Go Card or Go Home - OHH DEER Responsive Brief

OHH DEER is a stationary company that gives Artists an opportunity to get their work out there in the form of cards, wrapping paper and other quirky objects. When researching into the company, I found this on the "About Us" section:

Because I enjoy the more design and post-production side of the Animation process, I decided to choose briefs that best suit me, that evolve around designing and illustrating.

I thoroughly read through the brief in order to understand what was being asked of me, and then did some research into what the company usually sells in order for me to grasp the tone and style that they like. 

       UNEXPECTED WILLY PUNCH GREETING CARD

BY THEO RIVOLTA

This is an example that OHH DEER use to explain the tone of the illustrations that they like. Even though it's rude, it has a quirky sort of charm.

GLAD YOU'RE MY DAD GREETING...

BY ALLISON BLACK

RELAX DAD GREETING CARD

BY KONG-YEW WONG

I furthered my research by looking at a couple more examples of the more well-rounded and clean illustrations that are on the cards. I feel as though I should aim for this sort of aesthetic as I am usually quite sketchy and messy with my sketches and designs which is something that I want to work on. I feel as though this brief is a great way for me to combine my understanding of character designing as well as giving me the opportunity to create something that I wouldn't neceserally do.

I wrote down my first ideas. I like puns, so I decided to focus on some puns that came to mind that centred around Valentines. 

"Hopilly ever after"

I decided to create a couple of sketches of two Kangeroo's that have clearly just got married, hence the veil and top hat etc. This was my first idea, however, after researching "Hopilly ever after Illustrations" I found ones that were about frogs and rabbits and one of some kangeroo's, so to avoid me running into any complications, I decided to veto this idea.

"You Giraffe me Crazy"

Giraffes are probably one of my favourite animals so I quite liked the idea of creating a card with one on the front. The first sketch I did was of a baby giraffe being kissed by a Mum giraffe in order to fit in with Mother's day. I think the design is quite a quirky design which is what OHH DEER usually go for, however I feel as though because I have drawn giraffes for a previous project, I wouldn't really be challenging myself.

"You and I are in Parrot-Dise"

In the end, I decided to focus on this pun as I felt I could create a cute and clean illustration which is something I'm not really accustom to. Because it is an engagement/Marriage card, I want the colours to be quite neutral, and the design itself to have a sweet and wholesome vibe to it.

I created a couple of quick sketches, experimenting with different shapes, sizes and styles. I wanted to create something unique and cute so I went for more fluid lines and tried to design two parrots that would be sat next to each other, touching beaks, with a little top hat on the man parrot and a little flower crown on the female.

I want the female to look like a cockatoo because they look a little more feminine with their long feathers on their heads.

I experimented with the amount of detail I wanted in my design. I quite liked the rounded parrots that I drew at the top of the page as they're cute and would be perfect for the aesthetic of the card. however, I wanted the design to be a bit more detailed so I focused on the face details.

Here, I went for a more expressive character design. I wanted this brief to challenge me to create an illustration that has Character design elements to it, but also fit in with the brief guidelines and also what the company is looking for.

I created this design and instantly knew that I was going in the right direction. It has the right amount of expression, and is also different to what I would usually create. 

I decided to create a quick mock-up design for my final card design. I decided to use coloured pencil and fine liner to create this as I was still unsure about how I would execute my response. I didn't know whether to hand draw my design and scan it in, or draw it digitally with a slight bit of texture.

I also began to consider typography. I want the type to be quite wobbly and long to fit in with this style of illustration. I would create the type digitally.

I didn't want to have a main inspiration for my design as I felt like I should force myself to create something without a lot of inspiration. I wanted to challenge myself to create something that wasn't something I would usually design. I took inspiration from the images of Parrots I was looking at for the colour scheme, however I think these colours are ridiculously bright for a card that is meant to be for marriage.

I scanned in my pencil drawing and drew over it in Photoshop to create my final design. I didn't think that because I didn't want any harsh outlines on the Parrots that the female Parrot would be difficult to see because she is white also. Because of this I decided to go for a neutral green/blue colour for the background because it didn't take away from the design itself, but also made it stand out against the other cards in the competitions as they didn't really have any background.

Overall, I feel as though my response to this brief was successful in the sense that I challenged myself to create something in a short amount of time, in a style that I wouldn't usually go for. I am happy with my final design, however, I feel like I could have definitely created more than one design to submit to the brief. I personally find it hard to submit work online as I don't really feel comfortable showing my work as I feel I am not as good as other people who are submitting work.