Brief of the Week 2

Thinking of translating the cover for the planner into the cover for the to do list note pad:

Experimenting with the type layout.

- All variations has strong points and negative points, different members of the group had different opinions.

- Needed to be simple, and follow the same vertical pattern to the planner cover. 

- The number of letters allowed them to be stacked and kerned into a taller shape, this was the one I found most successful out of the range I'd developed. 

- The pattern design was an earlier version tested for the front cover of the planner, it gives the text enough space without appearing too empty. 

^These are even earlier tests for experimenting with the type, testing different sizes, weights, kerning etc. 

The Inside Pages:

- When looking into examples of stationary there was a common theme of having whatever was on the font cover on the inside pages as well, only in a lighter opacity. Wanting to replicate this inside the notebook to stop things from appearing too simple without compromising the function of the pad.

- Tested different levels of opacity and wrote on them to see which worked best:

- The 8% opacity worked the best, the 15% also worked but compromised the function of the pad more. 

- The higher the opacity got the more difficult it was to read what was written in the pad. 

The design of the inner pages was something else that needed to be considered.

After printing out the inside pages it allowed me to see the size (A6). The sizing was too small, if the aim was to do a weekly to do list there needed to be more lines for more tasks. 

- Extend the page length, keep the width.

The size and shape of the tick boxes needs thinking about. Square = more traditional, circular = calmer and friendly. Circles look too similar to the notes on an iPhone, felt they also allowed the tick boxes to blend into the background whereas squares stood in the foreground as they were a different shape to any used on the background. 

Play with size, shape, line etc. 

Results:

- Felt the squares worked the best, for reasons stated above.

- The dashed lines also worked better, it looks less school like, and makes it easier to see what's been written on the line. 

- The tick boxes were made smaller, they were too large in earlier tests, a smaller shape allows for space for writing the to do's.

Need to elongate and add extra shapes in place.

Final Inner and Outer Page:

Figuring Out Logistics for the Cover:

Wanting to wrap the pink outer around the inner pages. Need to account for the number of pages on the inside with wrap around (similar to hardback technique).
- Use greyboard to strengthen the pad
- Have the wrap around come round the loose pages of the pad, means it's less likely to get damaged if being take out and about in a bag.
- Have pink cover be duplexed to a thicker card, again to protect the inside pages more, as well as appear higher quality.

(see sketchbook for calculations and other details)

What went well:
- The overall production looks professional, a few minor errors (e.g. glue on the back and not quite touching the edge).
- The outside/inside design with the change in opacity looks good, it provides a sense of continuity.
- The scale of the notepad is good for a on the desk piece of stationary, there is enough room to write things without it looking cramped.

What could be improved:
- If i had longer than a week I would have gone to digital print and found a good paper stock for the cover and printed the neon straight onto a higher quality card stock using the RGB printers.
- I would increase the opacity on the outside slightly, or rearrange the shapes so the title is more legible.
- A couple of production tweaks (mentioned earlier) could be done just to take it up another notch.