Geek Table - Brief 2 - Zone Idea/Mock Up

For this brief, I'm going to do the same as I did for the last one where I mock up the idea for how it would ideally look when I actually produce it as I still need to look into buying the stuff I need in order to actually do the prints.

In terms of the idea though, I have no idea. Oh dear.

The obvious choice is music as I've always got music on, especially in the studios. But what could I do with that that still relates to type?

• band/artists names
• song names for lots of songs
• song lyrics from specific song
• lines from lots of different songs
• hmm

Not really feeling this though, and the fact it's to be orange isn't too thrilling either. 

Usually, when I have stuff I have to have done for what ever reason (crit, deadline, print slot, etc), after I've done procrastinating for way longer than I should I usually then make a cup of coffee and get my headphones on and have music turned up really loud.

That's it! - what gets me in the zone is music and coffee. Could do something with this.

I want to have a print that is a little more adventurous/experimental than the last one so I could maybe have the words overlap?

Idea

I like the idea to have the words overlap, and then I could use two different shades of orange then the areas that do overlap could potentially mix a third? HMM.

With this whole brief being about being 'in the zone' though, I could print both words coffee and music over the top of the word zone, that way they would be... yes, 'in' the 'zone'. Clever. I'll have zone printed in one colour first, then print over the top both the words coffee and music that fill the same sort of area that the word zone does in a different colour.

If this works out how I am imagining it to, then it could look pretty cool. Here's the mock up developments of the idea that I made.

Brief 2 - Meeting 13/03/2013

This is the meeting where we pretty much got everything mocked up and done read for the YCN submission. We decided the gradient doesn't work and more will be explained on this in upcoming blog posts. Before we started designing though, we first made a list of everything that we will need to be able to do the designs to make sure that we have everything before we start.

• logo
• strapline - make the perfect coffee in an instant
• coffee jars images - all
• descriptions for each coffee
• situation

The title of the campaign is going to be 'Coffee Time'.

Typeface that we are using is Gotham, and the weights for each coffee are as follows:

• light - decaf
• book - pure
• medium - gold
• bold - indulgence
• book will also be used for any body copy, and bold for the strap line

Here goes! Rather than putting everything in one blog post I will do one for each part. the way that we did everything from this point basically is we had all the files and everything we needed on my mac, so we produced everything on my mac but together with both of our inputs as we went along.

Brief 2 - Mock Up Ideas

Before our next meeting, I want to have something to take along and have experimented with, so following on from where we were with the last meeting where we worked on some stuff that Baljeet had done, I experimented further with this.

I had actually began experimenting with trying out gradients on gold text but I appear to have lost these screen shots so moving on.

We couldn't decide before whether to have a background or keep it white or what, so thought I'd experiment with this and try a gradient? Might look tacky but might work... worth a try anyway. I did one for each of the colours of the coffee jars, and then wrote a situation over it in white in the correct weight of the typeface to suit the coffee jar colour.

Looks alright, may as well try in context. Tried a few different ones just to see how it would work.

Definitely best off just leaving it until the next meeting for us to make a decision.

Brief 2 - Different Media Images

Here's the collection of images that we got to use for the mock ups of our ads. We didn't collect one for every single one on the list but we got a wide enough variety to choose from.

Brief 2 - Meeting 07/03/2013

With us having agreed on a typeface to use, prior to this meeting Baljeet had started to mock up some initial ideas for possible designs. We started this meeting with us going through what she had and playing around with these for a bit. I'm sure this development will probably be on her blog. After we were done experimenting with these, we got to writing our strap line.

There's a Mc Donald's advert at the moment for coffee and their strap line for that is 'There's a cup for every coffee moment' which is basically what we are trying to say, so to make sure that we didn't end up with the same we started with this.

First we looked at replacing the work 'cup' to something more suited to our campaign

• taste
• blend
• mug
• fusion
• unique blend
• perfect blend

And then we looked at replacing the word 'moment' so something more suited to our campaign

• instant
• occasion
• jiffy
• momentousness
• time
• day
• situation
• setting

At this point we had 'Find the perfect blend in an instant'. We like having instant on the end because it has a double meaning - one being that you can make it there and then, and the other representing the fact that it's instant coffee.

We need to find a better starting word than 'find' though, so come up with different words for this

• make
• discover
• imagine
• provide
• experience
• enjoy
• whip up
• taste
• prepare

Also, using 'the perfect coffee blend' instead of just 'perfect blend' links it back better to coffee and makes it more obvious too.

