Photo or Vector Watch? You Decide
My job was to design a photo realistic watch in Illustrator only using shapes and other tools. This watch was created by Cluse, a company based out of The Netherlands but ships their products worldwide. Cluse attracts people that see beauty in simplicity. The simplicity of their products emphasizes what's really important in life. This watch is simple in design but as you look closer the intricate details make it so much more that it is initially to the eye. I made sure to capture the unique reflections the metal rim reflects.
Sketches
I scrolled through all different types of photos of watches and sketched out the different elements I liked in them. I thought of having a rather simple watch face to clearly identify key attributes found in most watches. I finally found the Cluse watch and thought it was absolutely perfect. I like to work in a creative environment to get ideas flowing. I sketched using a pen and paper.
Development Through Drafts
My next step was to start creating shapes in the computer.
This draft was clearly not good at all. It's just a very rough start with basic shapes.
Here I started adding more highlights and subtle details to the watch. I tried to add on the bands of the watch but they are clearly still shapes and overlap the lugs giving it a unprofessional appearance. The highlights are too bright and there aren't many shadows. I decided to use another reference photo for the band of the watch to add my own creative touch. I still had a lot of work ahead of me at this point.
Feedback
After making additional adjustments throughout my series of drafts I was able to get additional feedback from peers and professionals in the industry. I added more shadows and a thinner highlight to the band along with an underlying shadow to give the watch dimension. It was also brought to my attention to make sure my band was touching the lugs. Before the band was overlapping but now it had a tangent. I made an additional adjustment to add a shape in the background to make it appear like the band was wrapped around the back of the watch. (You will be able to see all these adjustments in the next image.)
Final
I think that with this final product we are able to fit Cluse's mission statement. It's simple and sophisticated but elegant all at the same time. Reaching their target audience it could match any wardrobe anywhere in the world. Starting with the realistic shadows and highlights that make the rim look metal to every intricate shape that gives the watch a 3D depth it might be hard for others to guess if it wasn't a photo. We started with a very simplistic vector looking product and ended with a finished professional look. People will never forget the Cluse watch.
