12 Brands of Christmas - 4 Colly Birds

Christmas pudding is rubbish without brandy sauce. Custard just doesn't taste right. I've tried cheaper version of the sauce, other than Birds, and have found there is no suitable alternative. Birds is a perfect sauce for people who are unable to eggs, because it was created specifically for Alfred Birds wife, as she was allergic.

I think it's a slightly strange logo - the birds on the left side are quite child-like and maybe something that would be seen on a kids toy. Nonetheless, it is memorable, recognisable, and I won't eat anything other than their delicious brandy sauce!

http://www.birdscustard.co.uk/

12 Brands of Christmas - 5 Gold Rings

Parties, celebrations, events. Party rings are generally a staple for any party. I'm not really a fan of them that much, but I still have to have one just because they remind me of parties from when I was younger. 

Party rings were first made in 1983 by Fox's Biscuits, and you can see that the colours and designs certainly reflect that era.

http://www.foxs-biscuits.co.uk/

12 Brands of Christmas - 6 Geese-a-Laying

Drinking responsibly - always a good idea. Often it doesn't happen at Christmas though. So many excuses to meet up with friends and family, and sometimes it's the only time of year people arrange to see each other. When meeting up, can't go wrong with a nice tasting vodka. in my opinion, there's a big difference in the tastes of vodkas, and when available, I prefer Grey Goose.

It's a simple logo with quite close kerning. I think it rather masculine, but that is because of the 2 colours. The bird is a good extra, which is becoming recognisable as Grey Goose, even without the name. Much like the nike 'swoosh' logo, or the Apple logo.

http://www.greygoose.com/

12 Brands of Christmas - 7 Swans-a-Swimming

A lot of candles are bought and sold at Christmas. Table decorations, advent candles, and a range of scents including cinnamon, spices, vanilla and berries. The only time we light many candles in my house is at Christmas, which makes the festive season even more special. I often find myself referring a smell as 'Christmas smell'. Most likely, it will be a candle - or turkey!

Swan matches have been around since 1883, and have very original packaging. I think it has the power of being so memorable because it is traditional and recognisable. Simple block colours, plain and not busy or cluttered. 

http://www.houseofswan.com/

12 Brands of Christmas - 8 Maids-a-Milking

Chocolate is a popular Christmas gift. Boxes, bars, selection packs, tubes, bags - they come in many different varieties. Snacking on chocolate is a general Christmas Day activity, making sure I don't spoil my appetite for the big roast!

The Dairy Milk logo is now so familiar that if I see the colour I immediately think of this brand of chocolate. It's smooth, soft and luxurious.

http://www.cadburydairymilk.co.uk/

12 Brands of Christmas - 9 Ladies Dancing

A lot of the time, Christmas is be about children. They get so excited, with all the decorations and presents and or course, Santa dropping off some toys. There are so many presents available, electronic games, consoles, things that talk and walk, but it's still important to get kids more traditional things, like books. At the end of a long day, kinds need to wind down, and at bedtime reading a book is more important than them still playing on some playstation game. 

Ladybird books are known worldwide, with the first book being printed during the First World War. There is an extensive range of books - something for everyone, and even books that adults love. There has been quite a number of variations on the Ladybird logo. All show a ladybird in some way, starting off as a plain illustration, and progressing on to the red ladybird that is seen now.

12 Brands of Christmas - 10 Lords-a-Leaping

The epic trilogy is being shown on Channel 4 over Christmas. All 3 are very long films, so make sure you sit down with plenty of food and drink. The films were originally released in December which makes them even more Christmassy, even without any Christmas theme - apart from a bit of snow!

12 Brands of Christmas - 11 Pipers Piping

Christmas parties, gatherings, catch-ups, are all reasons to have nibbles. I like this logo for Pipers crisps - it's got a rustic feel, which is neat and clean. As well as being a tasty brand, they also source their ingredients locally which is becoming increasingly important for people in the UK trying to keep businesses afloat in a troubling time.

www.piperscrisps.com

12 Brands of Christmas - 12 Drummers Drumming

Christmas is a stressful time of year, and I'm sure a lot of people find they smoke more over the festive period. That is why I have chosen Drum tobacco to be my first of the 12 Brands of Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

12 Brands of Christmas

To celebrate the festive period, I have decided to make '12 Brands of Christmas'. I will be posting a brand for each day relating to the '12 Days of Christmas' song. 

I love Christmas!

Christmas Card 2012

I wanted to make a Christmas card for my friends this year. I've been loving Art Nouveau for a while, and I wanted to design something that resembled that style.

Happy Christmas!

Visconti Rebrand

I have recently been working on a little brief I set myself, to rebrand Visconti, an Italian pen company. The pens are traditionally made, of high quality, and therefor require an company image which maintains their desirability.

Current Logo

                                                               My Design


I do like their current logo, however I feel it is a tad dated, and just not quite put together effectively. I decided to keep to icon of the V because it works very well when applied to the nibs, ink bottles etc, and will be recognisable. To give Visconti a slightly more modern feel I gave the logo a more rounded shape, whilst keeping the top of the V squared to mimic the typeface underneath. The V contains the shape of a typical nib, and also the smoothness and transition from the thick and thin writing of a calligraphy pen. These things bring in different elements to the design.

With the type, I didn't feel the logo needed too much of a change from what was already designed, so I chose a serif typeface which is clear, with a nice rounded C and O. I chose not to include the 'Firenze' that was in the current logo because I wanted to strip it back and not to over clutter or bulk up the logo unnecessarily.

Testing out the logo on Visconti products I think it looks good. Clear and classy.

More applications are to follow.







This is my logo design, set as a personal project for myself, and is not commissioned or associated with the company.

Design Your Own Christmas Bauble

I remember when I was in primary school, I loved designing, colouring in, or doing anything to do with arts and crafts. I thought a template would be useful for Early Learning HQ so that teachers and parents could download it and keep the kids occupied for a while! I created a black and white version which would be more suitable for teachers to photocopy.

Christmas Board Game

I created a simple Christmas board game for ELHQ. It's the first work I've created in a couple of months because I've been very busy with my job. I wanted the game to be visual and bright, but not too complicated because the target age is quite young.

Tetley Team Tea Poster

The lovely people at Tetley Tea Folk found my motivational team tea poster on my website, and they liked it so much they shared it on their Facebook page! The poster has also been tweeted by Strudel, a design company based in London. I had fun making the poster and I'm glad other people are enjoying it also. 

It can be viewed by clicking here.