I attended a lecture meeting with typographer Bruno Maag from Switzerland who is also the owner of Dalton Maag, a company of international typeface designers which has made work for the likes of brands such as Lush cosmetics, Tesco, Intel BMW and more.
During the lecture Bruno spoke of how the Romans were the first people to implement branding through the use of type. With the lettering having perfect spacing and curves to create a unique recognisable style. Their lettering was using through out their empire which they had all over the world and their type face is one way people and historians could recognise where they ruled. Showing how typeface can and is used as a quick way for people to gain recognition of a product mood or style and is very effective at creating a feeling towards the product for example Typeface used for lush is very different to that of Intel (two of Brunos clients) yet they both have been made to create an image about the brand.
This is simple and bold with even spacing between each of the letters creating a precise and accurate appearance. This is the kind of feelings the brand would probably want to reflect on their clients as it is a computer company that you would want and expect to be accurate well working and easy to understand.
Where as the lush typeface is in a handwritten style to give a more down to earth homemade feel and approach which reflects how they make their products (all are hand made and fresh).
He said that he preferred (as his own personal opinion) black and white text instead of colour as they have more of an impact and that he believes that text type can and should reflect the mood of the product it is being created for.
This is something i can apply to my own work as i will be required to use font and type in my work for various different projects and even the project i am doing at the moment (the competition brief) i am having to think about the what vibe the company wants to give off and much of how i can to recognise this style was through their font (a rebellious ransom note style lettering made the appearance seem more rebellious and a punk style).
He also stated that becoming attuned to typography is something to be learnt and that what he does takes practice with regards to creating calligraphy fonts and getting used to the aesthetics of kerning etc.
He also explained how when creating product you should do research and thoroughly think about the people it is being made for. One example he gave for this was the statistics of people in the western world's eye sight and said that on average by the age of 20 people have 100% of their cones in their eyes but by the age of 50 they will generally have around 20%. He then explained that the majority of people living in the western world are aged between 45-50 and so this would effect their vision so if someone produced a font that was grey on bright white, although they might like it and be able to see it the mass majority of the people it is being made for may not be able to. This is a good example about just how important research is and how a target audience should be researched. Another experience he had was when he was creating arabic typefaces and explained that the style in which he had made the arabic calligraphy was in the style of an old deep rooted arabic style and this was actually insulting to some of the people who were persians.
He discussed the processes he had to go through when working with amazon kindle who wanted a new type face for their product. And explained how the type in the product can end up having a big impact on the users and the company as the user would be able to read fast with more letters able to fit into the page as the brain automatically recognises the shape of a word.
He researched other ebooks on the market at the time and looked at pixel sizing and ghosting effects that seem to occur in most ebooks.
Deliver Orchard Pig as the craft cider equivalent of contemporary craft beer – we want to become the Notorious P.I.G. What do we mean? Based on the background, history and current position of Orchard Pig we believe it is the only ‘craft beer’ like cider in the market today (craft liquid credentials, modern positioning and tone of voice) – this needs to be amplified in an integrated campaign across Communications, Packaging, Point of Pour, Point of Sale and Innovation. Background and Context Hog History: Orchard Pig’s Home in West Bradley Orchards is well and truly rooted in Somerset’s cider-making history, dating back to the 1850s, and W.T. Allen’s award-winning Somerset cider. Orchard Pig: Started in the noughties…just outside Glastonbury when Andrew and Neil were enjoying their home-made cider and hog roast with friends…. The Creative Challenge Your challenge is to tell, inspire and engage consumers and customers with our brand and what it stands for – Bold, Mischievous, Inclusive, Rooted in Somerset. We want this to be an integrated campaign, so we are keen to see how your ‘Pig Idea’ comes to life in more than one channel or medium. Target Audience Everybody and anybody that espouses the same values as Orchard Pig – Generation Z, no demographics apply. Our Principles • “Stay rooted” is what we say to the world. • We appreciate simplicity…and cider. • We like to poke fun at the world and ourselves…and each other. • We are ALL about the cider… Our Values BOLD Dare to be different CIDER It’s all about the cider ROOTED IN SOMERSET Proud of where we are from MISCHEVIOUS A catalyst for more fun SIMPLE Simple brand and simple product INCLUSIVE For anyone and everyone Some Context Most cider makers have a family name on the label and/or a picture of an apple…or a tree. We have a pig. We are relatively new to the industry. This gives us license to do things differently… White wine and red wine are not marketed as different industries, why should cider and beer be? Beer and cider are both ‘long alcoholic drinks’ consumed from bottles and pint glasses in the same places on the same occasions. The making process between beer and cider is very different (cider is far more like wine making), and the manufacturers control the message… cider makers and beer makers do very different things, but we don’t care about them and are focused on our consumers and customers…so more like a craft beer than a craft cider it is then. Deliverables & Additional Information Current Communications, products, positioning and culture You’ll find images of our current campaigns, products, packaging and more supporting information in the accompanying Project Pack on the YCN website.
