OUGD603 - The Disney Wedding Podcast/ Fairy Tale Weddings Podcast - Final Design Submission Boards

OUGD603 - Disney Wedding Podcast Brief

BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN 
Duration: 7 working days 
Sarah Heal 
Module Code: OUGD603 
Module Title:  Extended Practice 


BRIEF TITLE: 'The Disney Wedding Podcast'  

Brief: 
Create a logo for The Disney Wedding Podcast/ Fairytale Wedding Podcast  

Background: 
The Disney Wedding Podcast is an unofficial show dedicated to weddings, vow renewals and commitment ceremonies at Disney destinations around the globe. Each week, host Carrie Hayward takes a look at what’s new and exciting in the world of Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings, from the latest news, planning information and money-saving tips to in-depth interviews and event coverage. The program frequently features special guests, including industry experts and real Disney brides and grooms. 
The Disney Wedding Podcast also covers non-Disney weddings at Walt Disney World, honeymoon tips, and ideas for celebrating anniversaries, engagements and other romantic occasions at the Disney parks and resorts. 

Considerations: 
Think about how the design can incorporate lots of bright colours 
How can the design give off a 'Disney' vibe without conflicting into copyright infringement territory? 
The logo probably needs a glass slipper or a carriage or a castle or a crown or a wand or something that reads "Disney" + "wedding" without infringing on any Disney copyright (like Disney Weddings' carriage icon). And if all or part of it can be used as a website favicon, even better.  
Think about how the design will go with one of the possible new blog themes. 
If one word is to be stressed, it should be "wedding" 

Downplay "Disney" if possible 

It might be nice to have a rectangular version too, but also a square should work with most of those blog theme headers 

Final Outcomes: 
A version that fits in a square for iTunes that's somewhere between 1400 x 1400  
and 3000 x 3000 pixels 

Target Audience: 
Client wants more of an 'Anthropologie'/ 'Snow & Graham'/ 'Lorelay Bove' look would probably go better with the new blog theme. 
 BUT.... also the people who listen to the show probably do love super-princessy/sparkly/fairy-dusted things! 

Tone of Voice: 
x 

Deliverables: 
Rectangular shaped logo 
Drop-cap secondary square logo 
Favicon for blog 

OUGD603 - The Disney Wedding Podcast/ Fairy Tale Weddings Podcast - EVALUATION

Through this project, I have been able to perfect my skills using the drawing tablet. This is the first time I have had a client who’s approached me and of whom I’ve had no prior connections with. This was done the day after I launched my website and shared it on Twitter. 

The client didn’t know that I was a student and politely asked for my rates. This gave me loads of flexibility to perform like the professional I know I am. The brief was totally suited to me, too - the client ran a Disney-themed vintage wedding podcast, and asked me to do the logo, which was just perfect. The client had a large budget as well, and was a perfectionist with a design background. There was a point where I had made a huge mistake, and sent the client the file before she had paid me. But, luckily she was an honest person who didn’t steal the design and continued to work with me to get the best design for her blog. Obviously there was a lesson to be learned here. She was an absolute pleasure to work with, and we quickly became friends, the work was published in my online portfolio as well as on her site.

OUGD603 - The Disney Wedding Podcast/ Fairy Tale Weddings Podcast Development 6 & Skype call

I'm up very early this morning to try and work toward completion of The Disney Wedding Podcast logo. I woke up to a reply from Carrie:

'Hi Sarah!

Colorwise, I like the blue, but maybe we can go with the punchier pink from Color Combo #1 that you sent me. Or use gray. Or skip the blue and do it in the pink/gold/gray #3 Color Combo you sent.

Your list sounds good! I think maybe just add a drop-cap with birds and one with a W like you sketched, unless that's a separate day's work.

Thanks a heap!

Cheers,
Carrie'

So all of this morning I have dedicated loads to pulling the logo together:

'Hi Carrie -

Ok, I've worked my way through my list of stuff. Might get chance to have a go at the Drop-cap again, later today.

I turned the opacity down on the ribbon and changed the E to lowercase, but I'm finding it hard to incorporate the 'the disney' and 'podcast' into this design - which is why I ended up changing it, cos it was looking a bit awkward IMO.

I thought that I'd fatten up the lettering in this one, to make it more legible. I also tried a few different colours. I changed 'the disney' and 'podcast' to a serif, and ditched the bounding box altogether.

