Beware the 666

Advertising Creative Design ILLUSTRATION

BEWARE THE 666

Overview

Have you ever been asked to do something you thought was impossible (or really just hard). Well, welcome to my three week personal hell. 6 Styles, 6 Sketch Books, and 6 Designs. This 666 (while not the devil) proved to be harder and more complicated then I thought.

But wait a second, let’s back up. Hi I’m Chris your average 21 year old design student who is trying to do more than just pass his classes and this project was just the most recent episode to what feels like a never ending season of my life stuck in college.

Okay now lets set the scene for episode 666. It’s 8am, it’s barely above 0 outside, and my overly excited teacher starts explaining our final project.

“wah, wah, 2 weeks to prepare, wah, wah, wah transform 6 styles, wah wah wah fill 6 sketch books, wah wah wah, 6 designs each created in 24 hours, wah, wah, wah, 95% of your grade.”

In that moment my teacher felt like the devils advocate. 95% of of my grade was now dependent on transform 6 styles, filling 6 sketch books, and creating 6 designs each within 24 hours?!?!?!

Although this felt like I fiery task I was going to rise above this 666 (right?).

PRE PRODUCTION

Strategizing

Okay while I was stressed and I was feeling a bit dim, I knew the only way to deliver impressive results was to create an cohesive project and an efficient process for each design. After all, “Little variability in process means less varied results” (Ladies and gentleman once again, my Teacher) So I started planning an effective process and project.

First starting with the project. I knew I had 6 designs to create but I needed them to feel cohesive and effective as advertisements. This is when I came up with the idea of creating advertising posters. As more and more advertising goes online the opportunity to elevate the more rare traditional adverting has increased.

As far as process, I knew I had 2 weeks to prepare before I really had to start creating a design every 24 hours. My first order of business needed to be picking 6 styles, completing 6 sketchbooks, and collecting important assets prior to starting each day (Colors, fonts, Mood boards). This where where I concluded that my process for each design would be as follows:

Choose Style → Fill Sketchbook → Collect Important Assets → Draft → Final

EX: Choosen Style , Full Sketchbook (Refined Sketch), Collect Important Assets, Initial Draft, and Final Design.

While more than 50 hours have been put into this project I really want to show you how I completed this process through 1 design. If you want to see each process and design check out the appendix at the bottom of this case study.

Style

SO I jumped in and started implementing my process.

Scouring the edges of the internet, exploring impactful artists, and most importantly impactful advertising design I landed my first style. While this style was really colorful, vintage, and bright it presented its first challenge to me: it felt basic and overdone to me. I welcomed the challenge as it would give me an opportunity to subvert the expectations of the original style and grow it into something interesting and beautiful.

Sketching

The next step was sketching. I wanted to make sure every idea that was possible to be squeezed out of this style was in my sketchbook. I filled about 10 pages with sketches (above I have included some of those sketches). During that process I tried the vintage, the simple, the creamy... Wait I think I am on to something. As I kept sketching what resulted was an ice cream brand titled, “King Cream.” The name and design was funny, bright, and transformed the original style while still keeping it in the same vain of the original.

After filling the sketch book and coming up with ideas these 2 refined sketches would become the backbone of the design I would soon create.

Collecting Assest

After choosing my style, and sketching, it was time to collect my helpful assets. This would become my bread to my butter, my cmd c to my cmd v for my 6 days. These assests ensured that when I started each day I had everything I needed to go into programs and just design.

Production

Drafting

The next step in my process was to create each design within a 24 hour period over 6 consecutive days.

Day 2 started not different from any other but in fact the same. I pulled up each of my prepared items and started to design. I made sure to focus on the shapes and the bright colors of the original style. Everything was going great until I reached my first major roadblock. The grainy texture.

How was I even going to make this texture. It was grainy, it was hip, but how did the cool kids make it. And more importantly, HOW DID I NOT PREPARE FOR THIS. But in the words of Gandhi, “It is my conviction that nothing enduring can be built on violence.” and that was the moment I decided not to throw my computer but instead find my inner peace to work through this problem.

Post Production

The King’s Problem Child

In this moment I needed to reassess. I knew I didn’t have a ton of time left and I needed to find the fastest and best quality solution to make these grainy textures. So I hit up my friend with benefits, Youtube. I found a ton of videos that explained the best was to create textures just like this. I even found the best ways to mold and manipulate these textures. This was my solution I just needed to apply it to my design. I started implementing these textures everywhere and mostly clipped multiple of the textures to give each shape the confined look of the original style.

After solving the problem and adding some finishing touches, my grainy Mona Lisa was complete and in the process rid the kingdom of the design devil until tomorrow. I am happy with how this design turned out and how effective my process became for each day.

Reflection

Over the 6 Styles, 6 Sketchbooks, and 6 Designs, I was able to push myself creatively through on my feet problem solving and early planning. When things would go wrong instead of freaking out or ejecting my computer. I, just like Gandi, took the path of peace and used all my resources and talents to come up with most effective, and time adjacent solution.

However my favorite bonus of this project was creating 6 effective and creative designs. While projects like this seem like demons in the moment, I understand it now as a way to conquer small demons now and become ready for what is next in my life. Satan (a career).

Thank you so much for getting this far. If you wish to see each process and design check out the appendix.

To Contact Me Vist My Portfolio.

APPENDIX

Day 1