TAGGED: Student Art & Design Competition
TAGGED is an annual juried competition showcasing the artistic works of various mediums created by students at the University of West Florida. The Art Gallery and the Department of Art hosts this exhibition at the university to foster creativity, passion in the arts, and the pursuit of artistic endeavor.
The Game Plan
This was a collaborative project between one other designer within my internship. Rather than designing a typical flat vinyl design for the exhibition’s title wall, we wanted to create an experience for the participants and viewers. Our client brief was very simple and provided us with freedom of thought as long as it assembled a “fun and youthful atmosphere”. Given the two month time limit we had, we developed the concept of imitating the game of tag by presenting hands that extend off the arrangement of curved lines seen throughout our identity. The main hand pointed towards the best work of the show, “tagging” the winner for first place.
We utilized the provided space with our title wall by displaying a three-dimensional logotype against a vinyl background. We were able to incorporate this concept into the deliverables needed throughout the marketing campaign. Following the style guide allowed us to successfully reach our client’s needs before the deadline.
As with all of my graphic design projects, I followed a five step process that I have listed to the right. The images below display some of the in-depth steps that I have taken to reach the final design.
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The beginning of each project starts with understanding the needs of the client. With the client brief demanding for a “fun and youthful atmosphere”, I went back to look at the previous TAGGED exhibitions for inspiration, before searching on my own.
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While the client brief and target audience in mind, our design team thought of ways we could successfully execute this project. We researched materials we could use for the environmental designing aspect and mocked up our ideas on a three-dimensional software.
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With the two month timeframe our design team had to finish this project, we developed and followed a strict schedule to keep us on track. We split the work between us to stay efficient, and regrouped to finalize our drafts under our agreement.
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After getting our identity approved, we continued its development in through vector design. With the title wall being an environmental design, we used Computer Numerical Controlled machine to replicate it on a three-dimensional plane.
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After implementing all of the final adjustments, we launched all our deliverables and successfully set up the title wall before the opening day of the reception.
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Analyze.
By taking a look at the previous years of TAGGED, I gained an understanding of the direction that I needed to follow. This also saved our design team from repeating the same identity twice, of course.
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Brainstorm.
Prior to searching for inspiration, I created a word map to aid that process. Recording a list of words related to this project opened my ideas and creativity to a broader spectrum.
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Moodboard.
I visited several designs related to concepts that I had in mind, pinning them down in a folder shared with my partner for a reference and inspiration. This process kicked off our imagination for the next stages of designing.
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Draft.
We drafted up our top concepts and transferred them to SketchUp, a 3-D modeling software, to present the environmental designs to our client. After explaining our ideas, we were given a direction to take our design and continued with further development.
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Style Guide.
Creating a style guide assisted our team in staying consistent with our designs when working independently. This creates a sense of familiarity for our participants and viewers. This style guide was followed to execute our deliverables; poster, postcards, and social media.
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Finalize.
In collaboration with my design partner, we’ve implementing the changes requested by our client and ultimately reached our final designs. This logotype has become the face of TAGGED 2022 and served as the identity for the years’ exhibition.
