing.

Clothing Brand - Abercrombie & Fitch

Clothing Brand - COMME des GARCONS

I really like this brand identity as it's fun and quite quirky. They have kept either the heart, the eyes or both in all of their products as that is what attracts people to the brand. I would like to create a symbol that is as simple and as inviting as this one for my own branding.

Research into Chosen City - Shanghai

Chosen City to base Clothing Brand around...

I chose Shanghai because it would be a big challenge for me as I usually stick to what I know and personally like but I wanted to choose something out of my comfort zone. I also really like the Shanghai/Chinese style and the culture as it has a lot of spirit and life. I wanted to look into the culture and look of Shanghai so that I could be very influenced by it in my brand identity.

Name & Niche for Clothing Brand...

I have decided to call my clothing brand 'Fortune Cookie' as it is a well-known tradition associated with China and therefore Shanghai and also it is a fun word that I don't think young people (my target audience) would mind having on their clothing. The niche for my clothing brand is to have mainstream clothing that has a modern twist to the traditional Chinese style. It is a USP (unique selling point) as there isn't really anything like this on the market. I think it will appeal to many people as many other cultures are making their way into the mainstream clothing market - for example the bohemian style from Morocco.

Shanghai/China Mood Board

This mood board shows the traditional style, fashion, architecture and culture of Shanghai, China. It will help me to incorporate Shanghai into my designs for the clothing, the branding and all the little extras. The buildings in Shanghai look quite ornate with the curved multi-layered rooves. The oriental style is detailed floral patterns and uses nature a lot as an influence and a muse - I would like to explore including this in my designs as well.

Chinese Style Typography Mood Board

This mood board shows some traditional, modern and alternative Chinese typography styles. I have gathered these images as I have an idea to design the logo in a style very traditional to the Shanghai/Chinese style so as to keep the use of culture the brand identity. I particularly like the 'J' as it is a letter in the style and form of a Chinese character as it means it can be easily understood by most of the population while keeping the style of Chinese design. The colour red features heavily across the Chinese design style as it symbolises good fortune and joy (it is particularly seen during the Chinese new year) so I think red would be my top choice for colour in my branding.

Chinese Graphic Design Style Mood Board

This mood board contains both the traditional and modern design styles of china. I really like all of the oriental flower patterns and the use of the chinese language (which is a work of art in itself) I think I will look to this mood board a lot as I would like to use traditional styles as inspiration but putting a more minimal, modern spin on it to appeal to a worldwide audience.

Colour Scheme

Here I have used an image that perfectly resembles the group of colours that are most commonly used for Chinese/Shanghai graphic design. So I have picked out some of the colours in this image to give me some guidance in my design.

Packaging, Accessories & Bags Idea Storm

Multi-Media Graphic Image Making Techniques

To get into drawing the shape of a fortune cookie, which I'm planning to use heavily in my brand identity, I sketched out some variations before moving onto using different materials in my experimentation...

Polka Dot Fortune Cookie

Tea-Stained Paper Collage Fortune Cookie

Glitter Glue Fortune Cookie

Watercolour Rainbow Fortune Cookie

Ink Stamped Fortune Cookie

Watercolour Fortune Cookie

Straight-Edged Watercolour Fortune Cookie

Glitter Fortune Cookie

Black Textured Images Collage Fortune Cookie

Type Experimentation

I first drew out this Chinese lettering inspired typeface. I wanted it to be in the regular alphabet but have characteristics like the Chinese letter forms. I then developed this idea with watercolours. I like this as it means a wider audience base can understand the brand's identity but it retains the Shanghai connection.

I also tried a simple script type using watercolours to see a variation of what my logo could be.

As my brand identity is all about it's link to Shanghai, China it makes sense to have a variation of the logo in the Chinese language. It not only gives the brand culture but it can also look very beautiful and would catch peoples eye, particularly because it's not seen very often in clothing.

There I used the pro marker pens which gave a bold and vibrant look.

Here I drew the outlines for the lettering which I then used to take it onto Photoshop to develop it further. Finally, I live traced it and rendered it onto Adobe Illustrator.

I then painted this version using a black ink as that is the material used for the traditional method of writing Chinese lettering. I do like this effect and maybe with a few more attempts it could look neater and more professional but I feel for my brand identity I would like a bolder logo like the attempt above.

Red Watercolour Chinese Lettering

Green & Blue Overlay Watercolour Chinese Lettering

Use of negative space. I cut the shape of the lettering out of the white paper and layered it over some patterned paper. This created a different effect as the writing wasn't in a solid colour as it had a texture. It is a little messy but I think the more ways I experiment with different materials the closer I am to finding the ones that I would like to make up my brand identity.

In my research I saw a lot of large patterns and this spot pattern felt trendy to a wide population as well as fitting with the Shanghai culture the brand has. I like the different colours that break up the writing as it looks three dimensional and a lot more funky than the more bland and basic logos you see on most clothing. However, this may mean that the wider audience prefer a more toned down look - It does contain some elements of a gradient/tie-dye which is in fashion at the moment on the other hand.

Screen Development of Logos

I tried out a few more techniques and styles that are more close to the direction I'm aiming for.

I made the Chinese version of my clothing brand logo out of wool - it looks quite quirky but I don't think I can use something like this in my branding. 

As I want my clothing brand to be recognisable worldwide I tried some ideas for the english translation... I tried out some different type styles to see what could work for my branding. 

Screen Development of Logos

Here is one variant of my logo. I think this design would look really funky on a t-shirt or bag. It can also make an interesting pattern when put together...

Using this pattern, I have made another variant to my logo I put it inside the fortune cookie shape...

I also masked the pattern into a typeface that had an oriental style to it...

These variants will need a little more work to them to make them look more professional and finished but here are some alternative logos to use across my branding...

Here is the main logo that I'm planning on using as my brand identity...

I think it works as it reminds me of Chinese takeaway boxes and the oriental graphic design style I have been looking at.

Final Logo & Variants

So here is my final clothing brand logo and 3 variants...

Stationery Final

I have already research and looked at some stationery but as it is the next step in the unit I looked in more detail as to the direction I wanted my stationery to go in...

Here was my first attempt - I have gone for a centred letterhead as it looks organised, uniform and therefore professional. However, I think it's a little too intense for the letterhead so I went with this...

Letter head - 

I think the letterhead works well as it leaves plenty of white space to write the letter content without being disrupted by brightly coloured design or bold shape. I had thought about putting in a watermark in this space but I didn't have a shape or logo element that would work well enough to warrant it being there. I added the alternate logo to add further to the design features and to provide some colour that I continued into the contact details. I think it looks clear, professional and provides the identity of the brand. I think I would have liked a more equal looking bottom as the logo in one corner could look a little untidy to some people.

Compliment Slip - 

This sticks to the house style and format of the letterhead continuing the professional and clear look of my stationery.

Business Card (Front) - 

I wanted to have the front of my business card be very different to conventional business cards as it is a pattern rather than the word logo. It still continues the use of the alternate logo in my stationery as well as giving it that vibrant look that my clothing brand brings as a company.

Business Card (Back) - 

Again the format is continued in terms of the alignment, fonts, colour scheme and content idea.

Final Stationery mounted and presented together