Bag/Sketchbook final designs

We have decided on the final designs for the sketchbook cover and the design for the bags.

The final sketchbook cover:



The final bag design:


We decided that we would use an initial unused sketchbook design as our canvas bag logo, this is because we chose a more suitable design for the cover and this design works well, it is a small vector image which means it would be easily screen printed onto the bag.

The Story

During a tutorial brent asked us to write part of the story. Given the trend of currrent fantasy adventure storybooks i thaught it best to follow suit. Harry Potter and Twilight are probbably the best, most popular and current examples. After i had written a short introduction to the first installment. Using photoshop i placed the text i had written in the center of an image i found. i wanted it to look and feel old fashioned... like an old manurscript. The ornate boreder frames it nicely and adds to the "fantasy feel" i was trying to create.

This is the introduction to what would be the first installment, without the ornate background if you wish to read it, alternativley if u click on the image a larger vision will open and will be far easier to read.

"Night was coming. Charlie remembered the stories his mother had told him of what would happen to him if he were to find himself alone in the dark, luckily he was meeting someone.

The boy stared at the two keys his father had given him before hastily dropping him at the bus station… “I’m sorry Charlie, I never made it you see… remember before the sands runs low!” … Charlie hadn’t a clue what his father meant, he was always a bit strange though, always telling funny little stories of things he’d done but he did eat a lot of vegetables and we all know how bad they are for you.

Charlie was glad to see Grandad was there to greet him when he got off the bus, it had been nearly three years since he’d last seen him. There, stood clad in tweed one hand behind his back and the other holding the pipe that disappeared under his silver moustache. “Hello my boy!” he bellowed as cloud of smoke escaped. Usually he’ d have his arms outstretched in anticipation of a warm hug. This time however when Charlie approached him he brought out one arm from behind his back and opened his hand slowly. Charlie gasped. It glowed as he leant over it. A solid gold hourglass… “Hurry Charlie… we have very little time.” "

Ben

The online shop

An online shop was another key element of the project we had to look into. Nathan found the site " http://www.arkade.com/ " a site where artists can sell their music online and write there own blurb to describe and sell there work. it was Nathans idea to use the site or one similar as a possible platform from which to sell the audio book we would produce. Perhaps one that is more orientated to audio books such as " http://rental.audiobooksonline.co.uk/browse.html " ..however this site does not allow you upload your own products, so we need to find a site which is a mixture of both. Below are some screenshots of the sites have accounts on.




Because the YSP all ready have their own website, it is pointless to create another. So creating an area solely for friends of the YSP to log into and access their own area from the original site seemed more appropriate and personal. In this area they would have access to the products for sale that we have designed, a sneak preview of the latest installment and its artwork as well as a short audio clip previewing of the latest audio book to entice them to visit the YSP and buy the products.

We have created an etsy account, an online shop for artists from all over the world to sell their work. We will use this to sell the books, canvas bags (which will also be for sale in store at the YSP) and perhaps the artwork as separate prints to the public. The audio book will be purchasable online from "arkade" and the rest of the products i.e. sketchbooks and book ends are in store exclusives.

Revamping the story book

We had to make the book interesting. i had the idea of printing on to asotate and then laying the printed text over a thin pad of LED's.... a thin compact light box so to speak, illuminating the text for the reader. However e-paper is a new technology currently being experimented with by leading brands such as Sony, Phillips and Fujitsu. a layer of paper thin plastic filled with OLED's. (organic light emeitting diodes) displays images and text with the quality rival to most computers, however, the plastic display can be bent folded and roled into any shape, and continue to work.








http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeaT62OMi8M&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6bkmPjVF-k

Point of sale display design

This is a quick mock up of an early design for the point of sale.

Point of sale display

On its release every prodct needs a point of sale to make the product stand out in a professional manner. These are some examples of existing point of sale displays. Point of sale displays are made from strong card board in order to hold the products they are displaying. Ours will need to be very sturdy to hold the sketchbooks.

Story Patch Designs

Here are a few designs to illustrate the type of patches we will create. We decided that a triangular patch would work best because this shape would allow for a neat tessellation which would allow the patches to continuously flow as new installations to the book and therefore the patches are brought out. Each patch features a key motif that plays a role within each installment of the series of books.

Sew on Patch Research

Our Concept.

It is our idea to create a range of sew on fabric patches that can be collected by the grandchildren and sewn onto the cotton bags that will be used to take the chapters of the book home. Each badge will desplay a key element of the book, and will only be earnt by completing our event (the storywalk based on each new installment of the book). By completing an up to date set of patches displayed on the cotton bag, the child will earn a YSP sketchbook as a prize and any patch will allow the child to take home a previous installment of the book.


