Today’s entry in this continuing series are the 3 design options I presented to the client for their “Little Miss Ladybug” cake line. My services included branding, photo-retouching, design, print-production, supporting ad campaigns. As well as the ongoing continuous branding symmetry with the other products I designed for their many lines of collectible cakes and plush toys. (see previous blogs).
Today’s entry are the 3 design options presented for the “My Favorite Teacher” cake and plush collectible. (See previous entries for description on this continuing branding campaign).
Brand is based on the idea of the teacher and classroom, playing off the product, supporting it with similar graphics, chalkboard, hearts etc.
The client chose the one with the green background. I personally pushed for the red background, i felt it popped more.
If you have been following past blog posts you already know I am posting some of the designs for a line of collectible cakes marketing.
Today I am posting “Ballerina Princess Cake”. Below was the final they chose.
I thought this one was also a good one to go with. But, both work. It was a matter of preference.
Here are some color options with a minor design change to the background. I talked them out of this as i thought it was too busy.
As I post these I am actually pretty proud how easily I can design in a feminine style for a feminine product.
More later…
Taking a break today from the Kuddable Kakes designs.(see previous blogs).
Here is a logo and branding I did for Max’s Seafood restaurant in New Jersey.
The owner was adamant about using a mussel in the logo. This restaurant had been known for its mussels for decades. As a designer, when you design a logo you think “simplify the image into a graphic shape.” Well when you take this concept and apply it to a mussel, you get a black blob. So the conversation had me trying to explain why most seafood restaurants use a lobster, crab or fish in their logo. The client was not budging…wanted…NEEDED a mussel.
So below is what I came up with. It is actually one of my proudest moments as a designer. I even had the printer emboss the ridges of the mussel on the menu, it makes for a great effect. The process was 1. sketch out in pencil 2. redraw in Adobe Illustrator, finish in Adobe Photoshop.
It is also a prime example of why good logos cost money. Simply put, a good logo, done well, can be a money-maker for the client. This client puts this logo everywhere, commemorative mugs, shot glasses, tee-shirts etc. He has continued to make money on this logo long after he paid his branding bill to me. This logo next to any headline on a billboard IS a billboard or ad. It is that recognizable.
“Puppy Love Pillow Cake” is today’s entry on the continuing posts on building a brand for the line of collectible cakes. As mentioned previously I am looking to make a logo based on the product and a support design around the product. The final the client chose was design #2 with the grey background. In the interest of not being redundant, see previous blog posts for more description on this campaign.
Third Design concept presented. This is the one they chose, I was partial to #2.
More tomorrow…
Here is design 2 without binder hole die line.
Final design posted tomorrow…
Another short entry today in my continuing updates of last years project of Brand Management for a line of cakes that come with a plush collectible.
Today, Design 1 of the sell sheet for the “Hugs & Kisses” line. I presented 3 total. I will add the others in the upcoming days.
Warning the below 3 samples are a result of doing exactly what the client wants, but also slowly, methodically putting them on the proper path for building a respectable brand.
The below sell sheet was the very first job I did for the client having seen what they used to do in their ads and listening to the client. His direction for the “Mardi-Gras Bear” was “make it look like Mardi-Gras! stock photo of Mardi-Gras in the background, cake in the front, fun colors you know…”. I knew exactly what he wanted upon hearing these instructions. I also knew I would hate it. So I did exactly what he wanted:
Holy loud right? Well the client loved it. I also presented the below too just to show him why its better to go minimal on the background.
Now, I could live with that last one, but nothing I was proud of by any means. The client put it to a vote amongst his employees, they all LOVED the last one. He started to second guess what he initially wanted…then asked me “which do you like?” I flat out told him “none, we have yet to do this brand identity as I see it for your whole line.” After negotiating a creative price I went back and worked on what I had in mind. As I previously mentioned in earlier blogs I felt instead of being so literal in the background why not make logos for each cake that represent the cake. So rather then a photo of Mardi-Gras in the background, show Mardi-Gras in the logo and keep the back simple but help support the product. First thing you want to see is the product, then you want the memorable logo, and the background should be just that…background.
This is what we finally decided on.
Today’s entry was the design and brand management for the “wild at heart” Kuddable Kakes line. After a few ideas were presented here is the final with 2 alternates. Some photo re-touching was done on their provided photography. Normally I like to handle the photography myself from the beginning. Just was not going to happen with this client as they had their entire line photographed before meeting me. The challenge with a client like this is in their minds ‘bells and whistles’ in design means they are getting their money’s worth. We had many talks about this, long term branding usually leans to a more minimal side. Before I started doing their marketing they would just type out the name of the cake in Helvetica and set the cake in a party environment with too many “bells and whistles” in the background. I sold them on the idea of each of their cakes needing its on brand and logo that could eventually be used in other products like packaging, tee shirt etc. My main argument was the cake in the design has to be the first thing you see, then the identifiable name (logo) and the background should just emphasize both without distracting the consumer away from the product.
FINAL:
Alternate without pattern of hearts in the background and drop shadow on “heart”. This is while the client didn’t know whether to actually use “heart” in the title of the product. I talked them into not being so literal.
Design alternate in Pink
More to come…
