African Cream Music Posters

I came across this collection of African themed music posters and was instantly impressed. The colours used are perfect, and the way in which black is used as a background colour is also visually pleasing. I also think that the style of illustration is something that Meryem would appreciate, and possibly create something close to. If there was one thing I would take away from this is would be the combination of yellow, green, white and black. Also the clever use of country's shape.

Colour Packaging

I was looking into examples of pre-existing packaging that use colour in the best possible way when I came across the image below. The packaging design itself isn't exactly strong, in fact it's very plain and must have been constructed with very simple nets. However I adore the use of minimal colour and how strongly the two colours contrast. I also admire how the white acts as a third colour and helps the others to pop. The use of simple geometric shapes is also something I like and definitely links to traditional African patterns. Triangles is perhaps a theme to explore.

Africa: Visual Differentiations

Northern Africa
Countries and Territories: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, Western Sahara. 

Western Africa
Countries and Territories: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo. 

Central Africa
Countries and Territories: Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe. 

Eastern Africa
Countries and Territories: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, Réunion, Mayotte.

Southern Africa
Countries and Territories: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland.

Vinyl Toy Research

I thought before we could begin designing for mine and Meryem's collaboration it would be important to do some initial research. I looked into what shapes where most popular within the vinyl toy community, and the vast difference between the models. I drew a variety of the shapes, scans of which can be found below.

I also thought it would be important to carry out some research into the different ways in which vinyl toy illustrations can be spread across a range of different mediums. I came across the book 'Jeremyville Sessions' and found it very useful for this area. Below are a few scans from the book that proved useful, most of the pages show the different forms of distribution, packaging layouts and fun playful imagery. This book will serve as a constant resource that I will continue to look back at and draw inspiration from.

Bibliography: Artoyz, Brief One

Budnitz, P. (2006) 'I Am Plastic'; Abrams, New York.

A great book for discovering the basics of vinyl toy design. Large amounts of detailed imagery, show ranges in existence. Great for listing the variety of vinyl toy shapes. Also really good for theme possibilities and colour schemes.

Mair, M. (2007) 'Jeremyville Sessions'; Systems Design Limited, Hong Kong.

Takes the concept of vinyl toy design and goes a step further. Details great examples of how illustrations found on the toys can be distributed across other mediums. Will be useful when thinking about packaging and promotion.

Templin Brink Design (2004) '2 Colour Graphics: Unlimited Design Solutions'; Rockport Publishers, Massachusetts.

Not a book directly related to vinyl toys, but instead lists memorable pieces of design that consist of only two colours. This is something I think we should do with our project. It will make the designs more vibrant, but only if we pick the right combination. This book will help with those decisions.

Design Strategy Presentation, Level 06

Killjoy Dunny; 20 inch

This is beautiful. The use of colour, the traditional Mexican influence, and how the aesthetics have been applied to packaging. Everything about this is just perfect. Besides from the fact that I now want one, I would love to create something just an ounce as spectacular as this. Now to brainstorm possible subject areas.