Now that the project is finished....

When I first started my project, it was very confusing and the route I was going to take in it wasn’t very clear. Once the process of sketching began, it was a little less confusing, and a few good ideas starting to evolve. So, this is my journey through the creation of an alternative energy stamp set.

I had to research two different things: alternative energy and stamp design. I decided to research the energy issue first, to get a better understanding about the subject of the project.

My research for this first part was done mostly through the Internet, finding from the most basic definitions to more complex uses of alternative energy. I researched different companies that are specialized in the matter, and what they where doing to promote alternative energy. This led me to create an extensive document, with very detailed information about these energies, types, pros and cons, and interesting facts. I also explored what was being done to promote alternative energy use, from in the graphic design world.

Parallel to this I started researching about stamps. I began my search in the Royal Mail website, looking at past stamps and their designs. I found some stamps from the UK, and in some other interesting websites I found stamps from different countries that were very helpful. This helped me have a better understanding about the norms to design a stamp; it inspired me and gave me so many ideas!

Also, we contacted via email a representative from Walsall Security Printers, which is a company that prints stamps. This person helped us, have a better understanding about the printing process of stamps and about creating an eco-friendly stamp. She also referred us to Tullis Russel, which make the paper for the stamps, and we also visited Stanley Gibbons, that is a collector’s shop, here we found out a lot more about stamps and the collectors’ world.

Once this investigation was done, I started trying to develop my idea. So I asked myself, “What do I want to say with these stamps?” “What will my message be?” “how can I design them so people are interested in them?” but most of all, “how is this product going to create awareness on the subject?”.

I came up with a few ideas, most of it revolving around the phrase “The Power of Nature”. I found that it was an area I wanted to give more emphasis to, since alternative energy comes from nature. Also, I made an extensive visual research, and this helped me to come up with some ideas of my own.

I thought that the stamps should be very appealing and eye-catching, so I explored different design ideas. First, I decided to make the stamps, typographic stamps. These stamps would express a message clearly, but at the same time be very attractive design wise.

My second idea was to repeat drawings of everyday objects we use and then have one element that is different, and this element would be related to alternative energy. This led me to a completely different approach: combine objects we use everyday and alternative energy.

So, I explored my third and final idea. Through a continuous line I would unite these everyday objects to a alternative energy source. I think it is important to create awareness in people by showing them that things they use everyday can and are powered by alternative energy. I loved this idea so much that I decided to go further with it, and with the typography idea as well. Once I decided this, they had to go through different stages of sketching to become attractive designs.

To test these ideas, I decided to show my designs to my tutors, my family and my friends. They all really liked them, but people seemed to respond a lot more to the continuous line design, they thought the typographic design was really eye-catching and interesting, but they had a hard time reading it, and preferred the continuous line design over it.

So this led me to chose this design for my final set of stamps. It was a long and confusing journey, but it ended here, with a design I was very proud to make.

Overall I think that this entire process was a great lesson for me on how to manage my time, on how to research and how to develop a mapping process of the project. It also taught me that I need to simplify the process a little, don’t stress so much, and use the information I have to create an idea. I also think that I should focus a little more on visual investigation for the next project, don’t complicate myself so much and don’t over think everything, because some of the best ideas I had were simple, but effective.

Stamp Website

Stamp Package

Stamps!

Surprising Visits

The visits to the V&A Museum's 'Cold War' exhibition and the Design Museum's 'The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes' exhibition, were both surprisingly inspiring. Personally I liked the Alan Aldridge exhibition more.

The Cold War exhibition was really well organized, and I have to say, it was massive! I was very interested in seeing the product design style they used, but most of all I was very interested in graphic design from that era. My favorite thing were the posters, they were clean, direct, and the use of typography and color was very eye catching (and all done by hand!). It's amazing to see these things and try to imagine what was happening in that particular moment in time. I think the designers and artists were living in a new era, a time where creation and innovation were valued differently. These were the bases for our current designs, and I find that it is very important to really appreciate this, and their creations at the time. It was a very impressive and eye-opening experience.

I loved the Alan Aldridge exhibition, although I don't necessarily love ALL of his work, I found it completely different and actually quite inspiring. I really liked the way the exhibition was built, and the way they presented his sketches as well as his finished designs. I found most of his illustrations very interesting; the simpler ones, were actually the ones I liked the most. These illustrations were a reminder to me as a designer, that I shouldn't be afraid to use big blocks of bold color, and that sometimeswe complicate ourselves so much, and try to fit in our designs lots of elements, we deviate from our objective: delivering a clear message. 

Alan Aldridge is a very inspiring artist, and simply a very original and innovative person, what I think all designers should be. The fact that so many influential and famous artists/singer/performers wanted him to be a part of his projects, shows how distinct and well produced his work was. I think, like the artists in the Cold War exhibition, Alan Aldridge, helped define an artistic era, where a new culture was born; and he was a very big part of this, presenting himself through one of the most important aspects in that moment: music (and many others of course!). Lots of his work, not only inspired me and gave me a different perspective on how to approach my RSA project, but also in my idea for my collection project.