Competition brands of ciders:
Orchard pig cider:
The difference in the visual aesthetics between orchard pig and other brand ciders is quite obvious when placing these two mood boards next to each other. Orchard Pig is going for a less snobby appearance and more down to earth 'in the outdoors' drink, that seems to be more portrayed as a beer would be portrayed or drinks that are aimed at younger people with the style of packaging etc.
Some animated examples of adverts for ciders and beers that already exist:
In most aspects, cider is closer to wine (fermented fruit). Ale is a form of beer (fermented grain drink flavoured with herbs for balancing the taste and impart aroma), in fact the oldest kind of beer (the other is lager).
What is Beer: Beer is made using a process of brewing and fermentation of sugars mostly gained through cereal grains, particularly malted barley and malted wheat. The juice obtained from the wheat are placed in fermenting vessels and to this, yeast is added in order to enhance the fermentation process. This brewing is done in the least amount of time as possible as the beverage is known to get spoilt very quickly.
Beer usually has a 4%-6% of alcohol although this could range from 1%-20% at times. Beer dates back as far as the Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations and forms an important part of the culture of beer consuming countries worldwide by way of beer drinking festivals, etc.
What is Cider:The apple is mashed and pressed to extract the juice and then this juice is allowed to ferment which in turn gives the juice its alcoholic property. The commercial cider producers add yeast to this juice to enhance and quicken the fermentation process whereas the natural cider, allowed ferment in its own sugars under natural conditions are referred to as soft cider. The cider is also constantly checked for its balance of nutrients, sugars and other aspects.
Beer is made from fermenting malted barley whereas cider is made from fermenting apple juice. Beer also uses an amount of hops for flavoring the beverage whereas yeast is added to the mixture to aid along the fermentation process. Cider, on the other hand, is mostly left to ferment on its own as its high content of sugar often completes the fermentation process on its own. Sometimes a little amount of yeast is added but not so much as one would utilize for beer.
Differences in marketing beer and cider:
The difference between beer marketing and cider marketing:
In the description for this brief the the client mentions some of the marketing stereotypes made in the industry between beer and cider and mention that manufacturers control the message that cider is more like wine making. The client also mentioned that they what to portray more of a 'craft beer' image and so the desired feeling for my animation i am thinking of is not trying to be so bragging as some cider makers as to refer to their craft as wine etc however while still retaining the feeling that their is an element of 'craft' and skill in what they do. So i decided to do a bit of research to define and this difference and see if there is a way i can combine the fun party vibes that most beer companies portray in their advertising with that of connotations that generally go with the cider adverts and stereotypes.
Cider Adverts:
In these cider adverts nature and trees (forests/countrysides) is shown in all of them. On top of this each one of these adverts also shows apples in the advert showing how their could be some trends within in how cider is advertised. These adverts all have an overall aesthetic and feel of country side nature and all seem to portray a more sophisticated feel to the drink.
Beer Adverts:
The beer adverts do appear more aimed at men with the main characters the the adverts or even sometimes all of the characters being men. Also often in these type of adverts for beer they use some form of comedy in the advert to sell the product, portraying a certain type of person a 'lad' hanging with his friends having a beer. Showing that there is also a stereotyping happening within this industries market and target audience.
