Evaluation

Research:

During the research process I was also able to find and sketch existing logos, and this was beneficial to me as it allowed me to find out what the successful aspects (such as colour schemes and shapes) of existing logos were so I could implement them into my logo design. Also this research assisted me in creating an accurate specification based on previous work.

Logo Development:

All in all I believe that my logo development was successful, as it provided detailed analysis of each stage of my development including improvements that I could incorporate into my next design. This allowed my logo designs to grow in standard over time, to make them more appropriate for their use, before designing my final logo.

My Logo:

In my opinion my logo fits its purpose well, as I reached my target of making my Sony logo look more modern to make it more appropriate for the branding of a technology company. I chose to use a simplistic approach to create my logo and I think this is successful as the simple colour scheme, font and shapes make it aesthetically pleasing whilst also standing out to the consumer.

However I believe that my logo could be improved by having a larger font size for the company slogan to make it more easily read from a longer distance.

Poster and Packaging:

With the poster and packaging I used a creative theme as an influence for my work to make it more appealing to young consumers, so therefore broadening the target audience for the product I was advertising. I think this design was appropriate for a poster as it was aesthetically pleasing and clearly displayed the product for sale in a unique way. Furthermore I incorporated images of well known successful games as a method of persuasion, as well as including a clear brand name and slogan, making the company easily recognisable.

With the packaging I incorporated a more natural theme to make the product and the company Sony to appear more environmentally friendly. Furthermore I made the product features more apparent by incorporating them into the rays of sunlight, whilst also having a brief product description and another picture on the back of the box, making it therefore fit the product specification. Also I used bright colors and cartoon like designs, as well as a paper background to make the design appear that it had been hand sketched, expanding on the creative theme. I think this was successful as these elements make the product for sale stand out amongst other similar products on the shelf. However I believed I could have used a more uncommon box shape to fit with the unique design on the package more.

Overall Evaluation:

Overall I believe that the project was a success, and gave me a good insight into the processes of graphic design in industry, as well as helping me to improve my standard of work on graphics software. However I still think there could be improvewments made to my work to make it better as stated in the text above. Furthermore I have enjoyed using the blog as a way to present my work as it is very customizable, and is different from the usual PowerPoint portfolio form used in previous projects.

Global Responsibility

Sustainable resources:

Manufactures, designers, retailers and consumers all have some sort of impact on the environment. Sustainability involves taking into account all the materials we use, where they come from, as well as what to do with them at the end of their useful life cycle.

Non-renewable resources:

Usually designers and manufactures use a wide variety of materials from non-renewable resources. This causes raw materials such as oil, ores and minerals to eventually run out. They are known as finite resources as they are produced over thousands of years. The production and disposal of these resources also have a negative effect on the environment, by producing emissions and waste that cannot be broken down.

Renewable resources:

We must use a greater amount of renewable resources in our products, in order to make our resources last longer. As well as by helping the environment, this would also safeguard the supply of products and services for the future. Logos can be used to reassure the buyer where the material has come from so they can make informed choices on what they buy. For example many timber products now carry the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) logo, which is used to reassure the customer the timber supply is from renewable and managed resources. These logos help consumers make informed choices on what they buy.

The six R’s:

Reduce:

Reducing the amount of raw materials we use will improve sustainability. Designers and manufacturers should aim to use as less materials and components as required. Manufacturing processes that reduce the production of toxic substances should also be considered.

Refuse:

Consumers, manufactures and also designers should try to refuse more packaging by only using the amount of materials required to package the product and to not waste resources.

Re-use:

Reusing materials is very important, as the amount of processing required is much less than using raw materials, and therefore has less of a negative effect on the environment.

Products and packaging can be reused, and online based companies such as Ebay are trying to reduce the amount of packaging and new materials produced across the globe.

Repair:

It is important for us to think about whether we can repair an existing product rather than purchasing a new one.