Also, it inspired me as a designer, to not be afraid to take risks, and do things differently, because, I think this is when you find yourself out of your comfort zone, and creating different, innovative and great designs!

A little over 100 words about my project...

Outline and Objectives

• Create awareness about alternative energies.

• Create a message that is easy to understand and memorable

• Make it easier for people to relate to alternative energies using things/objects they are familiar with

My concept will hopefully make people realize that alternative energy is being used to power everyday objects.

My target audience is very broad, from young to old people, and stamp collectors as well as general public. I want them to be more conscious about the subject, and be responsive to my message, as well as get more informed about it.

Design Elements

I have three ideas that I'm actually developing before I decide which one will be my final (which one has more impact?). 

• The first idea is the repetition of everyday elements people use, and one element would be different, it   would be an object from an alternative energy source. Beneath it will be a message presenting different facts about each energy source (one per stamp). 

• The second idea is to present again everyday objects in a continuous line design, and relate them to a source of renewable energy.

• The third idea, is to present the different kinds of sources in a graphic way that would be very appealing, using typography.

The visual style of all the designs will be very uncomplicated. All three ideas have completely different styles, ranging from colorful and simple objects to black bold lines (in the second idea) with few color. It's personality should be cheerful and positive and in a very direct tone of voice.

Schedule to meet deadlines

• Nov 10th-16th: sketch the most I can of the three ideas, to see if each one can be successfully developed into 6 stamps.

• Nov 17th-23rd: choose one of the ideas and develop it properly, start sketching the package for the stamps, and other materials I consider would be useful.(Website?)

• Nov 24th-30th: stamp design should be finished, and the other materials should be in final stages or finished as well.

• Dec 1st-4th: everything should be checked and finished. This week will hopefully be dedicated to printing and mounting the designs.

Printing Eco-Friendly Stamps, is it possible??

Today, one of the stamp printers we contacted called and was actually very nice and willing to help. She works at Walsall Security Printers. She basically said that printing stamps in eco-friendly paper is a very big issue now. They have been trying to print in different papers, like seaweed paper, but haven't had any success with them, because they have problems with the coating of the stamp.

She said they mostly use water-based inks, which are better and less harmful for the environment. Also, she was kind enough to email a Environmental Report that was made for them, unfortunately, it is confidential, so I can't print it or pass it around, but some of the most important things I will mention.

- Basically self-adhesive paper isn't very recyclable, though some labels are launching eco-friendly schemes to recycle it.

- Also, it says that in the future it may be possible to produce a self-adhesive liner that is worth recycling but a replacement for the silicone layer will need to be developed, and also the graphic design in each stamp should be revised to reduce the ink consumption in the prints.

Apparently this is a very big issue in the printing process of the stamps, but they still haven't found a way to print a excellent quality stamp thats very eco-friendly, the one thing that is reassuring, is that they are investigating and running trials on the printing process of the stamps to try to resolve the issue. It seems that they have to develop too many  things (paper, lining, coating, inks. etc) so maybe this is why its taking soo long, and we still don't have eco-friendly stamps. 

What's happening w my satmps?? (right now)

On our lecture on Friday we talked about the direction that our projects might be going in... I'm leaning more towards combining the global issue, with the local things, we use everyday.

I'm sure that many people don't realize, including me, that many of the things/appliances/cars/etc, are or CAN be powered by alternative energy resources.

I think, that energy conservation and what we can do everyday is VERY important, but so is creating an awareness in people that we need to start using the resources that we have. 

I think it's important for people to relate to alternative energy with something they have, they know, and not just showing solar panels and saying this produces energy. Yes, we know it produces energy, but what does it have to do with me? Here is where the objects we use everyday come in. I want to show that we CAN use it, and we DO use it in some cases, so people can feel much more "close" to he issue.

So anyway, this is what I'm leaning towards right now. I'm investigating different energy conservation resources, stamp designs and design concepts in general...hopefully I can carry on with this idea and create my stamps.

Actions!!

The actions that came out of the brainstorming are:

1.Visit to the Science Museum: there are lots of interesting exhibitions here, one on Plastics is very good, but found that the one on Energy is very interactive. It is perfect for children because they can play and learn about alternative energy at the same time. It was soo cool, I loved it and wanted to play as well, so I guess its not just for kids.

 

2. Visit to Stanley Gibbons: Stanley Gibbons is a collector's shop. It is amazing!! I never imagined that collecting stamps could be soo diverse and so big! This store has everything collectors could want, including some VERY expensive stamps and rare ones as well. Bought a book there, for stamp reference: Stanley Gibbon's Collect British Stamps 2008. It is like a stamp design index so that the collectors can identify them properly. I really recommend if you are even remotely interested in stamps, that you go to this shop, it really is amazing. 

3. Visit to the Post Office: Actually in the Post Office they weren't very helpful, but hey, it was expected. Bought a set of stamps to see the layout of the presentation, and the design of these stamps as well. The theme for the ones I bought is : Classic Carry On and Hammer Films. Decided to buy these, because the design is different. We asked if we could get more info on where they print the stamps, and they said we should email customer services.