The strap line we have decided on that we are going to use it:

Make the perfect coffee in an instant.

WOW. We have our idea. We need to do the descriptions. This depends though on what the situation is in the ad, and we are yet still to decide which we are using on what media, so we have decided to go through each situation and choose where that situations ad would be most suited to.

Decaf

• bedtime - online ad/magazine

Indulgence (4)

• stressed - magazine/online ad/billboard/poster (notice board)
• deadline - same as stressed
• working late - same as stressed
• missed the bus again - bus stop/bus ticket/metro
• delayed train - tube billboard/on train poster/train station billboard/metro

Gold (3)

• morning - newspaper
• another meeting - same as stressed
• bored - anywhere
• your turn to buy - same as stressed
• afternoon slump - same as stressed
• meeting with boss - same as stressed
• entertaining friends - anywhere

Smooth (2)

• meeting new people - anywhere
• lunch time - same as stressed
• snacks - mags/newspapers/online
• after dinner - magazine
• television - TV ad
• raining - magazine/newspaper/billboards/out door ads

From this list then we have a variety of types of ads to choose from to do

• billboards
• magazine
• online
• poster
• TV
• train station ads
• train ads
• bus stop
• underground
• newspaper
• metro
• bus side

We have decided that to do the designs, we are going to do them in context to the location. So the next thing that we did before this meeting ended was started collecting together some images off google to use to mock our ads on to. I'll put these on a different blog post.

Brief 2 - Typeface Test

One of the things we have planned to do following the last meeting is to test out some typefaces to try find the perfect one for us to use for our campaign. I checked out loads.

There's some that would work quite nice and some not so much. The next time that I saw Baljeet but wasn't am official meeting we discussed this and we decided that the typeface we both agree on and want to use is 'Gotham'. So that decision has now been made.

Brief 2 - Meeting 27/02/2013

The next meeting came around quick. I bought the coffees I needed and tastes them and what not. Here are the notes that I made from this meeting:

• we are going to use type to describe situations that suits the characteristics of the coffee flavour

pure coffees

• gold
• indulgence
• smooth
• decaf

target audience - working people

like the idea of the journey home

coffee is the reward?

working persons day

• 4 different types of working day
• how vague/specific should we make it?
• standard 9-5 sort of roles/situations
• not be obvious to this though

new list to suit new route with situations (made the list first, and then went through the list then and labelled each situation with the number of strength pure coffee would be best suited for that situation - so smooth is 2, gold is 3 and indulgence is 4)

• waking up - 3
• arriving at work 
• journey to work - same as journey home
• working with someone annoying - 4
• meeting new people - 2
• lunch time - 2
• meeting - 3
• bored/distraction - 3
• stressed - 4
• new guy at work and your turn to buy - 3
• afternoon slump - 2/3
• checking and replying to emails - 2
• deadline - 4
• meeting with the boss - 3
• boss and want to keep workers happy - 3
• snacks - 2
• journey home
• stuck in traffic - 4
• delayed train - 4
• finishing early - 2
• weather - good 2, bad 4
• working late - 4
• after dinner - 2/3
• relaxing in front of the tv - 2
• having friends round - 3
• entertaining guests - 3
• last coffee before bed - decaf

The amount for each of the strengths is:

decaf - 1

pure (2) - 9

gold (3) - 10

indulgence (4) - 7

We then both seemed to have the same brainwave at the same time about the design direction that we could possibly take the brief, on from what was previously discussed. I sketched these down as we were talking about it.

idea specs - use one typeface with more weights to it

• thin
• medium
• bold

sans serif would make it appear more modern

strapline?

come up with some of these

have a short play on words to relate to the situation that is in the ad

could also have direct mail? I sketched some ideas for this too

for the next meeting

• look at typefaces - have a play around
• consider strapline
• consider description bit

Brief 2 - Meeting 22/02/2013

We decided to have our next YCN meeting on 22nd Feb to go over what we discussed before and hopefully make some progress with the brief. Here's the notes that I took from this meeting:

• bring in social element to having coffee at home
• like a dinner party but with coffee

atmosphere

• how do you bring that coffee shop atmosphere at home?

why do people drink coffee?

why drinking at home is better?

• comfortable cheaper
• convenient
• don't have to get dressed/ready
• warmer - don't have to go outside
• relaxing
• 24/7

CREATIVE CAMPAIGN

looked on website at what's available 

• focus on instant coffees

different scenarios/reasons to drink a particular type?

