Section 5

Asset Production

Sourcing the media for the artefact – where will it come from?:

• I will be developing the logo, website and social media as well as designing the business card.

• Visual content will be provided by the client so there will not be any copyright issues.

Interface Design – design drawings, flowcharts:

• I will research jewellers that my client admires for inspiration – Shaun Leane, Stephen Webster to help develop look for the logo and website.

• I will use input from questionnaire to develop ideas for the artefact.

• I will research font types and accessibility on website.

• I will research business card production sites for examples.

• I will develop flowcharts for each element of the artefact to understand the stages of development and to tract progress.

Visual examples – colours, fonts, styles:

• I will use my client’s questionnaire responses to feed into the logo design, selection of font and styles for the artefacts.

Flowcharts

Website Research:

I looked at the characteristics and layout styles on the jewellery designers that Harry admires. 

The landing page for Shaun Leane is relatively simple with a single clear image showcasing the products he makes.  As a more established jeweller Shaun has a number of links to e.g. sort his jewellery by type, showcase new collections, on line shop etc.  As Harry ‘s site is a start-up he requires just a landing page, a page to show some of his current creations and a ‘Contact Me’ page.  But the website has to be flexible enough that as Harry develops he can add more of his own links.

Shaun Leane’s ‘Contact Us’ page has links to press enquiries and ‘becoming a stockist’.  I thought it would be useful to have a ‘Become a stockist’ link on Harry’s page and he agreed. 

I also looked at Stephen Webster’s website and it is a similar simple layout but with video images scrolling across the front page. 

I therefore proposed to Harry that we follow this type of structure, using the image selected for the Facebook cover page as the website landing page image with links to a gallery of product images and a contact link. 

As Harry’s product line grows he can easily add an online shop link and add a link to collections that he might develop.

Typology – Typeface Selection

When looking to choose a font it was important to consider demographics, legibility, copy length, serif vs sans, font family size, special features and media.

Demographics

It was essential to think about my client’s target demographic. For example, if they had a very young audience a typeface with simple letterforms would be needed so that words could be made out easier. On the other hand, if being designed for a high-tech audience a clean or modern one would be more appropriate.

Legibility

To gain and keep a reader’s attention the main text font chosen should be legible and easy to read. This does not mean more decorative and eye-catching typefaces can’t be used. They can be very effective for headlines and titles.

Copy Length

If working on something that would traditionally have been printed, such as a book, magazine or newspaper, the typeface you use will set the copy length. The length of the body of text directly impacts the typeface chosen when considering copy length as for shorter copy, a more interesting or eye-catching typeface may be used, where as this would not be appropriate for longer paragraphs. Despite not creating a text-based printed product element of this can be considered when choosing a font for the website, looking to how much text will be displayed and making this eye-catching yet legible.

Serif vs Sans

The two categories that all fonts fall into are serifs and san-serifs. Serif typefaces are easier to read for lengthy copy – especially at smaller sizes. Although this is a rule of thumb, it is not an absolute one and some creative considerations should be taken to make sure the font chosen, serif or not, is appropriate and visually appealing, fitting the design characteristics and overall reading environment.

Font Family Size

Before a project is started it is important to consider its typographic requirements and understand the size of the font family needed. One piece may need a completely different number of elements that would be not enough or an abundance for another to create good visual hierarchy, so early consideration is essential.

Special Features

Every project is different and some benefit from features such as the use of small caps, multiple figure styles, alternative characters and even swashes. It is important to consider any special features that might be necessary before selecting a typeface.

Media

The media that text is presented in directly affects which typeface should be selected. Choosing a font for print is a lot simpler than finding one for websites as a typeface will need to be available, appropriate and perform well in the intended visual environment.j

Chosen Font

Choosing from those available on WIX, DIN Next Light was selected for the main body text and menus. It’s a sans-serif based font, but will be clear and easy to read was text lengths will be short. The font is eye-catching, and works well with the style of other websites in the industry. For the headings I used EB Garamond, as it fits within the genre, and is both smart and eye-catching.