Recycle:

Nowadays many products manufactured can be recycled, and recycling symbols on product indicate to the consumer how to dispose of these products, as well as how they should be processed. Recycling required much less energy to occur than the energy required to extract the raw material, so is better for the environment as well as being financially beneficial. Some examples of materials that can be recycled are card, paper, aluminium, glass, as well as some plastics.

Rethink:

It is now time for major reappraisal of the way we buy and dispose products as part of our sustainable development, to ensure that there will still be enough readily available resources for the future, as well as ensuring that the environment remains in a good state.

Carbon Footprint:

A carbon footprint is “the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organisation, event, product or person”. These greenhouse gases can be emitted in many forms such as through transport and manufacturing, and are usually expressed in the terms of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted.

The carbon footprint is a subset of the ecological footprint and of the ore comprehensive life cycle assessment. All of companies involved in this are trying to reduce the carbon foot print by cutting down energy use and by using less fossil fuels.

Fair Trade:

Originally, the fair trade foundation was set up to help to prevent poverty amongst farmers. Many products are now fair trade and are indicated by the fair trade symbol. Fair trade products have a very large range, and some of these are composite products such as clothing of which not only help farmer welfare, but also prevent slave labour around the world.

My Sony Packaging

In my Sony pacakging I used a natural, yet creative theme to attract buyers to the product.

Also I made it stand out on the shelves by using bright colours and images.

Sony PSP2 Poster

In this Sony poster I chose to advertise the upcoming PSP2. I decided to use and explosion-like effect as well as words such as 'alive' to make the console appear very unique and allowing it to stand out. To achieve this I used real game images with a white outline to give it a sticker appearance, expanding on the creative influence, as well as the shapes relating to the button icons on the console. I also included my Sony logo as well as clear text, which should attract the consumer to the product.

My Final Sony Logo

Stages Of My Sony Logo Development

Logo Research

Above is a scanned image of my logo research. During this stage of the project I drew many well known logos, including the Sony logo that I wished to re-design. This allowed me to find the elements of a successful logo (e.g. colour schemes and shapes) that I could incorporate into my logo.

Design Situation

Advertising is currently a multimillion pound industry. Advertising includes logos, packaging, point of sale displays, websites and television campaigns. Many International companies from Ford to McDonalds spend millions of pounds each year on advertising. Even smaller companies spend large amounts of their budget on good advertising campaigns to pomote there businesses to the public and to gain customers.

Design Brief

In this project I am going to redesign the logo for Sony. I will also design and make a piece of packaging for one of their products, the Sony DSC-TX9 Cybershot 3D digital camera. Eventually I will design and create and poster for that product, to help to increase brand awareness of the product and to attract potential buyers to the item.

Initial Specification

My product will have to do the following:

• Display the product that is for sale.
• Attract potential buyers.
• Include any key information about the product.
• Look aesthetically pleasing.
• Stand out from other products on the market.

Sony

In this product design post I have chosen to redesign the the logo for the major consumer electronics company, Sony.

History

Sony corporation was established over 60 years ago and is now one of the leading manufacturers of electronic products for the consumer and professional markets. The company was founded in 1946 by Masaru Ibuka and his colleague Akio Morita, and went to release the Sony TR-55, Japans first commercially produced radio. Later in 1955 this company became Sony, formed by the combination of the word ‘sonus’ (the root of sonic and sound) and ‘sonny’ (a familar term for a boy in 1950‘s America.) The company has continued to succeed over the last few decades, with products ranging from Sony Ericsson Phones and Televisions, to games consoles such as the PS3. Sony's constant innovation has led to it's success and it is always trying to adapt its products to the consumers needs.

Logo

The picture above displays the evolution of the Sony logo since it was first created. Since 1957 there has been little change in the design, and therefore I think the logo needs to be re-designed to make it more modern and stand out more, rather than just looking plain and old-fashioned.

I plan to do this by using a different type of font, and by perhaps adding a small and simple image next to the logo, as well as by altering the backgrounds of the image. Overall I aim to make Sony’s logo appear more unique, and more attractive to buyers, without making the logo look unrecognisable to its customers.

Graphic Theory