Mix of the two:
This advert shows a kind of mutual crossover of the two stereotypes for ciders and beer in that it is set in a pub (more like in the beer adverts) however it keeps a sense of sophistication about it (which is more used by the cider adverts) it also uses humour with the man talking to the voice over in the advert like in the beer adverts and includes shots of the women in the pub drinking the drink swell breaking the barrier of
Gender Stereotyping:
The majority of beer adverts and even some cider adverts (however more so seemingly beer adverts) appear to be largely aimed at men as their target audience especially in the visual advertising. With the majority of actors in commercials being men and occasionally displaying sexualisation of women in their adverts etc.
I looked at this article produced by the telegraph to discuss this stereotyping and sexism
"We British may be proud of our real ales - but we have a serious problem when it comes to marketing. Radhika Sanghani lists the worst offenders - and shows that some breweries have sexism on tap"
Looking at these aspects is a good way for me to highlight what to avoid when coming to producing my animation as the target audience for this company is 'anyone and everyone' and therefore should not be one sided towards the male gender and so some of the methods used in the beer adverts i looked at is not what i am aiming to recreate in my own piece although the comedy value works for them and fits in with the nature of alcohol (merry etc).
Where can you get it? (more info into target audience:
i decided to try and find out where this cider is supplied to to get an idea of its market and general target audience.
I found a selection of their drinks available to order online in Sainsburrys for the public showing how the drink has reached a point where it is not exclusive to only a selection of people or just locals.It has received 5 stars on the website again reinforcing the craft aspect the company holds and the potentially unique flavour and quality of the drink. It is priced here at 2 pounds which could also suggest a humble supplier making the cider as a hobby instead of means to earn money and overcharge consumers.
The brand can be found on the real ale companies website again reinforcing the quality standard of the drink to be seemingly quite high and a drink that people interested in beer and ciders would purposefully seek out.
As well as Sainsburry it is also obtainable through another large supermarket (tescos) again showing its potentially high demand to the public (or increasing demand at least).
Pub Examples:
The Castle Inn (west lulworth):
This pub describes itself as a family friendly pub that also allows dogs in the pub and even has a selection of treats for them at the bar. It explains that it is a family run pub and has been for over 30 generation. It also explains that they serve 'Real Ciders' in their pub with orchard pig being one of the options to choose from that they provide. The website also states that they have been listen in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2011,2012,2013,2014,2015 and 2016. Showing how orchard pig is linked in with people that seek out craft ciders etc as opposed to everyday brand.
This pub fits in with the orchard pigs visual theme and selling points of a country side setting and origin and friendly light hearted nature.
GrillStock Festival: "We’re teaming up with two of the best for the bars at Grillstock this year – Orchard Pig Cider and Bristol Beer Factory."
Grillstock is an annual event held in various locations that claims to supply good grill food and good beer as well as music for participants. The public can purchase tickets for the event to attend.
The website for this event announces how they are teaming up with orchard pig and britsol beer factory for their next event. This again shows the standard of this cider as it has been selected for a festival that requires quality drinks as this is how it promotes itself (supplying good food and drink and is a festival to celebrate these two)
Bristol beer factory appears to be fairly similar to orchard pig in terms of its unique alternative appeal that focuses more on the passion and craft than the money.
Similar style of text font as orchard pig.
The telegraph posted an article to highlight pubs and areas for cider and beer lovers (or connoisseurs) to visit to have a good drink and the article mention orchard pig as one of the drinks to try.
"with the likes of Orchard Pig, Rich’s and Heck’s satisfying landlubbers"
Product and service:
crafting unique ciders that have had time and love of the craft put into making them and providing these to beer lovers as well as having a good time with their customers. Unique selling point:
The orchard pigs unique selling point seems to be its country side origin of somerset and its good tasting craft qualities that seems to attract people who have a real interest in beers and ciders and would meaningfulling seek out this drink (so good quality of taste and personality) its personality is mischievous and bold. (the branding designs also reflect this with the bright colours and font style).