Exsisting Products


Here is a range of exsisting patches that we will look at as inspiration and research for our own designs, primaraly looking at products that will appeal to a younger demographic.

More sketch book covers.

Here are a couple of potential front covers for the sketchbook which is going to be displayed in a point of sale at the YSP. I went for a more typographic based simple approach rather than the more detailed photographic designs which have already been posted on this blog. I created these by using exsisting sculptures as source materials for an outline and filling them with type.

Bookend Concepts

These are my final Bookend designs. I used illustrator to mock these up, and i am quite pleased with how they turned out. I chose to just use the letters YSP as this would prevent any copyright infringement caused by using the sculptures from the park. These would be made from metal or heavy wood to support the books, and also give a neat finish to the display.

Bookend Research

Concept Idea.

It is our idea to design bookends that can be bought at the YSP, and used to keep each installmnt of the ongoing book (available exclusivly to YSP friends) neat and tidy. We believe that this is a product likely to be bought by grandparents either for the grandchildrens home or even their own depending on where the family decide to keep thier installments of the book.


Exsisting Products.

Here is a few exmamples of current products which we believe to be creative and interesting, that also demomstrate who this a product that could appeal to both the young and the old.

Cotton Bag Research

Our Product Idea.

It is our idea that the books are only available to take away from the YSP when a special cotton bag (that is only available to friends of the YSP) is brought along to the park. This bag will also act as a product to display the badges that can be collected at the park, and these badges will act as a visual representation to each chapter of our story book, with a new badge being released each time a new installment is brought out. The friends can only take out a previous installment of the book when the have the most recent badge on there bag.


Why cotton bags?

With the current concern for global warming, environmentally friendly products are becoming more and more popular. We decided that it would be a good idea to create an environmentally friendly product that will appeal to our target market (grandparents) but that can also be used to promote the YSP in a positive way. As these cotton bags are re-usable everyone benefits. Below is a video from a company selling cotton bags at wholesale demonstrating the importance of using these bags as well as the increase in demand for them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKaSkpvmJNw

Where to find them?

Below is a link to the bags that we will buy in from wholesale, they are perfect for our products as they are a light colour and have a big open space suitable for printing our designs on, they also have two straps and look more like a backpack and therefore hopefully more appealing to the grandchildren. They are environmentally friendly and reasonably priced.

http://shop.thecleverbaggers.co.uk/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=82&idproduct=911

How to make them?

We have decided to produce these bags by screen printing the designs we create directly onto the cotton bags. The friends can then quickly add any sew on badges that they collect onto the bags.

Existing Products?

Here is a compilation of what we believe to the better existing products out there and also a few bags that we hope our end product will end up like.

CD Packaging

The audio book is another product we want to produce. Te are various types of CD sleeves around at the moment. We want to make the cover a feature in its self. The idea is the grandparent will play the CD and the child can play with the cover as it may have various interesting elements such as pop up images to make it as interactive as possible. This first image of the popup house and characters is a great idea, this it’s the kind of product I aim to produce, something three dimensional that the user can grasp and interact with.



This net shows a CD sleeve made from card these cheaper alternatives to the traditional plastic cases are better for the environment.





Society loves the idea of environmentally friendly products so long as they don’t have to get their hands dirty recycling etc. So these examples showing a good use for recycled card.. also the DVD case is of particular interest, a more “bookish” shape something more this shape and siz could reflect the story book idea better.

Another change of plan.

After another group meeting we decided that we could come up with a more suitable and friendlier range of products for our joint target market of grandparents with grandchildren between the ages of 5 and 10, so once again the products list has changed. We decided to make the story book one of the products itself, rather than just part of the event. We then swapped the window-stickers for sew on patches that would be earned by each visit to the park: a sort of brownie point scheme. These badges can then be sewn to the canvas bag after every trip and after a certain number of badges have been gained they are allowed to take the book home, providing they bring the bag with them. When all badges have been gained the prize is a free sketch book, and with each badge the previous installment of the book can be taken home. As we are aiming to make the story book the centre of the event we want all the product to tie into it and relate, therefore the fifth product will be bookends. Which will be used to keep all the installments of the book neat at home, we believe this to be a more suitable product than eye-masks.


Five final concept products

1. The story book

2. The CD audio book

3. The canvas bags

4. Sew on badges/patches

5. Bookends

Sam's eye mask design

This is a rough eye mask concept i came up with.

Eye mask's

These are some examples of current eye mask products taken from clickforart.com. Our's would have YSP based designs on them. This type of product would apeal to children and the older generation.