10 types

• 3 under flavoured (vanilla, etc)
• decaf
• inspirations
• pure

inspirations

• brazillian samba
• kenyan sunset
• eastern escape

flavours

• caramel
• hazelnut
• vanilla

pure

• decaf
• gold
• indulgence
• smooth

concentrate on the 'pure' range of coffees - Baljeet buying decaf and indulgence and I'm buying gold and smooth to taste

• do this this weekend
• write down flavours and that from tasting

Idea

there's a coffee for every situation/every person

situations/what makes someone want a coffee?

• when wake up
• stressed
• tired
• tired and want to stay awake
• can't sleep
• cold weather
• sad
• socialising with friends
• meeting in-laws
• celebrating
• catching up with an old friend
• long day
• seeing family
• bribing
• waiting
• workmen are round
• hungover
• with particular food
• sitting in traffic
• delayed train
• transport

type?

image heavy with type?

type will allow more imaginations for the reader

• make it more personal to them 
• imagine how they would have it

until next meeting on 27th Feb

• taste coffees
• think of more situations
• find out more about coffees
• look at examples similar to what we are doing

Brief 2 - Initial Meeting

So me and Baljeet had our initial meeting. I made notes as we talked through everything. We were on the same page with everything really which is good, so we made a lot of progress in terms of making initial ideas and decisions. Here's the notes that I made:

• focus on a creative campaign to give people a positive experience of drinking coffee at home
• consider repackaging
• target audience 18 - 30

when out, want to drink a coffee that's different to what you can get at home

decadent

what's the benefits of drinking coffee at home?

make something more like an experience to have at home

flavours to suit moods?

teat self rather than gifts.

coffee with friends

treat

types of people? students, bums, workers, single mums

announce a new coffee shop which is own kitchen - 24 hour coffee shop

coffeeholics anonymous?

benefits of drinking coffee at home:

• proper mug/favourite one
• cheaper
• don't have to get ready
• anytime 24/7
• have as much as want
• convenient
• quick
• east
• no queueing
• no hidden calories
• can have with a cig
• make to own taste

Amongst the notes, I sketched down some initial ideas that we were thinking as we were going through it. These can be seen in the scans below.

We've decided to go away and have a think about it and then arrange another meeting soon.

Brief 2 - Preparation for Initial Meeting

To get this brief started, me and Baljeet have arranged an initial meeting to go through the brief and make some decisions on what we're going to do and discuss any possible ideas/directions we could take it.

Prior to the meeting, I had a quick sit down reflecting on the brief that I have wrote for this, and figured that the underlying thing that the brief is asking for is for us to convince people to stay in and drink their coffee instead of going to a coffee shop. So I made a list of reasons why people actually go to coffee shops.

• (quote from a website) "At a cafe, you are paying for the relaxing space away from home and office clutter, away from at home or at work distractions which can result in very productive environment in which to do work"
• change of scenery
• to meet friends
• get out of the house
• like the coffee they serve
• relax
• different atmosphere
• get coffee to take away
• wider range of coffees
• 'real' coffee
• be around a different selection of people
• fresh perspective
• get into a different frame of mind
• people watch
• sanctuary
• dates

Brief 3 - Bounding Lines Experiment

So basically starting again (not actually though), I set up the artboard to the actual size of the print out now to add the sections to. Before this though I've decided that I may as well experiment with the bounding line around the edge as this was one of the main alterations to make. We said that we didn't just want a solid line around the whole edge but just having sections of the line within the printed sections. As explained on the previous blog post I sketched some ideas to start me off.

I put the original line going all the way round on first then went from there - decided to do the experiments in black though as the green doesn't stand out enough on screen shots and I want to get feedback on this.

As well as looking at the thing as a whole, I think I need to keep checking how they would work on the sections as well especially when folded, like this.

Here goes. Tried out quite a few experiments with this.

I think I have sufficient amount of experiments on this. I decided to add the content that I have already without any changes yet to see how the lines work in relation to the content, and then these will also be what I show to the guys to get feedback on and help make a decision on which to go with. How I did it in terms of the feedback is I put a quick post up and numbered each screen shot 1 - 12, and then posted on the FB ground explaining what I did and to comment with which numbered screen shots they prefer/like. Here's the screen shots with the numbers...

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

...and here's the post on FB and feedback I got from this.

Everyone liked number 10, so going to go with this one.