Target Audience:
The brief specifies that their client is everyone and anyone that has the same values as the orchard pig assumedly a love for good craft beers and ciders. They also display in their briefing folder images of people in the countryside having close community style events and parties/ festivals involving cider in rural locations and so i would assume another point for the target audience would be likes to have a good time and has a good sense of community (this is probably something the brand would like to portray) target is also probably a lover of the country side.
Tone of Voice:
Upbeat, fun genuine.
Competitors:
Other cider companies that are probably a bit more alternative swell and aimed towards an audience that is interested in beer and cider (connoisseurs) as opposed to big brand ciders that don't put as much time or care into their product. Companies that would be competitors could be : hogans dry cider, fosseway cider, black fox cider , angry orchard.
Visual styles and Themes:
Country side rural setting (rooted in summer set) the presence of the pig (their logo) upbeat theme and music. display of a love for cider. (however overall for an animation i think the main key point to focus on would be the upbeat playful nature of the drink and the countryside setting).
Visual Style:
I decided to look more closely at the visual style and theme the company has already established with their packaging and advertisement graphics. The over all appearance of the Orchard Pigs style seems to be a punk style with a rebellious visual aspect. They have used a collage technique in their posters overlaying different materials to make the piece also the paint splat of the poster gives a rougher less refined effect. And their typography, especially on the bottle labels, has the punk style ransom note lettering that a lot of designers used in the 70's-80's used for punk style work and for album covers for bands that they made such as Malcom Garrett's work a good example being his Buzzcocks poster ,Orgasm Addict he made in 1977distributed by united artist records , London that he made using lithograph.
The type used in this poster made by Malcom Garrett shows some similarities of the genre taken and used by orchard pig as the lettering is uneven with only the central letters being misplaced and enlarged slightly giving the overall appearance a bit more of a rough and unrefined look to emphasise the rebellious nature of the work in the case of the poster and also in the orchard pigs branding they are probably using this stereotyping of style and genre to enforce their ideas of fun different unique and michevious. The similarities in the font used in orchard pigs labels can be seen in all of their cider drink labels where the central letter is a different size to the rest of the font along with being slightly out of line with the other letters and a different colour. The collage style and means of found materials that this poster shows can also relate to the orchard pigs imagery as they have used a variety of materials in a collage style in their poster.
Buzzcocks, Orgasm Addict (Poster for single distributed by United Artist Records, London) 1977
Jamie reid was another designer that influence the punk genre style work in design. He developed his unique collaged ransom note typography while art directing radical political magazine 'Suburban press'. Influenced by the student uprisings of may 1968and the accompanying situationist themed posters and graffiti of the time.
This is one of the pieces he made for the cover art of 'God Save The Queen' single by The Sex Pistols in 1977 produced by virgin records. Again the lettering in this piece is in a similar style to the Orchard Pigs lettering and the college style of the piece also related to the orchard pig. This image is used to illustrate the famous design and help explicate how it caused offence, as well as to illustrate the famous and historically significant record it was made for. It is a picture ofQueen Elizabeth II and illustrates the offence of lese majeste.
Sex Pistols' 1977 single "God Save the Queen", designed by Jamie Reid.
Another piece made by Jamie Reid is this image again produced for the sex pistols in 1977. This image was then used to inspire Shepard Fairy to reproduce it using silk screen. Again using the ransom style lettering he became well known for. And displaying the overall rebellious attitude of the band which influence the punk style and genre.
Sex Pistols, Pistols Pretty, 1977, Poster, Jamie Reid
Shepard Fairey (Frank Shepard Fairey) ,born February 15, 1970, is an American contemporary street artist, graphic designer, activist, illustrator and founder of OBEY (clothing)who emerged from the skateboarding scene. He was inspire by the punk rock and skater scene he experienced as a child.
This is Jamie Ried graphic image that he has recreated using silkscreen the colours are bright and simple similar to that of the orchard pig with the bold black ransom style lettering standing out onto of the colour again orchard pig have used this style in their advertising labels. This is still in the punk style however a seemingly more modern style of punk design.
Pretty Disobedient By Shepard Fairey ,2001
This piece by Shepard Fairey and again using acute out collage style of visuals for this design it shows a close relation to the orchard pig poster as it uses only one bright colour along with black text and a wooden textured background.