    

    

    

I added a couple of birds, to get an idea of composition. I've also tried Gold smallcaps here. I wouldn't use these birds, I just got them off google to demonstrate:

    

I also had a go at giving it a water colour effect. If this isn't water colour enough, I can do it better, I just put this together for the sake of decision making.

    

Time zones are hard to work around! 

Talk to you in about 8 hours, no doubt! 

Sarah'

She replied in the same day! 

Hi Sarah!

I LOVE this (with your birds instead, of course)!!!

I'd like to fine-tune the colors and the serif font but am not sure what the best way is to work with you on those. For one thing, my monitor is definitely not professionally calibrated, so the colors I think look good on screen may look totally awful. That said, if we *pretend* my monitor is accurate, I love the look of Pantone's Fandango Pink 17-2033 (Hex # DE5285), and from this color palette generator I found, it looks like there are some complimentary colors that would fall in your first palette idea (like a blue for the birds and a "tropical punch" red-pink).

Main Pink: DE5285 (Wedding)

Lighter Pink: EEA7C1

Gray: 989898

Gold: ??? (The Disney and Podcast)

Punch: DE5156

Blue: 51CADE (Birds)

As to the serif font, I'm not sure which ones you have access to, and my early career as an unexceptional graphic designer has made me super-picky. I have Photoshop and Illustrator on my laptop - maybe I could take your original file and play around with different fonts that I have?

This is really coming together—thanks so much for all your hard work!

Cheers,
Carrie'

I decided to initiate a Skype session, since there were now only minor tweaks to iron out, that could be done in real time with screen sharing.

'Hi Carrie

Yay! OK I shall play around with colours ... if you like, we could skype within the next half hour, screen share and we can try loads of different things in real time?

My skype is just my email address: sarah.heal@hotmail.co.uk

Sarah'

The Skype call went really well, we decided on definite colours but she said she wants to go away and explore different fonts and stuff for the small caps, and should be ok to skype again tomorrow night for an update. In the meantime, I can carry on with my other uni work! 

OUGD603 - The Disney Wedding Podcast/ Fairy Tale Weddings Podcast Development 5

Today, I dedicated myself to the Disney Wedding Podcast logo, and sent Carrie an email to let her know what was going on:

'Hi Carrie,

I got back to doing your logo today.

I started the day with this:

I felt like it was going nowhere, and I was straying too far away from what you had approached me and asked me to do. I thought I could try out a new style, but it just was turning out old fashioned.

So I spent a couple of hours transforming it into this:

And here is your drop cap ideas, too:

 

  

I need to draw the birds in a way where they could be disney, but not tracing over disney stuff (bit of a grey area) 

If you prefer the way the project has gone, then I honestly wouldn't mind the extra couple hours pay as it was my mistake from deferring from the original brief.

If you do like it, then aside from exact colours, a bit of tweaking and the incorporation of the birds, I would say it is nearly finished?!

Let me know what you think!

Thanks,

Sarah'

To which she replied:

Hi Sarah!

Only one of the drop cap icons made its way across the Pond to me... :)

OK, so my first two comments may seem contradictory, but....

1) I miss the spontaneity of the hand-drawn versions of these logos, especially these:

2) I feel like these new versions—#2 especially—are hard to read. With the first one, it may just be that we can take the opacity of the ribbon down a bit, and maybe swap the uppercase E for a lowercase one. 

3) I am not a huge fan of the font used for Disney, Podcast and the drop cap. I know we'd talked about using a serif font to draw the eye along—was there some reason you decided to go sans-serif? Too old-fashioned looking? I have just seen that font used a LOT and not well, so it has some bad associations for me.

4) I like the way you've nested The Disney and Podcast in Logo #2, but the box feels very stock to me. I like how in the logo above on the left, the word podcast looks like a graphical element without needing a box or a line — maybe "The Disney" could do something similar above the "edd"

I don't mind paying for all the hours it has taken you to do these—I understand that it's part of the process. I think I just wanted something more hand-drawn/rough-hewn feeling and didn't know it until I saw the super-polished version. And I really appreciate all the time you're putting into this project!

Cheers,

Carrie'

So I replied with a summarised to-do list:

'Hiya :)

Ok, what about the colours? 

OK, so if I show you:

• the first version I sent today with a lower ribbon opacity and lower case 'e'
• A thicker or more legible version of no.2 
• A play around with serif typefaces for 'the disney' and 'podcast' on both (I went for sans serif after seeing something on your pinterest board you sent me I think is the only reason I didn't go for serif in this instance)
• Hand rendered effects on both such as water colour or pencil effect for a more 'spontaneous' effect
• show with and without the box around it

Is there anything you'd like me to try?

