Final Outcomes

Stamps

I am very happy with how these turned out because I think they clearly look like a set but are still all very different unique. I think the pointillism style gives a twist on the classic Disney characters without taking away any of their identity. I think the bright colour schemes work really well for the smaller scales as it really makes the characters contrast against them and stand out. I managed to add a lot of detail to each character whilst keeping it simple enough to be seen in small scale.

Matchbox

I think my matchbox is very effective because I managed to carry the pointillism theme through to typography which was a challenge and I wasn't sure it would be possible but I think it worked really well and all of the text is very clear and legible. I think I managed to capture the theme of the film in a very simple way by creating it in the style of the sky and adding in the house. I think this worked very well on a small scale as the text was very bold and had a such a good contrast against the background so it was very legible and really stood out. The images are also well bold and high contrast so again really stood out in the smaller scale when it was printed. 

Development

Paint

Before trying it on screen I wanted to experiment with a different medium so I used black water colour paint on a small paintbrush to draw out Mickey Mouse. I only did the black outline as white paint to fill his face in would not have showed on the paper. I tried a smaller and larger version to see how it would work in different sizes. It was very difficult to do it neatly and impossible to create perfect circles with the tip of the paintbrush. I also found it hard to get an even distribution of paint with each dot so some of the dots turned out darker than others which left an uneven tone on the images. I won't be continuing with this method because it doesn't have a very high quality and professional finish and I think I could get a much better result on screen because I can have an even colour and size/shape of dots. 

Mickey Mouse

I started off by using the dots to do all of the black outlines. 

I think this looked alright in black and white but it is drowned out when placed on a colour background which is what I would like to use. It also looks a little unfinished with only black and I think adding some fill colours will sort this out.

I chose to add in the colour with dots instead of a plain fill like I did in my initial ideas because this is a lot more in keeping with the pointillism style. I think it looks a lot more effective in colour as it stands out a lot more and will work much better in the small scale if it stands out. It still looks a little gappy and unfinished because there are too many spaces between the dots so I will need to fill it in more.

I filled in lots more extra dots and I think this looks a lot better because the colours and stronger so it no longer looks gappy or unfinished and really stands out over a coloured background. I think the design looks effective because it is simple and clear and will easily be seen in a small scale and the character is still very recognisable as Disney but has my own twist on it because of the the pointillism style.

Minnie Mouse

I then did the same method to create Minnie Mouse. I learnt from the first design and increased the amount and space between the dots to give it a bolder colour and stronger contrast against the coloured background. I used a bigger brush for the dots on her bow because I wanted a clear separation between those and the fill colour so that it was clear it was a pattern. I think this stamp looks effective because the colours and outlines look very bold so it really stands out off the background and is simple enough to work in a smaller scale too.

 Pluto Dog



Next I moved on to Pluto. Because of the pale colours used in this design, I think that it still look very happy even though I tried to add extra dots like with the first two. I will need to go back over it with even more dots to try and make the pale yellow colour look even bolder. 

I went over with a few more but it still doesn't look quite enough in certain areas like the eyes and mouth as they still have too many gaps and don't look very cold or stand out much. I think the black looks a lot clearer now though. I also think I need to neaten up the black outline a little because I want to improve the overall finish.

I added in even more dots to the areas the needed it and neatened up the outline and I think this looks very effective because it now stands out against the background and looks bolder. I think this stamp looks effective because the boldness of the outlines will really make it stand out in smaller form, and adding in the extra dots made the subtle colours of the mouth and face really stand out.

Marie (Aristocats)



Finally I used the same method to create Marie. This design contained a lot of white which made it very bold so no extra dots or editing need to be added. I think it is effective because although it is probably the most detailed, the thickness of these lines will make them visible in the smaller scale and the white and pink really stand out off the page.

Colour Scheme / Final Layout

I decided on these colours because I wanted something that wouldn't overpower the image, but was still bold enough to give a strong contrast against it so that it would stand out and because of this I think they are very effective. I chose them based on the personality/vibe given off by that character so that they were relevant to each character.

I decided to do my stamp for the USA as this is where Disney originated so it links in best with my theme. I looked up US stamps and found that all that was required was the word 'USA' and the price of the stamps so this is all that I added. I chose a font that was quite bold and bubbly as this goes with the cartoon child like style of disney and it will also stand out and be legible in the smaller scale. I chose to do it in white as this had a good contrast against all of he background colours so is easily legible. 

 I added in coloured borders around the stamps as I thought this would be a fun and quirky touch and would make them really stand out on a white paper envelope. I chose colours that were already in the designs so that I wouldn’t be overcomplicating them by adding too many different shades of colour. 

Match Box

I chose this quote from my list because it was quite short and concise so would fit nicely in the small space, and would be quite easy to illustrate as the film 'Up' revolves around the sky so I can have the text floating in the sky.

I wanted to carry on the pointillism style through to the typography so that there was a clear link between the matchbox and the stamps, so I chose a bubbly font and went over it using small dots. I used the same font as on my stamps as the template for continuity between the designs and the fact that it works well for the fun and cartoon like style of Disney. 

I think this looks effective because it's clear and legible and in the style that I'm carrying through my designs, but it looks a little plain so I would like to add a coloured background.

I think this looks far more effective because the text now looks like clouds in the sky which links back to the film 'Up'.

