a sample
design
portfolio
(of )
Laura
Sullivan
Toronto, ON
[email protected]
01
Brand Design
Interface Design
your square
mile
The global economic crisis hit the UK hard and local groups are
looking for ways to bridge the gaps left by the government’s severe funding cuts. “Your Square Mile” or YSM unites individual
community groups across the UK and helps them to tackle their
own unique problems through local volunteers.
YSM needs a visual identity system that links small communities
nationwide, but also celebrates their local identities.
Every local identity has its own
‘fingerprint’, created with data from
the social profile of each area. As
YSM takes effect, the fingerprints will
evolve to reflect change in the local
community.
The “national’ Your Square Mile
logo is created using the building
blocks of this system. While the
individual identities may be different,
their roots in the same system that
ensures the brand is united on a
local and national level.
The fingerprints use data from collected by
the government as well as studies conducted
by IpsosMORI on behalf of YSM.
Your Square Mile...
... can be described using four characteristics.
Each characteristic is plotted on a scale,
marked by a colour spectrum.
* a dynamic characteristic that will change
over time as Your Square Mile progresses
Your Square Mile...
... can be described using four characteristics.
* a dynamic characteristic that will change
over time as Your Square Mile progresses
1
Each characteristic is plotted on a scale,
marked by a colour spectrum.
urban
How urban or rural is your community?
1
How old is your community?
2
How urban or rural is your community?
2
How connected is your community?*
3
How old is your community?
3
4
How engaged is your community?*
How connected is your community?*
4
How engaged is your community?*
rural
new
old
urban
rural
connected
unconnecte
new
old
engaged
unengaged
connected
unconnected
A
engaged
A
unengaged
B
B
When the excess colours are deleted, the
DNA fingerprint of the local area is revealed.
When the excess colours are deleted, the
DNA fingerprint of the local area is revealed.
Please note: all data
comes from research,
census data and Ipsos
Please note: all data
MORI surveys collected
comes from research,
by Your Square Mile.
census data and Ipsos
MORI surveys collected
by Your Square Mile.
A part of the YSM program involves ‘info points.’
YSM is working with local councils and BT to hook up
decommissioned phone boxes into community-based
interactive notice boards or ‘info points.’ These info
points ensure everyone in the community can access
local information.
With the luddites in mind, the interface for the info points
is designed to be simple and very tactile.
02
Experimental Typography
Information Design
M.A thesis work
Visual Poetry
Even more than prose, poetry relies on silent literary devices to
deliver its message. For a reader to appreciate a poem, an active
analysis is required. To aid in this analysis, five poems ranging
from theme, style and period are graphed, using various poetic
devices as variables. Each poem produces a unique, colourful
form that is easy to analyze and also illustrates the beauty of
what lies just out of the reader’s sight.
Each line of a poem is
mapped according to its
significance, its role within
the poem’s central conflict
(ex. man versus nature), its
symbolism, clarity and use of
other literary devices.
Key moments are also
labelled and further analyzed
with footnotes.
03
Brand Design
Communication Design
evans cycles
rebrand
Evans Cycles has been a British institution since 1921, but its
brand was in disarray. Its logo and colour palette (the only
brand assets) were dated and low quality. All of its press and
online communications were designed without brand guidelines
and often erratic, incohesive and unprofessional. With a new
ambition to become the ‘John Lewis’ (or ‘The Bay’) of cycling,
Evans Cycles needed a refresh that did not ignore its long
history, but still appealed to the modern cyclist.
Previous logo (below) was dated but had a firm hold in
the public consciousness. The rebrand would have to be
delicate. The logo was redrawn and a whole new system
of brand colours was adopted.
Refining the logo (excerpt from brand guidelines)
The new logo & brand palette
The system flexes between
brand and tactical messages in
the press, direct mail & emails
as well as the Evans Cycles
website.
WORKSHOP
The system also had to work
within the special ‘look and
feel’ developed for each
major seasonal campaign.
In the spring campaign, Evans
Cycles convinces customers
that their old ‘rust buckets’ are
not totally worthless during
‘The Great Evans Cycles
Trade-in.’
04
Book Design
Information Design
information
is beautiful
“Information is Beautiful” is the brain child of journalist and
information graphic aficionado, David Candless. I was lucky
enough to attract David’s attention through my MA work with
information design & we worked together (along with Jez
Burrows) to bring his research to life.
The book is now a classic information design text – popular
with designers and ‘civilians’ alike.
