Commercial Image Creation - It just got real.

We were given our new brief yesterday and it is both exciting and scary. The overall module is Commercial Briefs, a commercial brief is a brief where the designer / illustrator produces work for a commercial product. We have been given the choice of 8 commercial briefs, some are competitions that we have the chance to enter and hopefully win, some will get produced onto the said product and sold, there is a wide variety of briefs and they are all out there in the real world with real people. This is my first time taking part in something like this and I am excited to get to work and do the best I can. I am going to look at all 8 briefs and pick out a few which take my fancy, research into them and then hopefully I will have a better idea of which brief would be right for me. 

Brief 1 - Communication Arts Competition 

For this brief you can submit any work that has been produced from January 2014 through to January 2015. The winning entry will be selected by a nationally representative jury of distinguished designers, art directors and illustrators and it will be distributed worldwide in the Communication Arts Illustration Annual, in print and on iPad and featured on commarts.com. 

The winning entrant will receive a personalised Award of Excellence and certificates. 

It will cost $20 for a single print to to be entered and $40 for a print series. 

You are limited to five illustrations and you must be clear on which you want to be judges otherwise it will be disqualified from the competition. 

http://www.commarts.com/

Brief 2 -  Ernest Exhibition 

Ernest is a cafe / bar in Newcastle and this brief gives you the opportunity to have an exhibition in the cafe. The cafe is very cultural so there could be a lot to work on if I looked further into this. The exhibition must reflect the culture and ideas of Ernest and all presentation such as framing and production should be planned and the space must be visited so you are aware of the space you are working with. 

A minimum of 4 pieces must be produced and must be framed or otherwise suitably hung. 

You must also cover any costs of materials etc. and it must be prices suitably for a commercial audience, Ernest will also take a % of the commission from each sale. 

The winner will be chosen by the owner and creative director of Ernest.

http://www.weareernest.com/

Brief 3 - Liberty Open Call

Liberty Open Call is where you present your designs / products to a panel of expert judges to be in for a chance of having your products stocked in Liberty of London. It is a good opportunity to try your luck and even if you are unsuccessful you will receive guidance and advice from the experts you meet there. 

You must research and develop an illustrated product suitable for Liberty of London. 

The product must be high end and fit the heritage of the store. It must also be at a suitable selling price and delivered professionally. 

It can include, home wear, ceramics, scarves, stationary, prints, textiles and apparel (although it is not limited to these)

http://www.liberty.co.uk/

Brief 4 - Off Life Comic

This brief is to basically produce a comic for Off Life. Every one of their issues is made up of submissions from published artists, new talent and first timers. 

The brief is completely open but they would like to stay away from fantasy, superhero or sci-fi genres.

The story should be between one and four pages and after a certain amount of time (usually around 2 months) you are free to reprint your comic for your own personal reasons.

http://offlife.co.uk/

Brief 5 - One & Another 

This brief requires a series of 4 illustrations that reflects either Cafe Culture in York or The Underground Music Scene.

If this brief is chosen, One & Another will provide a mood board that reflects the tone of the visual realisation. 

If the work is produced of industry standard it will go to print. 

http://www.oneandother.com/

http://archive.oneandother.com/magazine/


Brief 6 - Two Penguins and a Puffin

A book cover must be designed for two of the following books; Carrie's War by Nina Bawden (Childrens Fiction), Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Steven J. Dubner (Adult Non - Fiction) or Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson (Adult Fiction).

They are looking for a striking cover design that is well executed, with an imaginative concept and clearly places the book for it's market. The jacket of the book must work together as a whole but the front must be eye-catching within a crowded book shop and be able to work on screen for digital retailers. It must also have a strong use of typography. 

http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/minisites/penguindesignaward/index.php

Brief 7 - Travelling Man

Create a comic or zine suitable for Travelling Man, Newcastle. 

The comic can be based around any subject and must be self published and if it at a high enough standard it will be critically assessed and considered to be stocked in their store. 

http://www.travellingman.com/

Brief 8 - Wylam Beer

This brief is to produce bottle labels and beer clips for a new Ale by Wylam Brewery. The inspiration around the designs is during the Roman Empire caraway seeds were blended with milk to form the 'Chara' of Julius Ceaser, eaten by the soldiers of Valerius as a battle booster. 

There is no house style as they are going through a branding change but the design must relate to the culture and market of the Wylam Brewery. 

This is also a competition where if you win your design will be printed onto the bottled and beer clips and will be sold in pubs etc.

http://www.wylambrewery.co.uk/