REALISATION: Blog entry 43

Completed bird food bags 

Today I finished all the major bits for my out come! Above are the filled seed packets, and below is the start of the tea up bird feeder, re-done to match the final pattern that I decided to go with. I also picked up my sample fabric (to test before getting it actually printed), and ordered my fabric to use with the rest of my out come. Hopefully, this will come in time for me to make what I need to. If not, I will just have to go ahead with out it. It's not the end of the world, but I just think that having a basket lining will add a nice touch to my outcome, but also give an example of my pattern on fabric as well as packaging  - something that if the project was to ever go any further, I would have liked to experiment with.

Fabric samples (wovenmonkey.com)

I'm glad that I went with the coloured pattern - it just works much better than the black and white. I'm really pleased with how this looks, although I have chosen to have my final pattern printed on a higher quality fabric, as this was really thin and felt really naff.

REALISATION: Blog entry 42

Today, I finished making all of the labels for the products that will make up my outcome, and I started assembling all of my packaging..

Completed bits of packaging

Bird food bags packaging

These bird food bags are nearly completed..I just need to fill them, and then seal them. I've decided to do this by folding over the top and hole punching, then threading string through the holes. I think this will add to the craftsy/pattern thing that I've been trying to achieve throughout my design.

Tea Cup Bird feeder packaging

And now the packaging for my tea cup bird feeder is complete..I just need to actually make the actual one of these! I decided that the design on the tea cup would be dictate by which ever pattern I chose - since I chose to do the colour pattern, I need to redo this bird feeder with the colour pattern on it. I need to go fetch the paint later, and I'll paint it at some point over the next couple of days, but then I can attach this, and that's another little bit complete!

Bottle top bird feeder kit packaging

plant seeds packaging (front)

plant seeds packaging (back)

plant seeds packaging (individual)

Plant seeds packaging (individual)

Plant seeds packaging (individual)

The hard bits done with all of them; now I have little things to do like fill up the packets, seal them, make my tea cup bird feeder, get my fabric and sew my liner..just assemble the whole thing really. I'm really pleased with how its looking so far though - I can't wait until its finished!

REALISATION: Blog entry 41

Since I spent most of yesterday making all the packaging, I'm spending the next two days making all the labels for everything. I did some brief experimentation the other day with a couple of my ideas (Blog entry 38). I pretty much knew the style which I wanted to do these in, I just needed to see if it worked how I had thought it up in my head. So now, I'm making all of the labels in this style.

Screen shot - working on labels in photoshop
(basket lid label)

All of my items have some packaging on, the majority will have a larger, simple label on the front with my 'logo', and another label on the back with some information about 'Project House Sparrow' and the product, and how it helps. This label (above) is for the basket lid; at one point I was going to have a information book included in the kit, but there just wasn't enough time for me to work out what needed to go in it, to make it, to get it printed (etc.) but I did feel that the space on the back of the packaging wouldn't be enough space to write about the project and kit itself. I decided that instead of a book, a smaller, simpler label in the lid of the basket would allow me to give some info about the project and the contents of the basket, and would do the trick more effectively and simply than a book.

Have managed to get a couple of these labels done today (hopefully the few I have left to do will be simpler than these) - also need a final spell check (etc.) before printing ad putting it together, but I like to do that when I haven't been staring at it already for the best part of my day.

Inner basket lid label

Bird food bags labels

Basket label logo

Tea cup bird feeder labels

Bottle top feeder kit labels

Seed packet & sleeve labels

REALISATION: Blog entry 40

Today, I started to make all the little bits of packaging that will go in my basket, and will make up my outcome.

Planning outcome - Sketchbook

Test seed packet

Test seed packet

Test seed packet (sealed with sticker)

Making final seed packets

Making final seed packets

Small sample of stickers (ordered from moo.com) for use on packaging.

Testing bird food bag

Testing bird food bag (actually with seed in)

Final seed packets & bird food bags

Testing packaging for tea cup bird feeder

Testing packaging for tea cup bird feeder

Testing packaging for tea cup bird feeder

All final packaging, ready have labels added, and be assembled.
2 x bags for bird food, 3 x seed packets, 1 x sleeve to hold together all plant seed packets, 1 x packaging for recyclable bottle bird feeder, 1 x packaging for tea cup bird feeder.

Basket that will house my outcome

Now, I need to;

-Take measurements of bags/packaging & make labels (today and tomorrow)

-Print labels and stick to packaging (Thursday)

-Get bits from hobby craft to complete (porcelain paint, hole punch, string, nice packing etc) (Thursday)

- Put bits together, packaging on bird feeders, fill seeds bags/packets, seal with stickers/string

-Paint tea cup bird feeder! (at some point over xmas)

-Make basket liner from fabric..when fabric comes (probably in the last couple of days before hand in)

-Photograph entire outcome, and print nice copies of images for assessment materials.

