DES100-CCC

--Design and produce a laser cutting for the keyring with a logo on it

As an international student myself, I understand how some people may need home comforts. They are unable to return to their countries, particularly given the present COVID-19 situation. In order to alleviate their homesickness, I intend to design a Chinese Food Court Logo. This logo can be printed on a keyring and given as a gift in Chinese restaurants to help international students feel less homesick.

First and importantly, the inspiration and mood board. I researched some photos of traditional Chinese food on Pinterest.

Secondly, in order to help me come up with ideas, I began brainstorming about food.

I did some logo research and analysed each of them.

After the research, I concentrated on my concepts sketches. My drawings were gradually streamlined until they were transformed into logo parts. The logo's elements are based on Chinese and New Zealand-specific items and foods. I combined them to create a variety of logo designs.

I created these concepts in Photoshop for the wording. I believe the first is the most effective because Memory is the best portrayal of my missing since it is like my thoughts flying back to my homeland. This type of wording will appear in my logo concepts.

Photoshop

Hand-drawing

The initial idea of the logo

I designed the initial logo using some of my hand-drawn elements.

I have chosen five logos to work on from my initial concepts and these five concepts will be designed in illustrator.

Logo Design Concept

Because there are so many different varieties of food, my logos incorporate both New Zealand and Chinese aspects. I probably wouldn't use the logo combined with letters because they aren't as appealing as other designs. Some of the logos are a shape of Chinese food because they mainly offer food for international students, Chinese food will attract their attention more.

Logo Development

I have chosen three of my favourites logos from my concept to develop. The first two logos have a warm colour scheme that gives them a personal sense, but they lack the New Zealand elements. The third logo combines traditional Chinese rice pudding with a map of New Zealand, which is a lovely combination, but the letters underneath are a bit cumbersome in their presentation. The last design has warmer colours and a more appealing overall feel than the others, so I would adopt it as the final logo.

Logo Final

As a result, I chose the logo that combines a kiwi bird and Chinese steamed buns as my final. The reason is that kiwi birds are the symbol of New Zealand, and buns are traditional Chinese food, which is a good combination. The kiwi bird has an additional meaning: all the international students who are stuck in New Zealand due to COVID-19 and can't go back home, also represents how much they miss their native country.

FINAL VIEW IN ILLUSTRATOR

Reflection

The elements of food are barely visible and people don’t even realise it's a bun. I believe this aspect can be improved. In conclusion, in the process of doing my keyring logo, I discovered that I had a clear understanding of how the logo is created, the phases of design, and most importantly, how to come up with different ideas, all of which I believe will benefit me in my future design career. Reflecting on my work and improving it is the thing that I have learnt from making logos. In life, I also need to learn to reflect on what I've done and how I can improve the next time I do something similar.