OUGD603 Extended Practice Love Rouge Chalkboard Visual Reasearch

Before I got started drawing and actually designing for any lettering piece I find it useful to collate a large visual resource which I can reference quickly while working. Pinterest it the best platform for this. 

The main themes I have have found are:

- contrast in typographic styles (mix of angular all caps and romantic cursive)

- pastel tones, especially blue green and pink in combination

- patterns that make use of a a general colour background and line based foreground

When it comes to specific chalkboard design research I have focused in on a designer I have followed for a while on Instagram and has just the right mix of vintage references and sharp edges to fit with the shabby 1950s chic that love Rouge is going for in its identity and interior design.

The next step is not only to find the right colour chalks but start drawing out the logo type of love rouge as a starting point for the typographic designs. Although I must be aware that this chalkboard must sit next to the logo on the window of the cafe, so it may need to be different enough to work in harmony.

OUGD603 Extended Practice Love Rouge Chalkboard Brief

As one of my first live briefs I approached a small independent cafe in Headingly, with the aim of creating a bespoke chalkboard for them. The deal would be the first one is free and then any subsequent boards would be paid. I targeted my approach not only to a business that would not only benefit from having a chalkboard, but also that would fit with the aesthetic of a chalkboard.

The place that I approached first instantly worked out. Love Rouge is a small vintage themed cafe that uses mix and match vintage crockery to serve great home made cakes. The aesthetic of the inside of the shop very much matches it's brand. It's worth making note of the interior design and the visual aspect of the dining experience there to reference in the design and simply use as research.

The logo its self is also in need of examination, I will need to sketch this out and even create the majority of the lettering on this style depending on how this sits next to the logo on the window. I will need to make a point of extensive experimentation on my chalkboard and research collecting style references for the design.

There is a very distinct colour pallet that I will need to emulate in my design for it to work cohesively with the cafe. In particular this pastel blue is something I will have to search around for, but it will be worth it. Again this colour pallet 

Looking at both their existing boards, interior design and crockery a theme of three colours jump out: pink, blue and green. All in very pale pastel colours, which should be achievable in chalks! I think it may be worth re-visiting the shop to take a few more photographs of the crockery and decor for future reference.

The chalkboard shown below is the one I will be doing. As well as measuring the board its self I will need to write down all the content separately so that I can break the content down and remake it in a readable and sensible way. I also need to look into treatments for boards so that they keep the design even in the rain, because it would be a pain to have to bring this massive board in for rain.

Third Year Presentation and Pitch

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Third year from Crystalbeth

I got some useful feedback on my extended practice briefs with a need for focus on why I have chosen to do certain briefs. It was suggested that I look at the slow design process as a reference point to justify why you have chosen to undertake each brief and what you hope to gain from each one.

I will re-visit the briefs that I have written up so far and evaluate how they fit with my cop question.

Organising Briefs for Third Year

I have been considering the different briefs I want to undertake in the coming year for a while. I have detailed them below. Two spaces have been allowed for the visiting professional Briefs and although these are the briefs  intend to do at the moment there are more that I would like to try and do if  have time and the ones below may change due to unforeseen variables.

Third Year Design Briefs from Crystalbeth