OUGD504 Design for print: Study session

Last week we were asked to bring 5 examples of print with different finishes, production methods and so on..


Task 1:

For our first studio session we were put into groups of 6 and had to discuss our findings from last weeks task. We discussed what certain things we found for each category and created a summative statement for each of them.

Format: The physical object that has been designed

• Scale
• Function
• Format
• Context
• Magazine, leaflet ect.

Colour: Something used for both function and connotation.

• RGB
• CMYK
• Screen Print
• Processes e.g flouresent inks
• Connotation e.g red = danger
• Colour theory / harmony

Production: A craft or skill.

• Book binding
• Laser cut
• Bringing all the elements together - final part
• Possibly more broad than processes

Process: Mostly to do with print

• Stamping
• Screen printing
• "The making of it"

Finishing: A process used after a design is printed, and can change the style / quality of a design

• Foiling
• Spot Varnish
• Consider cost, stock, audience

Stock: The material in which the design is printed onto

• Wood
• Paper
• Card
• Plastic

After doing this we, discussed further on what else these categories meant to try and find a more broader and discussed meaning, which are highlighted in green above.

After this group exercise we then shared our idea's as a class and came up with another list of what these categories meant.

Format: Scale, size and working within that

Colour: Colour modes, hues and function

Production: The actual making of it

Process: The method

Finishing: Production and process combined / Post print alterations

Stock: Substrates for print (Considerations)

We also discussed that these categories are all interlinked, in creating a printing process. These also impact and inform your design decisions and the final outcome!

I found this studio task, very beneficial as I was able to learn about other peoples depictions of what they thought these categories meant and discuss our opinions in an effective way to create possible definitions. At the begging we all agreed upon what these processes could mean, but after asking ourselves why and how we had come up with that solution we pushed our idea's further which gave me a broader and more knowledgable understanding about design for print.



Task 2:

For the second session we then looked at our groups 5 examples of design for print. As a group we had a broad range of examples to analyse. I found this really interesting as it gave me an insight into how big design for print can range to and people interpretations of what it entails.

We again looked through the 4 categories for print, including cost.

Format: We were asked to put our examples into piles of formats and these were what we collated.

(listed from top left - bottom)

• Packaging
• Magazines
• Books
• Flyers
• Business Cards
• Clothing Labels
• Posters
• Photography
• CD -Rom
• Card
• Lampshade

Trying to put certain examples into format piles was initially quite easy to differentiate what went were. But when it came to certain items like the CD- Rom, Lampshade and Card we were discussing weather they belonged in there own separate category or in fact if they fell into another. We then as a group reflected back on the considerations for design for print and decided that they fell into their own category simply due to the stock they were printed onto, their form and function.

Colour: We then had to move the examples into piles using different colour, as a group we decied to look at the examples that used one colour and two colours plus stock.

1 Colour:

 2 Colours + Stock:

I found the section of the task quite hard to figure out because some of the stocks that designs had been printed onto created different tones and hues which was hard to differentiate what category they were in. However we only chose examples that were explicit to what we was trying to find and the one's that I was confused about I would like to find out further to see what process were used to achieve the look.

Production: We then categorised our work, into what was printed in mass, shortly and bespoke which means original and unique.

Mass Production:

Short Run:

Bespoke:

Processes: 

Spot Varnish:

Digital:

Emboss:

Mono Print:

Laser Cut:

Screen Print:

Cost: We then arranged our examples in a low to high price range in regards to how much it would cost to reproduce one of them.

(Low top left - To high bottom)

By doing this we saw that the high end products had a more professional and desirable design compared to the low priced one's as the high priced items used processes like spot varnish and laser cut to achieve and create a distinctive design.

For the final part of the task, we have to identify our examples into categories of distribution.

Branding + Identity: For this we selected all the clothing tags and business cards as they are brand with a distinctive style and values.

Packaging + Promotion: For this we selected retail bags, nightclub flyers, food packaging ect.

Publishing + Editorial: For this we collated magazines and books.

Information + Way-finding: For this we chose instruction manuals and leaflets.

Although we did organise our examples into each section, I found that some of the products were interlinked in regards to the format they were produced in. However the function of them also defined what category they went into. e.g a leaflet could go into publishing and editorial but it's purpose and function is to inform, therefore it being put into the Information + Way-finding pile.

The second studio task was my favourite as I got too see physical examples of the innovative ways that you can design for print. This again made me want to learn more about these processes and gain some more knowledge about them and to develop skills for future briefs.