About Punk Design:
Our image of modern british graphic design is directly shaped by the punk and post punk music movements beginning in 1977. Punk developed as a reaction to the economic, political and social turbulence experienced in the UK during the 1970s as the former british empire dissolved. Shepard Fairey, 'Bright Future (Gold),' 2012,
Punk evolved into post punk and eventually percolated into mainstream culture.
http://www.artslondonnews.com/2012/11/22/the-art-of-punk-movement/ Punk style artwork mood board:
I have also included two orchard pig images in here to compare the similarities and differences from the surrounding images. The colours used in all of these images are bold and block colours with repeated use of the main colours of red green and yellow. All of the image have a messy slightly DIY style to them and collaged effect.
This video is not something i would be using for the visual style to inspire my work as it represents a darker side of the punk genre and the orchard pigs style is going for a slightly more upbeat fun punk style theme however the way the video is cut is something that i could relate to my work as the shots are snappy and even at times a bit glitchy and it is fast passed and energetic.
OK Punk Title from mnetartworks on Vimeo.
the graphics used in this videos and scene cuts are something i could use in my work with bright colours displayed through out making the video seem loud and bold and fun. the draw elements give it that grungy punk feel which i could leo look into incorporating into my work in some way.
The overall atmosphere of this advert for black xs is fast passed mischievous rebellious and in the style of punk rock. This is a good video to refer to when i am making my video as the nature of the rebellious punk theme is shown well and the fast edits give the video energy.
I decided for my idea taking into account the amount of time i have available for this project along with the style of orchard pig, that the urban grunge after effects style video has inspire me to create something along the lines of what the video is showing however obviously i will adapt this idea to more suitably match with what orchard pig are potentially looking for. The video is fast passed edgy and is a good way of showing different events. My idea is to use the idea of moving over a background to different 'windows' in the background showing different scenarios.
For instance i want the first scene to show the fun aspect of the orchard pig cider so i will move across the background to a scenting that will show footage of people having fun. Then transition after this shot to the next shot (showing the rebellious side of the brand) and so on. (my story board is in my sketchbook making this idea more clear).
I already have a wooden background i want to use which i created my end shot in photoshop with however it is not large enough for me to move around it like how i want my animation to be (moving around a wooden background) with out making the panels too zoomed in so they look not as good.
I followed a tutorial on youtube to help me create a seamless tiled background so that i could use this to move my animation around a seemingly never ending wooden background.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwgMopTq8zg
This is the wooden background i am using for the end scene and have made my mock up end scene with on photoshop. This is the background i want to have through out my animation and that i will be able to move around in.
This is the background i created to move around there are some slight flaws in it that can be recognised from a far but seeing as though when i use this in after effects to move around on it will always be zoomed in on only parts of the background this shouldn't be recognisable. I made this in photoshop at 2000 x2000 pixels which should be enough for me seeing as though i will be working at the sizes 1280x720p.
Colour pallet i am using from orchard pigs posters:
Some of the marks i made that i am going to be using in my main section for my video as the windows for the film footage and as punk style marks of paint for the boarders and to contain the text I'm going to be using.
My original mark makings using ink on paper:
I experimented with changing the colour of these marks using the orchard pig colour palette i made earlier:
Example on background experimenting:
foot prints:
screen shot from orchard pigs website:
i adjusted the levels and traced round the prints:
Low resolution example of the short animation i made to add to my main animation:
I made a paint split shape to use in my end scene of the text stamping against the wooden background to create the finishing poster style visuals that tie my piece together at the end.
To do this i took the poster image that orchard pig already had and inverted it and turned it into black and white.
I then copy a section of the splat and flipped it and positioned it to the bottom of the image:
(i then removed the pig shape by filling it in with the paint brush and traced round the edges of the split shape to leave me with just the paint shape).
The text i used for in my piece:
I cut the text out of this poster to use for my piece so that i had the same style orchard bigs branding text:
I inverted the posted to make the text easier to trace
This is the cut out font from the poster (i added a colour behind the text in order to see them so i could see what i was doing with them as i added a small drop shadow to each of the words swell.
