Project Overview
Objective: The project aimed to create a comprehensive brand identity then design these branded deliverables including:
An original logo design
A style guide covering color, typography, brand values, and usage guidelines
A two-sided business card on cardstock
A branded letterhead
A custom-made branded envelope
An additional branded item related to the identity design (a menu brochure)
Purpose: The purpose of this design project was to explore and apply principles of brand identity development, ensuring that every element from digital design to print media effectively communicated the brand's values.
It was also an opportunity to refine skills in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and advanced printing techniques.
Brand Values: Elegant, Sophisticated, Artistic
Ideation & Market Research
Developing the Brand Identity & Logo Design
Business Concept: I chose to develop a coffee shop that also offers flower arrangements, focusing on a brand identity that embodies elegance, sophistication, and artistry. My research into similar businesses revealed a trend towards script-like typography, which I adopted with a modern twist by selecting a non-cursive script font.
Brand Name: The name "The Chocolate Orchid" was inspired by my partner and my love for orchids. We have a plant with chocolate-colored petals and a faint vanilla scent, which influenced the brand's unique identity. The name also sounds delicious.
Logo Design: I selected the "Charm" typeface for its refined, non-cursive script quality. The logo features the “l” in "chocolate" illustrated as an orchid stem and flower, designed to fit within a square shape for versatility. The flower illustration is kept minimal to ensure the logo scales well across various sizes.
Visual Identity: The brand’s visual identity incorporates simple illustrations, flowing borders, and elegant script-like typography to convey sophistication. A comprehensive style guide was developed to ensure consistency across all materials, including the two-sided business card, letterhead, and envelope, reflecting the brand’s core values.
Market Research &
Target Audience
Market research into the flower and chocolate industries revealed a trend towards script-like fonts and warm, inviting tones such as vanilla and caramel. This insight guided the selection of the "Charm" typeface, celebrated for its elegant script-like quality, and informed the choice of a warm color palette that reflects industry trends while ensuring a distinctive brand identity.
Target Audience:
Affluent Consumers: Individuals who invest in premium, artisanal products and seek luxury experiences.
Design Enthusiasts: People who appreciate sophisticated, well-crafted aesthetics in both chocolate patisserie and floral arrangements.
Special Occasion Shoppers: Customers looking for high-quality gifts and decor for events like weddings, anniversaries, and celebrations.
Food and Beverage Connoisseurs: Those with a refined taste for gourmet treats and indulgent experiences.
Overall, "The Chocolate Orchid" caters to customers who value the blend of luxurious, artisanal chocolates and elegantly designed floral arrangements.
Logo Design Process
When developing a new logo design, I often start with creating at least 3 different versions to show the client.
Any more than 3 and you may start to cause choice paralysis for your client.
Create Logo Variations:
Improve Design & Develop the Monochrome & Horizontal Versions
Design Processes for Deliverables
The design and production of the business card, letterhead, and envelope required careful consideration of materials and printing techniques to ensure high quality and consistency between the different deliverables.
To achieve this I did multiple print tests using different types of glosses and printers until the colors matched my brand colors.
2-Sided Business Card
Design Process:
Concept and Setup: I define my design concept with a focus on elegance and brand consistency. When I create a new document in Adobe Illustrator I usually start with standard dimensions and set up bleed (0.125 inches) and margins (0.25 inches) to ensure proper trimming and safe zones.
Design Front and Back: Design the front side with essential elements like the logo mark and contact information, and the back side with the primary logo and brand decorative elements. Ensuring that all critical information remains within the safe zone and extend backgrounds into the bleed area to avoid white edges.
Proofing and Export: Review the design for accuracy and alignment. Export the final file as a print-ready PDF with crop marks and bleeds, and review a printed proof to ensure quality.
I think this process ensures a professionally designed business card that aligns with the brand’s identity and print specifications.
Custom Envelope Design Process
Creating a custom envelope in Adobe Illustrator involved several steps:
I made a new document with the right envelope size (#10 envelope), including space for flaps and folds and indicating where the tape/glue will go.
I used Illustrator's tools to draw a template with the front, back, and side panels, adding the brand's logo, colors, and fonts to match other materials.