It looked a little plain still so I decided to add in additional clouds. I first used the pointillism style but it looks a little messy and too cluttered so I think a normal fill will work best.

I think the normal fill looks a lot more effective because it gives a contrast to the dotted text and helps to contain it. I think this overall design works well because it not only links to the film but also carries on the pointillism style and is cohesive with my stamps because of this. I think the boldness of the text and contrast against the background will make this clear and legible in the small scale.

I wanted to add the film name to the other side so that I didn’t have to clutter up the top by having it all on there, but still having it included ensured it was clear to people where the quote was taken from. I used the same style and font as on the front for continuity. 

I first tried making it look like a balloon but I think it looks a little messy and the red clashes with the blue background.

Instead I went with the idea of making it look like the house from the film. I think this looks a lot neater and cleaner. I used negative space for the name of the film and I think this works really well as there is a strong contrast and it really stands out.

It looked a little plain so I added in clouds which also gives continuity with the other side and makes the same background wrap around the entire box. I thought the house looked too neat and wanted it to look more hand drawn and cartoon like to match the disney cartoon style so I drew it myself and I think this solves the problem. I think this side of the matchbox looks very effective because the text really stands out and links to the style of the rest of the matchbox, and my other stamp designs because of the pointillism. I think it also links nicely to the film because of the house and the use of the sky. I think the boldness of the contrast and text will make this work well in a smaller scale and it will be clear and legible. 

I put the required 'Safety matches' down the side so that it wouldn't clutter my designs. I use same font for continuity and the fact it's very bold and legible.

Layout for print

I decided to make the tray purple because there is an awful lot of blue on the design so I wanted something to contrast with it but also compliment it and I think the purple does this nicely.

Initial Ideas

Initial Ideas

For my initial ideas I decided to sketch out simple drawings of each of the characters first before I went into the pointillism style so that I had a clear idea of their features and colour schemes which made it easier to do the more complex versions. Doing my initial ideas on paper first will be very helpful when it comes to designing not only because I will have something to design from, but also so that I have already tested my designs in a small scale and can check their effectiveness. I think these designs ill be very effective because the faces are still clear and easily recognisable in the pointillism style and work well in the small scale that I drew them in.

I also created some quick initial ideas for my matchbox. I chose the quote from the film 'Up' from my research because it is short and concise so would fit nicely in the small space, and would be quite easy to illustrate as the film 'Up' revolves around the sky so I can have the text floating in the sky. I worked around the theme of the film which was balloons, the sky, and a flying house. I tried out a variety of different layouts and combinations using these elements, and also tried adding in some pointillism because I think I would like it to work with the stamps as a cohesive set so I want to try linking them together by using the same design style. I will experiment further with these on screen and come up with something that encompasses parts from each design and sums up the film. Doing these designs will help me to have a basic idea of where to start when I make the matchbox on the computer.

Research

Stamps

I first looked into stamps in general to help me get some initial inspiration for styles of design that work best in a smaller scale and to find what appealed to me. From this I found that small 2D designs or patterns work best as anything too detailed will be lost in the smaller scale. Because the designs must be so simple I think it would best to do them in a stylised way to make them more interesting and unique. 

Matchboxes

Next I looked into matchboxes and from this I found that the most effective designs that I liked best were either patterns or typography based. I think I would like to go down the typography route as my stamps will be image based so I want to have a mix of different techniques.

Vintage Stamps

I would like to try out the vintage style for my stamps and matchbox because I think it would work well for smaller scale as it is very simple and 2D which makes the images stand out and remain clear and legible even in stamp size. I have also found from this research that the colours schemes tend to be slightly faded and lean towards darker shades of colours which I will have to taken into account for my designs.

Vintage Style Design

I looked into the vintage style in general to get some extra inspiration for the colours, style of images, and typefaces commonly used. This will help me get inspiration for the typeface to be used in the typography one, and from this I have found that full caps sans serif typefaces were very popular in vintage style designs. Again the colour schemes are quite faded and lean towards the darker side and the images are simple and 2D so this is definitely the style I will need to design in.

Analysing Mixed Media Techniques in graphic design

I found some examples of graphic design that had been created using different media techniques. I then analysed how these techniques were achieved. Doing this helped me to think outside the box a little more for my designs, and has given me the inspiration to change my design style. Instead of doing vintage style, I will now look into creating my designs in the style of pointillism. The first image was my main inspiration for this because it showed me that images can have coloured added to them in more ways that just a full colour fill using the pain bucket tool.

Pointillism 

After deciding to change my theme I wanted to research pointillism further so I made a mood board with a variety of different examples. The very small dots are far too complex to be made on such a small scale, so my main inspiration will be images like the pumpkin that use larger more visible dots to make up the image as this will still be visible on the size of the stamps.

Disney Theme

I have decide on a disney theme for my stamps and matchbox because it is a very wide category and would allow me to illustrate characters as well as use quotes for my matchbox. It is also very commonly done in a simple cartoon style, which will work very well for small scale products as when they are reduced in size they will still be clear and recognisable. 

Disney Quotes / Characters

I also researched disney characters, quotes, and films to help me choose ones for my designs. Doing this will help me have a large range of options to choose from to ensure I choose the most suitable and effective for my designs.

Disney Mood board 

Finally I created a mood board of disney characters and illustrations styles. This has helped me decide that I want to go with the simpler 2D characters like the ones used in the vintage disney posters as these would be the clearest in smaller formats.