I'll have to get set on this in the morning - been sat at my computer 15 hours straight haha! oh uni.

Thanks for the feedback - goodnight!

Sarah'

Timezones mean I'm off to bed and shall have to wait until tomorrow for her reply!

OUGD603 - The Disney Wedding Podcast/ Fairy Tale Weddings Podcast Development 4

Today, I sent Carrie an email it what felt like forever! I had been so busy with doing design boards and the Design Publication the past couple of days. I also had to go back home to Warrington, to attend a HR induction at Chester Zoo yesterday, so it's been pretty manic.

'Hi Carrie

Wow - don't feel like I've contacted you in ages! Just want to tell you I'm still here, I'm still working on your stuff, just currently having to prioritise work for university this week, unfortunately.

I never asked you - is there any imminent deadline for your podcast that I should know about?

Also - thanks for the details about the whole Disney usage thing - put my mind at ease a lot more! You can never be too paranoid with the Mouse. And sure thing, we can do an alternate logo, very easy thing to do. 

Hopefully I should be able to give you a more detailed update at the weekend.

Hope you are well! Sorry if this is taking too long,

Sarah'

And I was reassured by her: got the all clear! At least I can focus on finishing the Design publication now:

'Hi Sarah,

No worries! My only deadline is that last week my current logo and theme started bugging the crap outta me and I just wanted it gone ASAP - lol! But that can happen whenever. Studies first!

Cheers,

Carrie'

OUGD603 - The Disney Wedding Podcast/ Fairy Tale Weddings Podcast Development 3

Today, I emailed Carrie as I was concerned over the usage rights of the name 'Disney':

'Hi Carrie,

I've taken note what you said. I didn't expect you to reply on the weekend! I was just wondering if there was any way we could emphasise the fact that this isn't officially disney, like perhaps displaying it within speech marks:

The 'Disney' Wedding Podcast

I'm just a little worried as disney are hot on this sort of thing and it's both me and you at risk! Just a thought.

I also wanted to ask you if you would be okay with me displaying this brief on my blog for university? I've got three weeks left of my degree and every brief I complete contributes toward my mark (obviously wouldn't publish until after we've completed it)

Thanks and hope you're having a good weekend!

Sarah'

To which she replied:

'Hi Sarah!

Sure thing - display away!

I have done extensive research on the use of the word "Disney" in my blog and podcast, and I had a new media-rights lawyer go over it with a finetooth comb to tell me which parts are iffy and which are OK. Because my show is about weddings that specifically take place at Disney locations, there is fair use there. Apparently the biggest potential trouble spot is my three-circle Mickey favicon, which is why I'd like to replace it.

At any rate, if Disney ever took enough notice of me to go after me, I'd get a cease-and-desist letter first. Then I can just switch everything to my backup name and domain (Fairy Tale Wedding Podcast - even LONGER than my current name!) and be fine. But having spoken with fellow bloggers, including one who actually was pursued by Disney's lawyers and another who runs a HUGE site that they have no problem with, it seems like Disney won't be interested in me unless I actually start making money from the show. 

I'd be happy to pay you to make an alternate version of my logo with "Fairy Tale" that I can easily switch to. In fact, I think that's a really good idea. Just no quote marks.... they drive me NUTS! :D

Have a great weekend!'

OUGD603 - The Disney Wedding Podcast/ Fairy Tale Weddings Podcast Development 2

Today, I received email feedback from Carrie from The Disney Wedding Podcast:

So I was able to send her some sketches etc straight back! The time different is quite convenient. Here is my email back:

'Hello again Carrie :D 

I took note of what you said, and have come up with more sketches for you to review. The reason I haven't jumped on it digitally yet, is its not as easy to edit it on the computer as it is to tweak a sketch.

Okay, so you said you wanted to see all styles so here's the kind of style I did for the vine thing I have on my website:

And here is the regal-type design.

 

After doing these, I thought that the regal type one was too stuffy and old fashioned rather than vintage, and the swirly one was lacking something ... y'know? So, I decided to combine the two! Let me know what you think:

 

   

  

This one is very girly!

I can't decide between a pointy 'w' and a curvy 'w' lol:

 

I'm also having a look at the drop-cap type icon. The main problem I am having is the birds and ribbons thing, but I'll work it out:

 

If you like any of the 'wedding' part of the designs, I can get started on properly digitising it.

Hope you are good! And I know, wild Friday night, ey?

Sarah'

To which she replied:

'Hi Sarah,

These look great! 

