Event Branding Project
The Run Down
This was a school project I had done that turned out to be a solid piece for my portfolio. For this one we had to create the branding for a fake event from the ground up. This included merchandise, signage, logos, advertisements, etc. I chose to do a tabletop convention I named “Ink & Initiative”. I began with figuring out my target audience. I wanted the event to be more focused towards writers and creatives, ages 18 and up. I also wanted to lean into the more serious aspect of tabletop game events like gaining actual advice, testing new releases, etc. But while still preserving the fun aspect and inherent playfulness of the hobby. After I had narrowed down my target, I began by scrolling through Pinterest for a bit to get my bearings on where I wanted by art direction to go. That’s when I found this picture:
The Process
Super inspired by this design, I began to scribble down some ideas I had sprouting up. A black and white color scheme with bursts of red to break up the monotony. Emphasis on hand drawn design and original blackletter calligraphy.
The Font
This part of the process was where I hit a major roadblock. Blackletter calligraphy is really hard to read. Making a logo using it would be difficult to pull off without sacrificing either readability or style. I sat on this for a while before coming to a middle on the issue. I was able to find some fonts that would get the style of blackletter calligraphy off without being explicitly blackletter calligraphy. The font guide below is what I decided on in the end.
The Final Design
This was the final design. They incorporated much of the blackletter style without harming the readability. They were simple and sleek, easy to use with various simplified versions for smaller prints. The pattern followed the same principles of the logos, simple and easy to read, but not boring. Along with logos, I also included made mockups of signage and merchandise to better visualize how the logos would look on actual merchandise.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this project was a huge step forward for me, it was the first time I had done something to this extent, and I grew a lot because of it. Through this project I was able to refine my personal design process further and really get a hold on what goes in to making a design each step of the way.