I then used this texture which i invested and used as a mask inside each of the words i had cut out to make a stamp 'blotchy style marks' inside each of my words:
(adding the texture as a mask, the black parts of the texture is where the mask will remove parts of the text):
Animating the pig:
Find Locations To Shoot My Footage In:
Text i made for the main animation:
I used the font Rockwell as this is a font that orchard pig have used in some of their posters (other than the bubbly style font they used that i have used for my end shot with the 'cider to snout about' text) I then edited the font after choosing my words that i will use to give them a stamp appearance and a slightly more pink style with some of the letters being slightly wonky etc.
First scene barn door opening:
To make the closing door effect i have for the start of my animation to use as a transition to get my animation onto the wooden door background i used my seamless wooden background that i made and copied one of its own panels in front of it like a barn door would have.
I made sure i had lots of space around the panel so that once the door had closed i could move away from the panel and then just have my normal wooden background for the rest of my animation.
This is the video i used to inspire and help me create this closing door effect that i am going to use as my opening scene effect:
Shots of me filming for the main scenic of the animation i am going to place the footage inside of.
I used the areas i took location shots of so it was all pre planned where and what was going to happen before i even got to these locations so that the filming could be done swiftly as the weather had been unpredictable that week and it was the last forecast of any sun for the next few weeks.
First version of my work with all of the elements and storyboarded scenes involved:
There are still things i need to change with this version of my work as the transitions between the footage playing and the moving to the next segment of the background are off slightly and need to look a bit quicker and more lively. Also the colours of my videoed footage is a bit washed out and would look better if they piped more perhaps by adjusting the levels and saturations i could fix this. Also it looks as though i might need more paint splits in each of the scenes when the footage plays to add more of a punk feel to the clips and also so that it doesn't look quite so plain. However i will experiment with these adjustments and see what works best.
In my final version for the video for orchard pig i have adjusted the colours of the footage so they look livelier and more punk looking. I have also made everything happen quicker and the videos last a shorter length of time to really amplify this quick passed snappy effect that reflects the energy and nature of the brand. I have also added more paint splats onto the wooden background along with when the videos are playing to bulk it up a bit and seem like there is more going on and again to reflect this punk style. This piece is intended to be a short advert which is why i have made it only last 40 seconds and would most probably be more of an internet online advert.
This is simple and bold with even spacing between each of the letters creating a precise and accurate appearance. This is the kind of feelings the brand would probably want to reflect on their clients as it is a computer company that you would want and expect to be accurate well working and easy to understand.
Where as the lush typeface is in a handwritten style to give a more down to earth homemade feel and approach which reflects how they make their products (all are hand made and fresh).
He also stated that becoming attuned to typography is something to be learnt and that what he does takes practice with regards to creating calligraphy fonts and getting used to the aesthetics of kerning etc.
He also explained how when creating product you should do research and thoroughly think about the people it is being made for. One example he gave for this was the statistics of people in the western world's eye sight and said that on average by the age of 20 people have 100% of their cones in their eyes but by the age of 50 they will generally have around 20%. He then explained that the majority of people living in the western world are aged between 45-50 and so this would effect their vision so if someone produced a font that was grey on bright white, although they might like it and be able to see it the mass majority of the people it is being made for may not be able to. This is a good example about just how important research is and how a target audience should be researched. Another experience he had was when he was creating arabic typefaces and explained that the style in which he had made the arabic calligraphy was in the style of an old deep rooted arabic style and this was actually insulting to some of the people who were persians.
He also explained how when creating product you should do research and thoroughly think about the people it is being made for. One example he gave for this was the statistics of people in the western world's eye sight and said that on average by the age of 20 people have 100% of their cones in their eyes but by the age of 50 they will generally have around 20%. He then explained that the majority of people living in the western world are aged between 45-50 and so this would effect their vision so if someone produced a font that was grey on bright white, although they might like it and be able to see it the mass majority of the people it is being made for may not be able to. This is a good example about just how important research is and how a target audience should be researched. Another experience he had was when he was creating arabic typefaces and explained that the style in which he had made the arabic calligraphy was in the style of an old deep rooted arabic style and this was actually insulting to some of the people who were persians.