With this being nearly done, soon I'll be focusing on getting all of the other bits done for assessment; (5th Jan.)

-PPF (make changes)

-Ethics form (make changes)

-PDP (1000 words)

-Evaluation (600 words)

-"A clearly defined plan for the future of your practice area, to include external links and professional liaison" (400 words)

-Bibliography (whole project)

-Exhibition Panel (300 word personal statement/project abstract)

-Presentation of everything

-Portfolio (12th Jan.)

[DON'T FORGET: Include a link to this blog!]

REALISATION: Blog entry 38

This is just one of my initial ideas for my label design; I have a couple more, but this is just the first one I have made so far, however, most of my designs are very similar. 

Initial experimentation and ideas for packaging labels

These are ok, although I need to work more on the colour, but as a rough mock up of what it is my labeling is likely to resemble, I think that this is a goo start. I also think that I should have actually used an image of a male sparrow, not a female, as this will be more recognisable, but, like I said; these are just some rough ideas.

I want to keep in mind this 'cute' and 'crafty', 'vintage' aesthetic, fitting in with my use of a tea cup and saucer as a bird feeder, and also the wicker basket, and my choice to use pattern; this aesthetic appeals women. Women are most likely to be the ones responsible planting of flowers in gardens (needed to encourage insects and wider biodiversity) (Telegraph.co.uk, 2012). Women are the ones who are mostly likely to buy a cute bird feeder to make their garden look nicer. This is the audience that I want to take advantage of, to encourage more people to invite wildlife and birds into their garden, and help the conservation on our British birds on a level much close to home than that of some of the projects currently run by the RSPB.

Telegraph.co.uk, (2012). Men do the 'grunt work' in the garden, while women do the colours - Telegraph. [online] Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/9269718/Men-do-the-grunt-work-in-the-garden-while-women-do-the-colours.html [Accessed 8 Dec. 2014].

REALISATION: Blog entry 37

Today I had a bash at making my bags with the printed paper, I didn't do that much because the printers weren't working, but that which I did do looked really nice. I've been playing a little with the dimensions, and by making a bigger base for the bag, I can give it a squarer shape (instead of it looking like a pick 'n' mix bag). By doing this, and using A3 paper, I think I have the beginning of my outcome. Below are a couple of photos of my experimentations with different sizes and types of paper.

Here is also one of the origami seed packets that I had been playing with. I wasn't going to go with this idea, but after my tutorial, I think that these would be quite interesting to use. I need to refine them a little bit more, and come up wit a suitable label for them, but I think this is the design that I will go with for my seed packets.

This week I'll be focusing mainly on my presentation for concept panel next monday, but I will also be thinking about the design of my labels..

REALISATION: Blog entry 35

Today I haven't made much work work, but I've been shopping for bits and pieces and been thinking more about my packaging. I started making these stickers - I haven't decided on the colours I will use through out my design so I haven't ordered them yet, but this is something that I intend to do tomorrow.

Rough sticker design - moo.com

Although today I did order some test swatches of my fabric! Again, it isn't the finalised version of it, but it will give me an idea of how the colours will print etc., so that should get here in a week or so!

I also started to experiment with different types of packaging. I was starting to worry about how I would make my packaging...I thought that the simplest thing to do would be to just make a box, but then I wasn't sure how to get the right size, or how to get all the labels right, and how to get it on to card (etc.). I started looking around for ideas and help of how to do this and have it not look rubbish. Then I came across instructions for how to make a bag, which is what I initially wanted to have as my packaging for the bird seed. It turns out this is really easy and simple to make. I had a bash with some scraps of paper and they turned out pretty nice, so imagine what they'll look like when I'm trying to do them properly! I've decided to go with this idea; printing my pattern on to paper, and making the bags, and then printing separate labels and sticking them on later (simple labels, mainly front and back, or just one simple label). 

I've also been playing with different ideas for my seed packets, so far though I'm thinking I will probably just stick with a really simple envelope design.

I will of course try all of this again, with more care, when I have access to a printer (Monday..) but until then, I need to start designing my labels. I need to get all of my materials printed before the university closes for Christmas on the 22nd(!!!! SOON !!!!). So the next 2/3 weeks will be spent designing, printing and making my packaging.  

I also think I've pretty much settle on using the colour pattern through out my designs. This means all of my pattern designs or very nearly done, I just need to settle on a colour pallet to go with this, and all of the accompanying background patterns, and then I can do things like order my stickers, and once I get my fabric swatches, make decisions about my final pattern I will use for this too!

Tomorrow, I will start designing my labels...thinking about the fonts and colour pallet I will use. I also need to finalise my colour pallet for all patterns...and the text that I will use across all of my packaging - part of this will need to be not far from what I will use as a personal/project statement (this is what I need to do for assessment, which is required to be 300 words, the one for my packing will probably be shorter)