UCC: Concertina information booklet

To finish off my donation packs I have created two concertina booklets which fits nicely into the box besides the mug and coffee sachets. The two booklets offer information on different endangered animals which each pack helps to protect through the donations raised. The animals are; the Asian elephant for the Honey blend, Vietnam. The second is the Amazon jaguar for Guatemala. They give a overview of the coffee blend and where it is farmed, background information on the specific endangered animal, their threats, and how the donation pack will benefit the animal. On the reverse side is a panoramic pattern to reflect the brand blend’s identity.

I printed this at home on my A4 printer which was just big enough width-way. I created a custom length and cut my desired length from an A1 sheet. After the printing and cutting was complete, I added on a larger front and back to each booklet as a doubled up cover, this helps the inside pages stand off the ground when expanded out, which is a nice finish. I tried to gloss-coat the front and back however the card used just absorbed it and gave it a smooth touch and a strong smell.

UCC: Small details

With my to-do list at the ready, I am able to jump between different tasks to keep myself interested in the projects. I have already created my exhibition space and experimented with what works well, I have also taken photographs of the space set-up on my DSLR for better quality, this has helped me to create easy mockups like the one below.

I added the coffee brand name with its blend colour to the mugs which are going inside my donation packs, this will be seen through the window of the package along with the information booklets and coffee sachets. I was curious about adding a small toy of the endangered animal each package protected, but it would cause the box to need modification to account for the extra height.

UCC: Printing on to material

Earlier today, I played with transfer papers. I made a fake coffee bag information stamp for each of the blends, after printing them I realised mid-set that I forgot to change the ‘orange decaf’ on the other two designs which means that I will have to go out and buy more bags and transfer papers. The outcome turned out very well, the first attempt did remove some of the ink when pealing however I liked the effect it left, which made it look more authentic and worn. I will still use these bags but underneath my desk as background objects. I could fill these up with newspaper to make them seem full of coffee.

Over the past week I have really stepped outside of my comfort zone and experimented with water decal, transfers and physical nets which I am interested in pursuing as a possible career – packaging design. It is satisfying to see your digital work become physical prints not only onto paper but a range of different and unique materials such as cotton, ceramic and glass. I have also dived in to making my first actual publication which I am going to use in my degree show once I create its final print run later this week. I have a few more things to create over the next couple of days as well as my portfolio, other projects and my long research and development files. There is plenty of time and I am slowly getting through my to-do lists.

UCC: Loyalty cards

I wanted to design beyond the creative brief for the coffee and think about how a coffee shop could keep customers loyal to their shop while promoting UCC Coffee. The loyalty card itself does not represent a particular UCC blend of coffee, but it instead runs a similar theme of deforestation as the background card. At first I was going to have a members card  on PVC plastic however, from my Cynnal Cymru project at the start of third year, I discovered it was more sustainable to print onto paper and card as the majority of card is recycled and reused. It is also much more biodegradable than plastic and therefore better for the environment. The paper card below uses a stamp collection to receive a free hot drink on their 10th visit. I do feel this should be more specific to UCC Coffee so there is a possibility to revisit this later on this coming week. My main focus now is to complete all of my research and development files and my Big Idea project along with the needed blog reflections.

I have created more to-do lists to keep me busy over the next week before I reflect and touch up on weak points in my portfolio. I have also shown some interest in a possible graphics position, of which I will be meeting the creative team later in the month to discuss the opportunities available. I am curious to work abroad after my internship in China and the Netherlands are becoming more of a reality in recent weeks. I will continue to research placements and positions during the next few weeks after I touch up my CV and finish my portfolio.

Saucer Designs and Application

My decal setting solution enabled me to apply an adhesive onto a ceramic surface and set my decals which were printed onto a unique material to allow this process to work. i designed my ideal layout on illustrator before printing a sheet of a dozen illustrations. Once printed I applied a layer of inkjet gloss to the sheet to prevent scratching, water damage and UV damage. When this was set, I cut out each decal and applied them to a blank saucer. The outcome was very effective and the colour was vibrant. I am happy with the outcome however I recognise some minor deformities with them which will go unnoticed by others. I did the same to my berry blend. From here I will finish this outcome by adding the brand ‘Grand Cafe’ onto the side of the accompanying mugs, for exhibition.

UCC: Granulated Coffee Tin Design

On Thursday I received my ink and so I began work on printing and applying my labels to my granulated version of the packaging. These would be sold in participating cafes and recognised fair-trade stores such as Tesco, like similar products sold by UCC Coffee. I feel they have a great effect and the packaging is balanced around the tin. The only downfall is that the label does not go all the way around the packaging which was intentional to avoid overlapping, but it does appear displaced.

After applying the tin and the lid labels I realised a major error which was the weight of the product. The lid says 250g while the tin says 500g. I was stuck between both sizes and forgot to match them. I will instead correct the lid label to save ink and avoid leaving unwanted residue on the tin.

UCC: Granulated Coffee Sachet Designs

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As I wait for my ink to arrive I have been making my files ready for print. My idea was to create stickers to hold my coffee packagings in place. The concept would be that they could be used time and time again to keep the packages secure and therefore fresher for longer. I created a square sticker that would be equal on either side of the package when stuck. I used the colourful illustrations which reflected the blend it linked to, however I adapted these to remove all colour and changed the outlines to white to give it a minimal effect and act as a separate design from the packaging. The linking theme is the sticker background and white editions of the illustrations.

Above images are a selection of stickers I have already created for each sample sachets, coffee packaging and granulated tin editions.

As I am making the finishing touches to my donation packs, I wanted to add sample coffee sachets to the cups to turn them into possible gifts or small coffee sets for the buyer. I would also like to include a small fold out booklet with information on my Grand Cafe concept donation scheme and what it is, what it aims to do & what it has already done. This is another possible touch point for me to reflect and bring awareness to the coffee farmers and how UCC Coffee has improved their lifestyle through fair-trade and community.

Once these are complete I will again trial run my designs onto card before making a final edition for my degree show. Everything seems to be going well so far so I hope I can complete everything in time for submission. Almost all of my items have arrive for pre-show setup which include decal designing onto glass, fabric and ceramics. This is a completely new area of practical design that I have never attempted before and so it will be an exciting part of my setup – Hope it runs smoothly with no errors. I have already trail printed these onto paper with no problems.

After printing these onto paper for the texture it was clear they had turned out out great! I created 3 of each of the two blends, honey and berry. These will sit inside the donation pack mug along an information booklet on the company, the blend and the animal each pack is helping to protect.