OUGD501 - Extended Research & Development

Through further research I identified a small independent type foundry called Face type based in Vienna Austria, their portfolio includes elegant display faces as well as legibility experiments. I liked some of their work and felt this would provide more contextualised design decision using an Austiran designed typeface for the supporting body copy as it would feel more appropriate and representative of the culture implementing original works within the products branding. 

The most appropriate piece from their portfolio was Adria Grotesk as this acted as a super-humanist body copy that paired well logotype contrasting and completing its harsh wood type aesthetic with the muted curves and relaxed aesthetic to create a more approachable brand. The type is clearly legible therefore will work well for smaller body copy both in use within the brand guidelines and translating onto the bottle. 

With this development I then implemented this new choice of type onto my design, creating a rough mock up that allowed me to analyse the scale of each of these components. The size of the wrap around logo worked well to suggest an alluring authority attached to the brand which will work particularly well in context presenting it as a luxury brand to the consumer. The supporting logo and product description works well aligning with the size on the 'R' and ensures it is visible at a glance on the front of the bottle. 

FEEDBACK:

Following this development I asked students and tutors for final feedback before I started to look at the production methods of producing the final outcome. This feedback was positive stating the design worked well as a product and would be effective in promoting the brand through the tangible object. There were a few suggestions given by tutors that suggested there needed to be extra information on the bottle such as barcodes and volumes etc, It was states that is isn't that important for the purpose of this project as I am focusing on the translation of the brand and its brand values however should be critically aware of these features for further reference as it provides further commercial insight. Another suggestion I found relevant was made by a student who suggested removing the Austrian flag from the bottle as 'it looks like its floating  and takes away from the super minimal aesthetic' they suggested I placed this on the lid as they remembered I was having difficulty with what do with the lid during initial feedback. I liked this idea and agreed with the suggestion which will refine the bottle design and brand the cap. 

Taking on board these suggestions I added the boule and included recycle symbols and european 'CE' symbol as the bottle would be imported from Austria therefore would need to pass EU testing. As for the barcode and nutritional info I felt it would be most approbate to create a separate sticker to place on the bottom of the bottle as this would keep the aesthetic of the bottle minimal and hide the less important information and allow it to not distract from the overall brand aesthetic, this featured the innovative QR code to provide the nutritional information at the customers request, using a QR code removes the difficulty of placing all the information on the bottle that for 90% of customers is irrelevant, the further simplifies the bottle design whilst keeping the information open and available for consumers.