The project below displays a collection of branding exercises elaborated throughout a semester.
The briefing for this six-month-long project was dictated by one of my college teachers, Antonio Perez "Ñiko" who told us:
"During this semester you must develop a series of exercises that will shape up a brand of your choosing, you will choose a name, make the logo with its adequate process and in addition, you must elaborate on various applications for this brand. One of the important requirements I implore you to consider is that each exercise or section must be resolved, thought of and presented in various styles so we can appreciate the different results you are capable give."
The main idea of this project is to display what we can do and break some basic rules, make some things fun, interesting and different and even if it's the same project show that we can vary from one style to another and it can still be appreciated as the same brand.
THEME
For this project, I choose a Food Fair as the theme and in this case, I decided to center the subject of Mexican food, taking into account that the event would take place in Mexico.
I wanted something humorous for the atmosphere of the event, so for the name, I searched around for something attractive and fun.
In Mexico, there is a common expression "Mal del Puerco" that refers to when someone eats a lot and almost immediately after feels very tired and sleepy. Mal del Puerco is a very Mexican expression, but we can roughly translate it to "The evil of the pig".
So after a big meal, when you feel the need to go take a nap you can say "Ya me dio el mal del puerco" which can translate roughly as "I ate way too much, I need to take a nap."
LOGO
In Mexico, salsas are one of the most common companions for any type of dish and it's a popularly said that the best salsas are made in a molcajete (a large stone mortar with three or four short legs that is used to grind condiments) and apart from the regular shape in which they are manufactured you can also find them looking like pigs.
Here is where I drew the idea of the logo linking the pig from the name and the shape of the molcajete.
Final logo result.
Sketching process for the logo decision and final solution.
My design and sketching process consists of a lot of writing ideas and making notes about the subject and related information that can help me connect concepts. When the idea of the project is very clear it's easy for me to land into what I will do and sketch.
In the photos I attach in this project are some of the written, conceptual and drawn decisions I took for each section.
Digital sketching and construction of the logo.
Geometric tracing (circular shapes) and grid (based on squares) for the symbol.
Variation and construction of the typographical composition.
COLOR
I choose two main colors; blue and magenta and as a complementary color; yellow.
Magenta is commonly related to Mexican folklore, it's culture and objects, we can find this color, as well as bright blue, in handicrafts, toys, traditional clothing, candy, houses, flowers from the region and other cultural expressions. It's known internationally as "rosa Mexicano" or "Mexican pink".
As a contrast color, I choose a bright yellow that will help bring elements upwards and gives a better harmony to a composition.
Color selection.
Disintegration of the logo.
In the image above we have the photographic reference of the pig-shaped molcajete, the color variants that are permitted for the logo, the main colors and the fonts that were chosen.
The logo can vary only by exchanging colors as shown in the example when used monochromatically yellow must only be applied with a blue background.
The selected font for the naming was based on finding a loose and semi-informal looking typography, with a hand-made experience contrary to this, the claim is intended to look more formal and geometrical, aiming for an institutional use. Meaning that this font will be used as the main typography for everything related to the brand.
Examples of logo references (quick referential study).
STATIONERY
Letterhead and business card.
Envelope and overlay with interior textures.
The stationary design is contemplated for printing in large volumes (for example, using offset) for this reason the solutions are monochromatic, either it's magenta or it's blue. The only application that can be combined is the presentation card.
SIGNAGE
Ideally, the iconography used to indicate places or things are created simple but for this exercise, I planed the application of these in a big format so I decided to take it a bit overboard and make more detailed images.
Sketching process for the icon style and notes.
Bathroom mockup and icons for parking lot, telephone and no smoking respectivly.
Icons for going up and downstairs and cafeteria mockup.
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
For the advertising campaign, it was necessary to choose a slogan.
Following the subject, I had selected I choose a slogan that appeals to humor and food, obviously. "El humor y la comida nos mantienen vivo" translates to "Humor and food keep us alive".
Sketching process for the advertising campaign applications and proposal of the book cover.
NEWSPAPER
This illustration represents the ingredients of a dish falling into or jumping out of a bowl, it gives a sensation of movement and dynamism that permits flexibility and allows to be modified into different formats without losing the main message or appeal.
Thanks to the vast menu of tools from the Procreate app it was possible to play around with diverse options that gave this illustration interesting textures.
Original illustration.
Mockup of full page of a newspaper.
Quarter of a page of the newspaper.
Newspaper headband or footer with horizontal display of the slogan.
The main illustration for the newspaper was applied to different sizes, the intention of this is to create continuity without using the same composition. Each one contains the same elements distributed or seen in a different way either order wise or with zoom.
MAGAZINE
For the magazine, I used the same illustration from the newspaper but applying plain colors. The idea of this is not to "save time" but to give a follow up in the editorial publicity area.
Original illustration with color.