I think I prefer the curvy W, and my very favorite is the first "combined" design you did (though I understand you'll need to get some more swashes in there for the birds to pull!). Perhaps there is a way to style "The Disney" and "Podcast" in a typeface with a strong serif that draws the eye along as if there are lines above and below, without actually putting lines above and below.

I also love both of the dropcap icons. I worry that the birds will not read at small sizes, but I love them so much! Perhaps I could use one with them and one without, depending on the situation.

I'm so happy with the direction these are going!

Cheers,
Carrie'

OUGD603 - The Disney Wedding Podcast/ Fairy Tale Weddings Podcast Development 1

Because this is a real paying client, I have been trying to be as quick as I can and stay on top, clocking up my hours as I go (we agreed on an hourly price). I sent across all my different ideas today, just a day after receiving the brief. Here is the email I sent:

'Ok Carrie,

I've had a play around with the few of the ideas and styles that you showed me (must have written the word wedding a million times) and have a few things to show you. (I've spent about 2 hours on this)

I think that the composition can be square in shape, like you said but with background elements that give the impression that it's longer like this:

I think its best as you say to downplay the word Disney, (neither of us want to be in trouble!) and make it in a small caps serif, and to emphasise the word 'wedding' in a calligraphic (hand drawn, obviously) script. 

For the 'wedding' part, there's a multitude of styles we can go with. Of course we can go for the informal, swirly style you showed me on your pinboards and a similar thing you've most probably seen on my site : http://www.sarahhealdesign.com/#!peter--paul-wall/czwe

Or we could mix it up a bit and go a bit more regal, if you wish (we can always add some sparkles or something to make it more informal)

Or traditional:

Then, I was thinking that you should most probably also have a secondary logo/ emblem. Something that goes with the bigger logo but that can be placed on things like square twitter profile pics, square instagram pics, favicons etc. This is just a suggestion, but I think it will help tie the whole brand together. The main idea I had for this is like a drop-cap, referencing the sort of fairytale/ storybook theme.   

It could have the initials of the brand name, or imagery (or both). The kind of imagery/ icons I was thinking of to represent disney wedding without us getting into trouble are things like; two lovebirds (disney-esque) , bows and ribbons, a clocktower striking midnight and pumpkins. These things are best because they don't directly reference disney, just fairytales.

All of this is going to be very tasteful in colour scheme - and I think it should be flat in colour (not skeuomorphic ) perhaps in water colour style. No garish pink or anything. Perhaps something like this:

  One final suggestion I have of how we can add the finishing touches to the look would be maybe create a repeated pattern for the background of the blog, like the one you have now, but out of the (pumpkins, for example) icons and swirls taken from the logos.

Please excuse the crudity of some of these drawings! They are just ideas! Once you can give me a heads up on what you do and do not like, I can get going in developing and perfecting the hand drawn lettering as soon as I can.

Thanks a lot,

Sarah '

So now I just await her reply! 

OUGD603 - The Disney Wedding Podcast/ Fairy Tale Weddings Podcast Brief

After the launch of my website only yesterday... I already have a client!

Carrie Hayward approached me via email:

The brief is to create a logo kind of Disney-esque, Vintage style and wedding-y: she couldn't have approached a more suitable person! 

I replied with this:

'Hi Carrie!

I'm so delighted to have such a quick response since posting my website only last night! I am humbled that you like my work. 

I do do logo design - and have just had a look at your blog and I'm excited! I can see you're a victory-roller and Disney lover just as I am, so this should be good fun.

My rate is currently at £12.00 an hour - I'm assuming you are stateside? It's about 18 USD an hour, and I doubt that the logo would take me more than a day (8 hours).

I really like the new vibe you are going for - if you are interested I ask that you send me a few more pictures of the kind of logo vibe you are after (just off google or something), so we know we are on the same page.

Let me know what you think!

Thanks and kindest regards,

Sarah'

To which she replied with links to a couple of Pinterest boards of the kind of things she was after for logo:

https://www.pinterest.com/dwp0080/logo-ideas/

And the intended theme of her blog she wanted to use:

https://www.pinterest.com/dwp0080/blog-design/

She also added further specifications:

'A couple more things I thought of....

• If one word is to be stressed, it should be "wedding"
• We should downplay "Disney" if possible
• I'll need a version that fits in a square for iTunes that's somewhere between 1400 x 1400 and 3000 x 3000 pixels
• It might be nice to have a rectangular version too, but I think a square should work with most of those blog theme headers'

So I shall be starting off with ideas now!!