OUGD603 EXTENDED PRACTICE - UK GREETINGS - THE BRIEF

Studio Brief
Imagine nipping out to the high-street, or a cool little local shop, or even the place you buy your food, and seeing your designs on display.
UK Greetings is the UK’s leading direct-to-retailer publisher, making innovative, beautiful, cutting edge and classic greeting cards and gift dressings.
We want you to develop your own collection of greeting cards and gift dressings.

Background
Back in 1906, young entrepreneur Jacob Sapirstein had only $50 in his pocket, but a wealth of ambition. He took to the streets of Cleveland, Ohio, selling penny postcards from a handcart.
These postcards made a pretty penny, and Jacob’s business became the world’s largest direct to retail greeting card and gift company! In the 1990s UK companies continued hopping aboard, resulting in the creation of UK Greetings, the UK’s leading direct to retailer publisher and manufacturer of greeting cards and gift dressing.
Together UK Greetings and American Greetings have one of the largest and most talented creative teams in the industry all around the world, publishing cards in more than 20 languages, in more than 70 countries.

Creative Challenge
Create a collection of greeting cards, notecards, notepads, gift bags and wrapping paper.
We are open to any graphic or illustrative style — geometric patterns, painterly illustrations, designs that feature characters or that use humour in a playful way.
You should come up with a name for your collection too.
Remember to have variety within the range, but make sure your designs comfortably sit together to create a cohesive collection.
We’d also like you to demonstrate how your ideas work as a collection, so one of your design sheets should show your work displayed together.

Target Audience
When developing the collection, it’s worth considering the age range and gender of your target audience, thinking about the occasion or sending situation (birthday, Valentine’s Day, congratulations, everyday etc.) and choosing a flexible but cohesive colour palette.

Mandatory Requirements
- 4 x Single greeting cards: size 105 x 159mm, 121 x 184mm or 140 x 140mm — consider the designs of the envelope and the inside of the card too
- 1x Boxed notecard set: size 110 x 132mm
- 1x Gift bag: size 267x330mm
- 1x Repeating pattern for wrapping paper: show one or two swatch samples • 1x Notepad Cover: A5 or A4
- Design sheet demonstrating how your ideas work as a collection.

Deadline
23rd March 2017 11:59PM GMT

Timescale
4 weeks

My understanding of the brief
This brief is asking me to create a range of greetings cards and gift dressings for UK Greetings, a leading direct-to-retailer publisher.
These greetings cards and gift dressings must all work as a collection and individually.
I can explore any kind of medium I choose fit, whether that be illustrative, watercolour, pop art style, or photographic.
The collection should also feature under a brand name as well of which it can be identified within.
The collection should have a target audience, and this should be considered when coming up with the designs and concept. The sending situation (birthday, anniversary, thank you note) should also be considered when creating designs and concepts, to ensure they have a clear purpose.
The greetings cards and gift dressings should also fit within the specified dimensions and quantities.

Aims
- To explore outcomes which has a physical outcome
- To find a gap in the market and exploit it
- To create something fun and uplifting, to really explore my own creative style in a practical and purposeful manner