Color Palette

Okay so here is the first color palette that I was starting with....


So after playing around with some of the colors and pushing the saturation, I came up with these...


And then I was just browsing through one of the color books and I liked this color palette as well.


Please let me know if you have any suggestions or perhaps you like certain color from certain color palettes or if some should be edited out. Thanks guys.

Mel's All Faculty Critique 2

Here are some of the main points that were discussed:
-disconnect between the use of photo and vector. Possible use color or texture to create separation and to fill the deadspace
-the color palette is off and needs to be more cohesive throughout entire project
-The "u" in the logo is a little off and needs to be revisited as well as think about the dark circle border. Perhaps use a complimentary color.
-Good variety in ride choice and branding for those.
-Look at the tshirts again and decide which you want on front/back
-Find a solution for the layout on the back of the park map... There is a lot of competition for visual hierarchy. Need to make it flow better and easier to read.
For display, consider where you put your three ride signs and tshirts.

Overall, I think you are in a good spot with your project and you have a good amount finished! Keep it up, Mel. :)

Post Faculty Critique

So to say the least I am really frustrated with my project and the critique. I have been struggling with the identity for the restaurant and as it seems I am getting closer to a solution, I need to be moving forward to other things to get my project off and running. Since I am more behind in my process I have decided to cut some things out of my project that I think are unnecessary. I am no longer doing the ad campaign or the book that features all of my pieces. Both would be a large time and money drain so I am focusing on the identity, packaging, menu, the building sketch, and a small promo piece.

For the critique, I agree that my color palette is a little muddy and needs to be brightened up and appetizing. I still want to keep bright colors but I am working on making them more appetizing. On my logo... I'm still lost. I am definitely still going forward with the monkey idea, but I feel like I wasn't given much advice to go off of. I'm really frustrated at the amount of time we've been given for critiques because I do not feel it's enough to be helpful. I think what I'm struggling with thus far is that for all of our learning experience here in the design program we have had our work critiqued thoroughly and often, so this project is only being critiqued a couple times and I'm not used to it.

I've also been thinking about the functionality of my project and the fact that it is a concept, not a real restaurant. Going off of the that, I think that I should push my project a little more towards the fun, crazy side. After college I'm not going to get to do many projects like this where I have this much creative freedom to just do whatever. So I would like to push this concept and go with it.

I'll be posting some color palettes and more logos over the next couple days so any and all feedback is welcome!

Outside Critique

So I had my outside critique yesterday with Todd Lipscomb, a senior art director at Intrinzic, Inc. in Newport, KY (the agency I interned at summer after sophomore year). I think it has been the most beneficial critique so far. We sat down and he gave me his opinions about what I had accomplished so far and what was not quite there. He also reminded me of something that I had not been thinking about this whole time which was vital. Throughout this process, I have forgotten who my client was... ME. He reminded me that a senior capstone project such as this should push the envelope because when you have real clients, most of the time you're going to have to play it safe, so have fun during this project. He encouraged me to push my concept past something that has to work and function in the real world. I then started going through my project and realized that I had lost a lot of the fun that interested me in this concept in the beginning. Monkeys are fun... my mark right now is not fun.
After I explained my concept and reasoning for my mark, we went through all of my process and sketching. He really thought that my main components for my mark were very well thought out, but just needed to be reorganized to create something more dynamic and fun. There was a disconnect between the clever name and the static mark that was dangling above it. After looking through a couple of the previous logos that I had come up with he noticed one (the one I have shown here). He noticed that their was something happening in the counterforms that made it look like a monkey. So I began doodling and working with it as soon as I got home and I think I have found something that will really push my idea and fit the attitude I have been trying to convey.
He also encouraged me to sit down and really construct the copy of my messages which will in turn build a stronger brand.
I have a lot of work to do over the next month but nothing out of my reach. I'm glad I had my critique when I did because he gave me significant feedback that will need time to develop.