Aesthetics

I think it's about time I started digitally designing. I have been brainstorming rough designs by hand but think the full effect of what I am trying to communicate will only really work when presented digitally. Below are three scans of skull designs that would be used as the top piece of packaging. I think all three are a little harsh and I'm not really happy with them. After all my aim is not to scare the children, in fact quite the opposite. I will open these in illustrator and try to workshop an approach that is welcoming and friendly.

Below are early designs for a typeface and matching colour scheme. I like the idea of using all straight lines, as it fits well within the theme and it will be easier to cut out small details later on. I used the grid in Illustrator to create the type below, I'm not entirely happy with the outcome. I think it looks too disjointed and awkward, and again, not that child friendly.

Below I have edited my initial template just a little. Instead of sticking to a strict formula I made the text slightly more jaunty. I think it works well within a 'playful' frame of mind and would definitely appeal to a child slightly more. However I don't like the way the letter 'R' looks, this will have to be changed.

Below I was working on simple yet striking designs for the eyes in my skull. Again I have used straight lines for the majority, minus the circular pupil in the middle. The first image shows the idea in purely black but I felt this was far too dark so I added a range of colours in the next screen capture.

Ideas for pupils below:

Below are early ideas for a 'papel picado' inspired piece of decoration. The basic idea is that all the white that is visible would be cut out, or ideally die cut, to leave you with a quite intricate piece of Mexican decoration to hang, similarly to bunting.

Skull Cookie Cutters

I decided that the cutters I had made previously would have to actually be used and I should therefore have a 'trial run' and gage the success. Before I could even begin I had to find a recipe for cookies that would be at an appropriate difficulty level for the age group of children I am aiming my product at; 4-10 year olds. I looked through the recipe books that I had and decided on a recipe for 'sugar cookies' that seemed simple enough. That recipe can be found below:

Sugar Cookies: Makes about 20
Ingredients

• 200 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 280 g caster sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 400 g plain flour
• a pinch of salt

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
• Put the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl and cream until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well, scraping any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Add the flour and salt and mix well, but don’t overmix. The dough should be light, soft and easy to handle.
• Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Cut out shapes with your choice of biscuit cutters.
• Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking trays and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Check them regularly to make sure they are not burning. The cookies should be very light golden on the outer edges and paler in the centre.
• When you are happy that they are cooked through, remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly on the trays before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

So I followed the recipe to the best of my ability and once I had finished following the necessary steps I had created 9 skull shaped sugar cookies, pictured below. However I was not happy with one as it was slightly burned in the corner so I decided to discard this particular cookie.

I laid out my final eight skull cookies on a wire cooling rack and waited patiently for them to cool down. I was quite proud of my attempt and this practical exercise had helped reinforce my conviction that a child from the age of 4-10 could carry out the task, perhaps with a little assistance from an adult. 

Once the cookies where completely cooled I brought out the decorating tools I had purchased previously. I could have considered the design I was going to create with the icing and chocolate beans, but I decided that a child probably wouldn't, so neither would I. This did make me realise however that it would be a good idea to include a range of visuals of decoration so that the child has a certain amount of inspiration. This is definitely something to consider.

I began with the red icing and went around the shape, almost like an outline, which I then decorated with chocolate beans. This was then followed by the addition of a mouth, a nose and eyes. I decided something was missing so I then added a little more decoration, just to make the cookie as bright and engaging as possible. Below are images showing my process.

Now I have created a batch of 'Sugar Skull Cookies' I am more confident with my idea and know for definite that it works. I also now have a recipe appropriate enough for kids and will start to work on aesthetics for the cutters and the packaging itself.

Skull Cookie Cutters

Today I decided to start working on my skulls shaped cookie cutters. I was able to get my hands on a few strips of thin aluminium. They where roughly an inch wide and due to such a small thickness they were particularly malleable. I initially started by drawing out a few templates on a piece of paper that I would use for reference. However it quickly became apparent that I had ideas above my station and would have to make the cookie cutters much simpler. I began by drawing light pencil lines on the metal coloured side of the strips, this was then followed by 'scoring' the lines with a chisel and hammer. Once this was done they were already starting to take shape. I soon realised that the lengths of metal where too long and would therefore have to trimmed down, so for the time being I secured my prototypes with black tape. Below are images of the process.

Although I initially had three pieces of metal one of the cutters was not really that successful so I decided to scrap that particular model, opting for two differing prototypes. Below are images of these two cutters photographed in a kitchen environment. I'm not sure which one I prefer as the top one has more detail but the bottom one was probably my neatest attempt. In order to make a final decision I will have to actually use the cutters to make some cookies and see which is the best.

Package Development

Today I started working on small prototypes for my 'sugar cookies' pack. I made the small piece below using three different colours of card and at the last minute decided to add a sleeve that slides over the rest of the package, keeping it secure. The sleeve would be slowly removed and the lid taken off to reveal the contents inside. For the purpose of this blog I quickly drew a few items that I am considering using: icing tubes, a small rolling pin, instructional leaflet, skull shaped cutter and tubes for decorations like beads and feathers. The design right at the bottom of the post was a brainstorm I had which incorporates the teeth of the skull and the phrase 'Dia de los Muertos'. This design could be positioned on the sleeve and when it is slid off, another alternative teeth design would be discovered underneath. This time without the words.

Good: Rationale

Today we were asked to fill in the sheet below. It was basically an exercise in putting across our ideas in a more succinct manner. However I don't think I quite managed to do this. I was quite specific with my wording and after a brief word with Lorenzo I have since gone back on the info below and instead continue to research and brainstorm ideas.

Inspiration Board

I have been looking for items and colour palettes that will inspire my future designs.

Mexico in Detail

After successfully presenting my summer research, the group was then told to continue our research, but with a more direct focus. I decided that I wanted to base my future project around the country of Mexico and the different things I experienced whilst I was there. In order for my research to continue on the right path I decided to get away from the computer and go back to the diary that I kept whilst in the country. I streamlined my research and began to come up with a few key words and phrases in relation the topic. I wrote out a brief explanation for each one and why I deemed it 'good'. Below is a scan that shows my development.

After generalising my research I then went on to carry out a task that was set to the group in the first week. It is a method that ensures your research is as thorough as possible and you can often come up with some quirky quotes that can lead to an interesting approach, rather than generic ones. At first you identify a simple set of items, subjects, places or activites (pretty much anything) then ask yourself why? Why have you written this down and why do you consider it to be good? You can be as literal as possible but try and be creative at the same time. After you have identified these reasons you then twist them and come up with reasons why they could be considered 'not good'.