Designing Experimentation Part 1.

Font, imagery & Layout
 Before I began my actual designs and experimenting with them I wanted to do some research regarding designing my products. Firstly I opened up photoshop and browsed the presets and templates they have to offer, as in a recent project (LJHugs) I was able to find a n iPhone mock up where I could inset my own pictures, making it appear as though it was on the phone! I downloaded the most appropriate template I could find just to do some initial work and just have a bit of fun with.

This image above was under the 'makeup/beauty' search results, I didn't manage to come across any free templates with makeup packaging such as foundation, eye shadow etc so I had a look at the one above in which showcases moisturisers etc. Having the bottles as a base for my own packaging was helpful as it gave me some inspiration, not to mention the subtle leaves behind the products as this is the type of imagery I really like!

 I next experimented slightly with the use of plants and some backgrounds, in my head I was trying to envision what would be on my packaging, so what I created would be what would be on the bottle for example. This was something I didn't intend to even include in my process / blog as I just wanted to experiment myself, however I think it shows my journey of experimentation and creative thoughts pathway.

 This image above was created using the plant from the template and layer underneath it was an image from Pinterest. I am very keen to include some type of marble/ water / water colour effect within my products as I think it reflects me as a person/brand but it is also a really subtle and minimalistic way of adding colour to a product, it is also a very popular pattern at the moment. 

Next I decided to change the leaves into the large ones which you would have seen in my previous collages, mixed with a different type of image. I looked into baby pink marble to use for the base of my logo and the name of the product, this is most definitely something I will have to experiment with because I also don't want the packaging for my products to be too 'blocky'.

 Something I have looked into using for my product background (like the above images) was using colour smoke and taking images of that, either from the internet or using my own, to bass my product around. Below is a screenshot on interest of the type of thing I mean.

 This inspiration not only came form me wanting to use a pastel coloured theme including marble/water, but also from a shoot I didn't this time last year for a friend's amp magazine. We went into the woods with some coloured flares where I photographed her and her boyfriend amongst the smoke, below is two of the images I had taken. 

 However realistically with the time scale and also the practicality of this happening is very slim. I think these types of images work really well for a magazine or perhaps video, but trying to use some in photoshop to put on a product may sound good, however I can see it not turing out how I would want it too. This is something I am going to consider doing a test shoot for however, because it may look good form my advertisement banner rather than using them on the actual product!

How to...

 I stopped experimenting slightly with my layout as I wanted to look into how to use foil lettering on photoshop, as that is a feature I will be using on my products. At first I thought it would be the case of using letters online and the quality may lower, however I came across a tutorial on Vimeo (here) on 'How to create a gold foil effect on photoshop'. This was easier than I thought it would be and is also something I'm very happy I found and now know how to do as this will help me a lot in the next coming weeks for design work. Below I have inserted some screenshots and steps to refer back too.

1. Make foreground a light yellow/ gold colour 
2. Make background a darker yellow / gold colour
3. Make new layer
4. 'Filter' > 'Render' > 'Clouds'
5. 'Filter' > 'Noise' > 'Add noise' > 'monochromatic'
6. 'Filter' > 'Filter gallery' > 'Distort' > 'Glass'
7. New layer
8. Add text
9. Put layer 1 above text in layers panel
10. Select layer 1, 'Layer' > 'Create clipping mask'

 Then I inserted my name to test the theory again without watching the video and added that to my little mock up example as seen above!

 Layout
 I really liked the layout and positioning of the template where it showcases the products with a plain background, but also included some plants. For my poster and banner I will be doing something similar, I will produce it on photoshop/indesign for a studio-like background with my products in the foreground and some greenery or some type of water in the background. i want the products to give off a very calm, nature vibe mixed with style and luxury. As you would notice I haven't discussed anything about the products inside themselves mainly because I am not focusing on them) so although I want to mainly achieve a very natural mixed with luxury brand I am not focussing on, say the ingredients of the makeup inside. When it comes to selling the product in the advert I will need to come up with something that sells it for being luxury/natural, as I don't want to base the whole brand around something such as natural ingredients/animal testing.
 As discussed in my initial sketchbook work about potential ideas for my FMP I talked about collaborating two brands together as well as a charity/ bringing in a new concept for an already existing brand, such as against testing on animals. I was very keen on this idea and liked that it would focus on that, however it isn't something I have much knowledge on and I also find that products specifically advertising 'no animal testing' are very much so about using simple, cost effective colours and materials, which is fantastic, however with what I want to create I would't be able to do so. In addition to this, when looking at my questionnaire results the most popular brands that people use such as MAC and Rimmel test on animals, therefore I personally would't think it would be as appropriate and easy to produce.

 Conclusion

 To conclude, from these beginner experimentations of layout and imagery I am able to see clearly the visual direction I want to take my brand and what I want to incorporate when it comes to my digital advertisements. I will not use as many things as shown above as it looks a little mix-matched however it was a necessary step to take in order to visually see where things can potentially go for the visual of the brand. More experimentation and sketches will follow of my brand and the over all look of my products!

Things I will apply from this to my final product...

• The use of water colour / cloud / smoke effect is most definitely something I will incorporate into my branding as I think it shows off the overall aesthetic I am aiming to achieve. In addition to this I think bringing in a more 'earthy, natural environment' look to a product with perhaps the opposite 'intentions' is an interesting mix too and I think could also work really well if executed fantastically.