Also we will email printers and designers, apart from the post office. These printers and designers have been related to stamps so hopefully they'll share their expertise on designing/printing them.

Here are a few things I found interesting about the museum:

Brainstorming - Research Map

I think my project can be divided into two areas: postage stamps and alternative energy.

I've been researching a lot about different types of energy, but haven't researched that much on postage stamps, so I thought it might be a good idea to start investigating a little more in the world of stamps.

Some Ideas:

STAMPS

- Innovative and original stamp design

- package should be very eye-catching

- Special Edition

- Collectors and Specialty Shops

- Print in different paper? 

ENERGY

- global or local?

- Products: biofuel, electricity, heat and cooling, etc.

- Kinds: wind, solar, hydro, tidal, wave, geothermal, biomass, etc.

- Power of Nature?

- Nature + Household things

Nature and Stamps

I find our current situation very alarming! And what worries me most about this is no one (or very few people) care about this huuuge problem we have: the non-reversible damages we are causing to the environment and to our climate, by the ways that current energy is produced.

This is why I chose this project, because I think that we as designers/communicators need to star doing our share, and helping spread the word, FAST!

I won't bore you here with all the details from my research, but I think think there are some things worth mentioning.

When you look at the ocean or at a river, you don't say to yourself "Hmm look at all the energy that can be produced here". When you can feel really strong winds, you just think how cold it is, and probably put your coat on. Or what about all the things you throw into the rubbish bin? Do you think that they magically disappear into thin air? Everyday, energy, power, electricity, fuel, etc. are produced from what I just mentioned above, and from so many other things. How was it that someone came up with the BRILLIANT idea to create energy out of natural resources? And how is it that we: 1. Don't know about them? and 2. Not use them more? Do you know you can put fuel into your car made out of corn or sugar cane? Doesn't that sound ridiculous? Well its true, and these products are being grown specifically to produce biodiesel or biofuel.

How much energy will it take to keep you warm in your house during winter? We never think about things like that. Geothermal energy and solar energy can be used to heat your house, and if its summer and you are too hot, and can't be bothered to open a window, hot air from the house will be pulled through a heat exchanger operated by these natural resources. They also generate power/electricity, they heat water, help  plants grow in greenhouses, heat water for fish farming, pasteurize milk, among sooo many others. ALL of these things can be achieved by knowing how to use our natural resources.

What I think we need is a change of mind! Start looking at reality and start taking advantage of the natural resources we have, and definitely take for granted! And we as designers, have a role to get to people so they can "become the change". We have this power through our designs, so I suggest we use it wisely. 

There other part of the project is the medium in which I have to transmit this message: postage stamps.In saying this, I would like to explore and show you that not all stamps are the same, not all of them are just a great picture and a message, some have intricate designs an illustrations, have a look at these two examples:

One Idea...so many questions

I started thinking what ideas could I develop for my project. After going almost crazy for about 3 days, I came up with one idea/concept which I really like:

The Power of Nature. I think its probably sooo simple, and yet it communicates absolutely everything that I want to say through my stamp design. I mean we should never underestimate the power of Nature, and I think the biggest problem is that we ARE doing that! Once we start changing our habits, and way of thinking, we could really start appreciating where we live and all that is given to us by the planet we live in.

So after coming up with this concept, I chose to write a series of questions on how I would develop this idea through a research process.

The Power of Nature

1. What is alternative energy?

2. What kinds of alternative energy are most efficient and widely used?

3. How does each one work?

4. How does each one look? * This is a very important question, because understanding how they look I can incorporate them into my designs.

5. Are there any other campaign/projects about alternative energy?

6. Will researching campaigns/projects from common areas help me have a better understanding about my project? (i.e. recycling, go green campaigns, etc)

7. What elements should be in every design? 

8. How will I develop my ideas into graphic designs that can be eye-catching and at the same time create awareness about the subject?

I think researching and answering these questions, would be the most helpful tool to help me understand my project and create the designs that will represent everything I'm trying to say.

Steps in a Creative Process

1. Understanding the Task

2. Write a brief

3. Do Research

4. Re-write the brief if necessary after doing your research

5. Come up with ideas for the project and your schedule

6. Create different design proposals/ideas

7. Choose one / Resolve the design

8. Create mock up

9. Mock up should be approved

10. Make print proofs and have them approved

11. Production

12. Final Product

1 Designer and 1 Project that seem interesting to me....

1. Samia Saleem: 

www.samiasaleem.com

She has excellent design work that integrates illustration and in some cases product design. The diversity in her projects is amazing, you can find more "subtle" ones to very creative and different projects with a very interesting approach. They are just very appealing and the way she resolves and develops her designs is fantastic.

2. Glaceau water campaign by BigSpaceship: 

www.bigspaceship.com

I find it sooo interesting how they integrate very appealing illustration to the product. So if you're expecting a typical ad campaign, graphics and/or product, this is not the case. It is innovative, creative and very

different. It's originality is very refreshing. 

A very important aspect for me in both these cases is the website design. Both are different and modern and integrate the user to the products completely. Also its entertaining to open the website and have all kinds of different elements that mix together, specially in the case of Glaceau water.