Mockup of full page of a magazine.
Quick timelapse of the digital process for the original illustration (black and white and color) in Procreate app for newspaper and magazine.
BILLBOARD
Intentionally and ideally a billboard is just for a quick look, we generally see it while traveling in a vehicle, with this context I elaborated an illustration that would inform as quickly as possible.
I bring back the element of the pig this time as a type of mascot (that helps with the humorous part of the event) and the main subject (the food). It has enough information to build up curiosity to the public.
*From here on the applications of the campaign, I used the institutional colors with slight alterations adding black or white respectively for more variety.*
Mockup of outdoor billboard for highways or roads.
The illustration was also elaborated with the Procreate app.
POSTER
For the poster, I made two with the intention of telling a story.
A before and after using once again the pig as comic relief and giving continuity to the humor intention of the event reinforcing the phrase (and name) "Mal del Puerco" in a more literal sense and the relation with the billboard solution given above.
Mockup of continuos posters (before and after).
Quick timelapse of the process of the illustrations in Procreate app for the posters.
PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN
FLYER
The purpose of the promotional is that the consumer can keep it and for this reason, I created a flyer that apart from being informative it has an attractive appeal.
In this case, I used the molcajete as the main object, combining styles of representation and forming the text as a block playing with sizes and its relevance.
I choose to use the yellow to put away for a little while the main colors of the brand. The solution is only yellow + black contemplating printing options.
Mockup of flyers.
The button pins are designed with the intention of creating more of the same series, this means that the collection of pins can grow as large as a fruit and vegetable list goes this way it's more diverse and it lends itself to many possibilities.
The apron is designed as an interactive piece when the pocket is open you can see the rest of the illustration, and again we use the pig as the main element now with a chef hat that incorporates the fair's logo and a humorous phrase that translates to "cooking with love, meaning lard".
The t-shirt design consists of a series of illustrations of ingredients, foods or meals, kitchen utensils, and drinks, the texture covers the clothing and the logo is placed in the back above the neckline.
The cap is almost covered with various foods and ingredients with a different style of illustration compared with the t-shirt, despite the difference it has continuity colorwise.
The cap design is contemplated for two types of production; an expensive version and a cheap one. The expensive one is embroidered and the cheaper version is printed onto the caps cloth.
PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN
Mockup of pins, apron, cap and t-shirt.
DIGITAL CAMPAIGN
Nowadays all digital solutions are dominating over the physical world and thanks to the huge growth of social media it has become an amazingly practical tool for communication for various brands and enterprises to reach out to the public.
As a personal exercise I examined various brand accounts on Facebook and Instagram and came to the conclusion that creating connections and links in the display of content between both social networks gives a more familiar vibe for the user, the experience they acquire while seeing the same styles and intentions from one platform to another seems to be the best solution. With this quick survey, I choose to apply this technique to the exercise.
*The intent of the style changes throughout the project are intentional, the idea is to prove how far and wide we can go without breaking completely the general identity of the brand. This is why we can see a jump, especially in the digital campaign.*
Sketching process for the digital campaign proposal which can work in different formats and social media applications.
Disintegration of mockup of digital applications (Facebook and Instagram).
For the profile pictures on both platforms I solved it simply placing the logo, this helps to be identified quickly and with greater reason because it's a new brand and the intention is for the public to get to know it for the first time.
For Facebook exclusively I decided to add elements from the cover image to integrate the page's image.
The cover image consists of a photomontage, also representing a dish but this time appearing to be cooked with a skillet. Apart from the use of text there are also drawn elements to garnish the composition.
Cover image for Facebook.
We modify the size of the canvas to use the composition made for the cover image to the Instagram format, with the intent, as mentioned before, create integrity between the brand's social media accounts.
Post for Instagram.
And in addition, I made an extra post that works as a digital flyer to inform the details of the event.
Post for Facebook and Instagram.
PACKAGING
The idea of the packaging exercise is to create a practical and simple design that integrates the feeling and colors of the fair and can be used as wrapping paper or even a gift bag to hand out after any purchase.
The proposal is based on a flat and geometrical design using thin lines and solid colors for some elements. The texture is easily repeatable this way it's practical to use as wrapping paper or in bags, no matter where the design is cut or divided the illustration does not lose meaning or composition.
Illustration for wrapping paper.
Mockup of wrapping paper.
MURAL
The mural is intended to be a decorative outdoor element planned to be 8 meters wide. The solution I applied was inspired by cooperative illustrations contemplating the complexity and the challenge of a large-format application and the alure it can transmit to the public with the selected graphic solution and colors.
Transmiting the ambiance of the fair; family environment, colorful and happy.
Sketching process for the environmental application (or outdoor mural).
Illustration proposal of outdoor mural.
Quick timelapse of the process of the illustrations in Procreate app for the outdoor mural.
Physical book hardcover.
Interior pages of the book.
