For my final piece of coursework during my A-Level project I was challenged with creating a brand and some promotional media to go with the brand. I chose to base my brand around something I'm interested in and with the artist Sergio Ingravalle replications I'd done in my research, I felt I'd be able to show what I have learned by creating my own project based around watches.
The next stage for my project was to decide on a title for the watch company. My idea was to relate the title more to the product, the watches I would create would be Swiss Made and be on par with companies such as TAG or Bremont meaning the branding and quality of product would be critical. So, I began by looking at Swedish names when I stumbled across ‘Stager’. This appealed to me as the pronunciation of the word implies a sense of quality, as does people being able to pronounce the title differently. The official pronunciation would be ‘Star-ga’. Below are some basic concept designs exploring a few options.
After making these designs I looked at experimenting with colour. Taking samples from colours used in primary research I created the surrounding variations. I feel that none of these work well to suggest a sense of opulence, nor would they be very commercially viable on products.
I felt the Stager title was beginning to work well at standing out whilst carrying a sense of opulence and quality. Although when it was placed onto documents such as business cards, warranty cards, or letters, it lacked a modern professional image. To overcome this I looked at existing products and the major brands where I found most contained a smaller subtext. The subtext was very similar in font, shape and style and used only capital letters which complimented the brand title well. This began my next step where I looked at different fonts and varied weights of line.
After creating several concepts, all slightly different and varying in weight of line, I found my optimum title. This title features the ‘Stager’ title above the company’s slogan. The layout of this works very effectively to provide the company with a very viable image. Having my title above our slogan will quickly encourage customers to associate one another together. It’ll also help to drive this image into people’s minds, reminding them that we are a Swiss company providing innovation in all our products. My final title and commercial image is shown below.
The projects main illustration for my advertisement is a watch made through Adobe’s Photoshop and based on a Maurice Lacroix Pontos. The illustration is made of 574 layers using shadows and blurs to bring a sense of depth to the image. To create the illustration, I used techniques which I learned when creating my primary replicas. This involved using tools within Photoshop such as dodge and burn to bring varied tones and depths throughout the image, leading to the face of the watch having a sense of realism and accuracy. An example of this is shown in the hands, across both the hour and minute hands is a very clear reflection and shape.
Next I chose to produce some more graphics for a pictogram card that will give ‘Stager’ more commercial viability. These graphics were made using Illustrator and are very simple making them viable to use again and again for different watches. I ensured that weight of line used in the different pictograms reflected the weight in the title. This is so that when the graphics are used on the card, the graphics sit comfortably making the card easy to read and interpret.
One of my main outcomes for the project was a campaign poster to promote the watch. This poster must be able to compete with the likes of TAG, Longines, Ebel and more meaning it must consistently resemble both quality and desirability. My poster designs started out very simplistic, stating the company's name but not showing the sense of luxury or the products features. As I began to add the pictograms and some other graphics it became too busy and distracted the viewers eye away from the product. I feel the best design is the central one below as it clearly shows the product and promotes the brand effectively, however the pictograms appear lost and unlinked to the watch.
My final design combines an additional media bringing more reference to my research work. The colour of the splatter works well to set off the face of the watch, allowing it to draw attention. Changing the orientation of the pictograms works well to make them clearer and allows more room to enlarge them, making the link to the product much clearer. In addition, the equal weight of line and equal spacing doesn't distract the viewer from the product yet works well to still inform. I have placed the Stager title at the top of the poster as people read from top to bottom meaning viewers are immediately informed of the brand whilst admiring the illustration and product which we’re selling. This has led to my final design being very easily to present as a digital and physical image.
With a formulaic graphic in the background of the card and the brand title vividly in the foreground I feel that my business card carries a professional image with a sense of quality. The use of colour in the card is very crucial to its success. The background graphic has a lower opacity to ensure it sits behind the main title, the tone also means that the graphic is subtle and doesn’t draw the attention away from the main title. In summary, this allows the card to be commercially viable and appropriate for the target market.
The idea for this pictogram card came from Omega watches which all contain a card with small graphics on, quickly and clearly informing the customer on the features of their watch. These graphics were made using Adobe Illustrator and are very simple making them viable to use again and again for different watches. I ensured that weight of line used in the different pictograms reflected the weight in the title. This is so that when the graphics are used on the card, the graphics sit comfortably making the card easy to read and interpret.
I feel my design works very well due to its class, practicality and clear branding. The card provides plenty of space making it practical for all stockists to use and isn’t generalised until paired with the watch. This means it could be stored separately in store and paired upon purchase. The weight of line in my final card is very consistent and clear to read. It does vary between title and information making the brand pop from the page and eye catching. This works well furthering the image of luxury as it simply implies and doesn’t state, leaving customers able to interpret the branding as they wish.
