Project Onboarding & Initial Requirements:Joining the Team: After the brand's visual mood board and design direction were finalized by the creative director and brand designer, I joined the team to illustrate specific design elements. The goal was to create visuals that would capture the vibrant and welcoming nature of the coworking space.
Initial Creative Brief: On January 20, 2022, I received the initial illustration requirements, which included creating rough draft concepts for patterns that would reflect the brand's themes. The focus was on exploring color palettes, styles, and textures that aligned with the pre-approved mood board.
Research & Conceptualization:Research: I conducted research based on the established design direction, gathering visual references that resonated with the mood board. This included images representing Iraq’s nature, traditional elements, and modern technology, reflecting the space’s goal to bring together Iraqi women in a setting that honors both tradition and innovation.We chose three main categories: Tech, faces, and food to represent the three pillars of the space respectively: training, co-working, and dining.
Initial Sketches: Using Procreate, I began sketching different styles and elements, experimenting with various approaches. Once I had a preliminary direction, I presented these sketches to the creative director for feedback.
Illustration Refinement:Iterative Feedback: On January 31, 2022, I received feedback to refine the illustrations. This included requests to emphasize modern technology elements and incorporate culturally significant features, such as distinct facial characteristics that challenge Western beauty standards.
Refining the Patterns: By February 1, I refined the patterns based on the feedback, incorporating elements like noses and adjusting the focus on eyes. We also moved away from pixel art to more intense, edge-focused illustrations with layered shading.
Finalization & Integration:Vectorization & Pattern Creation: By mid-February, I vectorized the patterns and explored their application in different assets, such as wallpaper and apparel. I used Affinity Designer to handcraft the patterns, ensuring flexibility in their application across various brand materials.
Drafting the Brand System: On February 26, the draft brand system was presented to the client. Although patterns were ultimately not used, the overlapping asset method was chosen, which contributed to a more elevated and friendly brand atmosphere.
Project Wrap-Up:Final Adjustments & Offboarding: The project concluded with a final review and adjustments based on client feedback. On March 17, we held an offboarding meeting to finalize the project deliverables.