To be honest, while I’ve been writing Code For Something for a over a year now, my focus has been purely on content. It’s a very uninspiring design history, and I’ve put little effort into it.
That’s where the lovely Emma comes in! We are working via email, having face to face discussions and participating in the occasional bout of shoe shopping.
My brief: to develop an identity for Code For Something (both for the web and is flexible enough to fit with other projects in the future) that is distinctive, feels cool and works with the content. Layout options will also be explored.
THE BACKGROUND
We kicked the project off by having a look at Code For Something’s previous and current incarnations:
Left. CFS v1.5 – veryplaintxt theme with a little bit of flair injected through the repetition of the button device.
Right. CFS v2.0 – Thesis theme. The header features hand written type, while the rest of the site is mostly text, set in Georgia.
Emma reviewed the current look and feel of my site, commenting: “Somehow the type doesn’t quite fit the content you are attracted to and therefore have images of on your page.” She said it felt disconnected, but on the bright side, it was an opportunity to vamp it up once more - “One can never have enough makeovers!”
DEVELOPING A DIRECTION
To start with, Emma sent me a wee task:
“Compile a moodboard: of your key images online + what you like + anything random you are attracted to. Then I’ll have a crystal clear idea of your aesthetic and I can whip up something tasty!”
A moodboard is a collection of imagery that designers use as inspiration before starting design work. A moodboard can include: images of designs we like, photographs of similar products, packaging examples, illustrations, colours, textures and descriptive words.
I got to work and eventually sent Emma a page jammed with shiny pretty things I’d picked up trawling around the internet:
Little did I know there was some sense to be made of my madness! From my board Emma deduced that I liked:
- Grids and type: Germanic, sanserif, strong and concise.
- Colours: Wide range, fresh, aqua-turquoise-pink-blue-purple-oranges. Never primary colours, and never full strength. Think pastels who’ve seen a little sun.
- Overall: Functional, with little moments of fun. A look that lets the content shine.
(As a little bit of entertainment, and because I really want this identity to be a reflection of my personal style, we cross-referenced these conclusions with the outfit I was wearing. My favourite Crystal Castles t-shirt, violet Uniqlo skinny jeans, safari ankle boots; accessorised with white Ray Ban specs and a grey scarf printed with an over sized hounds tooth pattern. It’s reality – I really do like hard geometric edges with soft colours.)
REVERSE BRIEF
Based on the information at hand and moodboard, Emma sent me back 3 pages with comments as a reverse brief.
A reverse brief comes from your design partner, and can take the form of a written statement, a moodboard or rough sketches, to confirm the design direction and offer initial thoughts on the design problem.
Page 1. Samples of cool geometric patterns. Could become little sign-off motifs, house headings, create a header etc.
Page 2. “I think to contrast the sanserif type that would be predominant, something really considered would work for the logo. I love the ‘g’. We could create a CFS emblem using those 3 letters, as well as an extended Code For Something.”
Page 3. Colour examples, as mentioned above. Plus cool gradients.
These boards were spot on, and I completely agreed with Emma’s emblem suggestion. I also really liked the flexible idea of geometric shapes – they could extend to web elements such as favicons, dividers and sign offs. What a champ!
NEXT STEPS
Phew. After all that important up front stuff, Emma is heading off into her bat cave for a bit to make some magic happen – and develop a colour palette. She will then show me the results of her alchemy for feedback – I can’t wait to see it! Another thing I’m looking forward to in the near future: Emma will be sharing some design tips. Hurrah!
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Wow, it’s very cool how she immediately sees what matches with you and your weblog. I’m curious to see the new look! :D
That’s amazing! It sounds very exciting and is making me very jealous.
I might need to find myself a designer.
I cant wait to see what she comes up with…it’s so interesting how she pulled all of that out of a moodboard, girlie has skill!
Becca: She’s one of those kids that is super good at most things she touches! I’ve been allowed to peep at a “few rough thoughts” before the weekend, and oh my god. I’m in love already.
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