“The ‘In’ Colours” for Women’s Fashion,
2002-2010
“30 Years Makes a Difference”
Map of Amazon Rainforest
Destruction
Vintage Wine Years
According to Region
1990-2007
“Who Runs The World?” Power tree
“Body By” Diagram of body parts
& their perceived worth
05
Brand redesign
Print collateral
milk&more
brand refresh
milk&more is the largest employer of milkmen in the UK. To
survive into the 21st century, it expanded into delivering other
daily essentials – such as tea, bread and eggs to busy working
families. Unfortunately, the first agency to brand milk&more
failed to understand its customers. The original ‘value’ aesthetic
alienated the upper middle class families who were willing to
pay a bit more for the convenience of a regular order of staple
goods. We refocused the brand, creating a brand toolkit that
signified ‘helpful, convenient & charming.’
With homey patterns, cheerful colours
and more clean whitespace, milk&more’s
new brand is ready to be welcomed into
the home.
The revamped logo is now free
from its dated boiler plate.
Primary colour
Tones
The new colour palette is fresh
and cheerful. Each primary
colour has two secondary tones.
to temper the palette and keep
the brand looking sophisticated
rather than childish.
The set of charming brand icons
allows milk&more to talk about its
service without relying on stock
imagery.
Why can’t direct marketing be
thoughtful? milk&more’s new
colour-coded flyers have
useful content, such as recipes,
housekeeping tips and ideas
for seasonal events. Citrus
cinnamon punch and coffee
pancakes (pictured below)
are particular favourites.
Eventually customers will be
encouraged to send in their
own ideas and pictures using
instagram or pinterest.
After the release of the first
rebranded flyer, there was a
197% uptake in orders.
milk&more’s digital direct communications
are also redesigned to house the specialized
content and provoke engagement in between
the monthly flyers.
06
Experimental Typography
Information Poster Design
Book Design
M.A thesis work
The Garden of
Forking Paths
Anyone who has ever written an English essay knows that
authors use more than just words to communicate their story –
their words hand on an invisible scaffold of literary and narrative
devices. For my MA thesis, I treated the printed page as a piece
of information design – using grid structure, layout principles
and typography to expose the hidden layers inside a text. As
an experiment I mapped Jorge L. Borges’s ‘The Garden of the
Forking Paths’ – a classic nonlinear short story with multiple
realities and a big twist ending.
An overview of the map of The
Garden of Forking Paths – a story
which threads different genres,
times, spaces and realities together.
Every thread has its own typographic
signature. For instance, Every time
the story turns back to the past the
text reverses its direction. Every
time the main character chooses
enlightenment over evil, the text
swings upwards. Of course, the
opposite is also true.
The importance of every statement
is also mapped. Critical moments
are larger and bolder than more
insignificant passages.
The final map was a double-sided print on
bible paper. This print technique offered
another layer to the map. The fictional
account appears on the front of the page,
photographs from the actual events described
in the story are printed on the back.
The map was adapted into an atlas format
and published in a hand-bound book. At
the climax, the pages could be torn open to
reveal another map, a close up examination
of the critical moment that changes
everything.
This insert map, tracks the dialogue of the
two main characters at a key moment in
the story. This moment has incredible
consequences for each character, our
understanding of time and space as well
as the first world war.
07
Brand Design
Communication Design
Event Design
changemakers
Changemakers believes that brilliant young minds are a valuable
resource that remains untapped by businesses. They aim to
place talented students within companies – not as interns, but
as a part of a brainstorming or consultant team. We were
approached by the CEO of Changemakers to help them launch
their idea to the heads of London’s business world.
The logo for Changemakers is bold, young & confident. It
relates with young people yet is also serious enough to sit
comfortably in the business world.
The forward slash represents potential – there is much
more to come from young talent so it is a wise investment.
The slash becomes a prominent feature within the visual
identity, drawing attention to important messages.
Launch of Changemakers at The “Gherkin” or “30 St.
Mary’s Axe,” a famous landmark in the centre of London’.
Famous for his evocative portraits, Ian Rankin agreed to
shoot our Changemakers so their determination, boldness
and individual brilliance would shine through. These shots
were worked into life-size posters for the event as well as
visuals for all the communication.
We took advantage of the Gherkin’s 360 view to showcase the historical
achievements of young Londoners. Transparent decals tagged locations tied
to acts of young genius. Every kind of talent was represented: from the young
engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who was in charge of the cross Thames
tunnel in his early 20’s; to Zadie Smith, the contemporary author who wrote
“White Teeth” while at the ICA.
thank you!