I made sure to leave extra space around the edges to avoid white lines after cutting, and put important parts in a safe area to prevent them from being cut off in the later process.
The design was then saved as a PDF ready for printing, making sure to include crop marks and bleed areas for a perfect print. This task needed careful attention to detail, knowledge of how to print, and skill in Illustrator to make a professional and consistent envelope design.
Nova Design Exhibition 2024Letterhead Design Process:
After designing the business cards, I extended the visual elements to the letterhead to maintain brand consistency. I incorporated the same intersecting shapes at the bottom of the letterhead, creating a cohesive design that ties the stationery together. These shapes also house the contact details and address, providing a structured yet elegant layout.
For the top of the letterhead, I positioned the logo prominently, featuring the orchid flower to reinforce brand identity. The design balances both form and function, ensuring the letterhead is visually appealing while remaining practical for professional correspondence. The attention to detail in aligning the elements and ensuring consistent color usage throughout reinforces the brand’s sophisticated and artistic values.
Process of Creating the Brochure in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign
To further showcase my design skills, I chose to create a menu brochure as one of my additional branded items. This allowed me to demonstrate proficiency in Adobe InDesign and Illustrator and in two-sided printing, while ensuring the brochure aligned with the overall brand concept.
Guides for margins and borders
Concept and Layout:
Initial Design Concept: The brochure was designed to align with "The Chocolate Orchid's" brand values of elegance, sophistication, and artistry. The concept incorporates intricate illustrations, curvilinear lines, and script-like typography, ensuring that the design elements conveyed the brand’s identity.
Choosing software: Adobe Illustrator was used for creating the detailed vector illustrations and design elements, while Adobe InDesign was used for assembling the brochure layout, integrating text and images, and preparing the document for printing.
Setting Up the Document:
Document Size and Setup in InDesign: The brochure was set up as a multi-page document in InDesign. I selected the appropriate page size for the brochure, ensuring it matched the intended final print size.
Adding Guides for Margins and Borders: Guides were established to maintain consistency in margins and borders throughout the brochure. This involved setting up document margins and creating guides for the safe zone, trim line, and bleed areas. Margins were set to ensure that no important content was too close to the border edge, while the bleed area allowed for images and colors to extend to the edges of the brochure, preventing white borders after trimming.
Designing the Brochure:
Creating Illustrations in Illustrator:
Detailed illustrations were created in Adobe Illustrator. This included intricate patterns, decorative elements, and script-like typography that conveyed the brand’s elegance and sophistication. Illustrations were saved as high-resolution vector files for easy scaling and integration.
Importing Graphics and Text into InDesign:
The vector illustrations and typography created in Illustrator were imported into InDesign. Text was added, following the brand's typography guidelines for consistency in font styles and sizes. Paragraph styles was especially helpful here.
Adding Bleeds and Extending Photos:
Photos and background colors are extended to the bleed area to ensure they reached the edges of the brochure after trimming.
This process involved extending images and colors beyond the trim line to avoid any unintended white spaces around the edges of the printed brochure. I often set my bleed settings in the beginning but I also recheck them later in my process to make sure there is nothing cut off.
Ensuring Consistency and Accuracy:
Checking Brand Colors: The brochure design was then reviewed to ensure that the brand colors were accurately represented. This involved comparing the colors in the printed proof with the digital design and making necessary adjustments to match the brand’s color palette. The color settings in InDesign were adjusted to ensure consistency across all materials.
Proofing and Revisions: Proofs were reviewed for color accuracy, alignment, and overall design consistency. Any discrepancies between the printed and digital versions were addressed, and adjustments were made to the design as they were needed.
Final Preparation:
Exporting for Print: The final brochure design was exported from InDesign with the correct settings for print, including crop marks, bleeds, and the appropriate color profile (CMYK). The exported file was then sent to the printer for production.
Reviewing Final Print: The printed brochures were reviewed to ensure they met the design specifications and brand standards. Any issues were addressed with the printer to ensure the final product accurately represented "The Chocolate Orchid."
By following this process, the brochure effectively communicated the brand’s identity and showcased the technical skills required for producing high-quality print materials.