Week Thirteen

The next step is to work on the final file. With my list of items (plus and minus a few) I used my iPad and Adobe Fresco to start the illustrations. I used a vector brush so the designs were resizable and used a similar weight stroke. I made 14 different illustrations and 20 different cards.

I shared my project with my classmates to get their feedback. Thankfully my illustrations are recognizable and people enjoy the concept. I still want to use the laser cutter but I'm not sure if the substrate should be the same card stock I used for the last project or if I should use wood. The wood would be cool but I know the laser cutter tends to burn the project so I think the details will get lost. I'm leaning more towards the card stock.

Next I'm going to work on designing a box for the cards and a rule sheet. I'm going to use the template maker website for a dieline. 

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I decided to make more card variations to make the game longer and increase the likely hood of finding a match. I now have 30 playing cards total. 

I used templatemaker.nl to make the box dieline. First, I made the box 4.5" x 4.5" x 1" with a lid hight of 0.5" and added the content, however when I printed the proof I caught a lot of my mistakes. 

First, I had the icons upside down on the sides, so I flipped them around to be facing the correct direction. Next, I decided to change the box size to be 4.25" x 4.25" x 0.875". The 4" x 4" card had too much wiggle room on the sides so I decreased that by 1/4" on each side. 

I changed the height to 0.875" after measuring the overall height of the cards when stacked together. I got a scrap piece of the substrate from the lab and I cut out 31 (30 cards and 1 rule sheet) and stacked them onto of each other to measure the height the final cards would be. I made a little mark on the edge of the paper prototype and placed the little substrate stacked tower next to the paper package. 

Lastly, I noticed in the text that the cross of the lower case f and the dot in the lower case i were connecting when put next to each other. 

I tried adjusting the kerning but for some reason the typeface (Lato) locked those two letters together. So instead I outlined all the text and took an i from another part of the text and placed it in next to the f. 

Below I have my final dieline for my project and the 4" x 4" rule card. 

I figured out the math of how many cards I can fit on a sheet and how many sheets I will need. If I can get the laser cutter to engrave all the way to the edge I can fit 24 cards on an 18" x 24" sheet. Using the line tool, I measured out that the lid is 5.3" x 5.3" and the bottom is 6" x 6". With a second sheet I can fit the dieline and the remaining 7 cards. On Tuesday, when I'm in class, I'm going to meet with the lab tech and purchase two sheets of the substrate to paint so I can engrave on Wednesday. 

Week Twelve

For our next and final assignment, we were given two options to pick from: a re-design of a board game (new or existing) or a "you are the gift" multiple component piece. 

My original thought was to do a self promotional package to send to perspective employers showing little things about me, but with that assignment I would using a lot of what I have already created as my visual identity for my website.

So I decided on the board game topic. I began brainstorming styles of games that I currently enjoy, ones I played as a kid and games that were popular at the summer camp I used to work at. As a kid I loved playing with the Where's Waldo books. They were not only fun but each page also was a cool work of art. A few years ago when my family got an Apple TV, I downloaded a Where's Waldo style find it game but called Hidden Folks. Hidden Folks is a hand-drawn, interactive, miniature searching game all in black and white. The game is honestly a bit overwhelming at first, but as you zoom in and interact with the little figures it is super fun.

For my assignment I decided on a Hidden Folk style card game with a Spot-It approach (another game I played as a kid). I will have 30 cards all with different layouts of objects and the idea will be to place out four cards on the table and when players find a match they can take the two cards and put out two more. 

I still want to connect the project back to me in some way. So for the objects on the cards I am going to use things that I like and describe me drawn similarly to how my masthead is on my portfolio website. 

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I missed class on Tuesday as I went to the AIGA Career Festival. However, I started making a list of items I want to include in my illustrations. 

• goat
• lavender
• tree
• leaf
• bike
• city 
• sun
• shoes
• beach
• avocado
• mountains
• stars
• coffee
• plant
• books
• computer
• cookie
• heart
• dino nugget
• paw
• airplane
• fish
• picture frame
• koala
• california 
• moon
• backpack
• goat
• pancakes
• cursor
• paint brush 

Week Eleven

The laser cutting was a success! The device was able to read my stroke marks and engrave and cut the design. I brought back my flat cut dielines to my room to work on constructing the final pieces.

I had some trouble with building the final pieces but I finally got them together. Using double sided tape, a binder clip to score, and a metal edge ruler I was able to fold the packages together. I purchased some new, unused items (PINK period underwear, Diva Cup menstrual cup, and the o.b applicator free tampons) to place in the boxes the packaging to give them more realistic weight. 

I'm going to take a nicer staged photo of the final design but here are the final pieces constructed: 

One disappointing thing I noticed was how some areas of the engraving that were close to folds began to lift up. Because the paper stock is comprised of layers, when folded it began to separate. If I choose to laser engrave again I will have to consider that negative aspect and keep the art away from the folds.

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Today we presented our finished eco-series projects to the class. We set up our pieces on our desk and in small groups worked our way around the room writing feedback. 

I received a lot of positive comments on my pieces. I did have a few notes about the durability of the products with shipping especially for the menstrual cup. While I really enjoy the packaging concept with the exploding box I agree that from a manufacturing standpoint the strict of the package will have to be adjusted. Here is a photo of the feedback:

The last part of this project is creating a presentation pitch we, hypothetically, would show to the brand we designed this series for in hopes they would implement our collection. Using InDesign, I worked on a layout using the typography and colors from the completed packaged products. I completed almost all of the presentation, but I still need to stage and take some nice photos of the completed products.

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For my presentation pitch and my website I wanted to make sure I have nice photos of my three packages. I used a light box at and tripod to set up the photos. I took a bunch at different angles and with the products opened and closed.

I made a page on my website showing some progress and the explanation of the project and I finished the presentation.