Call out/ submission template
Following the initial meeting with Spencer, we decided to prioritise starting to design some initial call out designs, like posters and instagram posts. This is a massively important element of the project due to its submission based nature; we need to get as many submissions as possible in order to make the final design, so we opted to start early (over the break). The key components that Spencer and I decided on was that we wanted the visual language of MoodGlyph to be fairly minimal for the call outs, in order to make it clear to people wanting to submit. Due to this, we decided to stick to a black and white theme, and use simple typefaces like Helvetica and Times New Roman; this also brought a sense of wittiness to the project as its a call out for type design as we're using the most basic/ classic typefaces. This would also help Spencer and I create designs that matched more easily, by sticking to these rules.
Shape sketches
Despite the visual language of MoodGlyph being pretty simple and minimal, we decided that it would be fun to create some little illustrative characters to break up the negative space a bit. This also related to how when we receive the submissions, we could transform them into their own characters that communicate their corresponding emotion. Due to this, I felt like I could introduce some illustrative elements to the project, as its something I feel like I'm stronger at. These initial sketches about are some simple shapes that I was planning on creating some characters with. Spencer also suggested that it would help with our self branding if we had some kind of motif or mascot in a sense.
Sticking to the rules set by Spencer and I, I created this initial call out template concepts. To begin with, these designs were originally for a template that people could download and draw onto for their submissions, hence the grid effect. I created a very quick logo using Helvetica and Times New Roman, which I think works really well and aligns with the minimalist design of the project; this provides more emphasis on the type submissions itself, as it wouldn't really make sense if we designed type for the call outs, since we're calling out for type.
To create more playful undertones, I broke up the templates' layout by creating some little characters out of my sketches; this brought more of an anthropomorphic side to the project, and lifted the designs to relate more to emotion. Spencers' feedback was that he thought they worked well with the sense of voice we wanted to achieve, so I kind of used them as a motif- I think the addition of the eyes also could be adopted as a motif, as it links back to this emotional theme. These call out designs also include a 'what to do' section to provide more guidance to people wanting to submit. However, I feel like these initial concepts feel a bit too over crowded and stray away from the minimal design we wanted to achieve. Also, having the 'what to do' so small makes it kind of unclear to the audience. Due to this, we both decided to take out the grid, as it wasn't essential to the design and confused the visual hierarchy a bit.
Instagram visuals
Due to the decision to focus more on a minimal design, I removed the grid and created this simple instagram template for out future posts. I think it works better a there is more emphasis on the logo and it creates a better brand image. I feel like having some sort of ambiguity also works as we want to create a buzz around the project in order to intrigue people to submit letters.
In order to make the project more clear to the audience, I also created these 'we need a..' instagram posts, as it is more explicit and literally asks the audience for a letter. I really like the introduction of the 'm' glyph character, as it makes the design more playful. As well as this, the design exclusively used Helvetica and Times New Roman in order to provide further consistency with the brand image of MoodGlyph. The main issue with these call out designs, however, is that they kind of limit the submissions we get; the fact that we're saying 'we need a' suggests that we only want one letter of each, which isn't true. I think we need to develop some more broader call outs, as we want to encourage as many submissions as possible. As well as this, if we literally post one for every letter of the alphabet, we would be spamming out instagram a bit, thus loosing ambiguity and (sorry for the cringe) our coolness of brand image. Nobody like a spam account.
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