When I looked back at the logo I had created on Cinema 4D, I was happy with it, but wanted to play around some more to try and give it more ‘Oomph’. Starting to consider the potential of creating some form of animation, I tried to think of things that I would actually be able to DO, as I was still a beginner. So, I added some bouncy balls, Easy to make, simple enough to animate (just moving them and using key frames to set the positions, similar to After Effects) and effective! I also added applied the hair effect onto the logo to give it this warm fuzzy look which was really fun.
Sure, it was still a little rough around the edges, and the shadows made the hair texture on the logo pretty dark – but I liked the overall effect! Another short ident accomplished to add to the collection. I may go back at some later stage to change the background colour or adjust the lighting to bring out the colours some more, but until I’m up to scratch skill wise, having a white base just seemed the safer option. One thing I did overlook – was the amount of time it would take to render! For this 3 second clip, it took 5 hours. Something to take into consideration in the future if I was working to a tight deadline.
WOOHOO! We got the grant! Securing the opportunity for in person workshops to happen within Skipton! Now that the wheels have officially started turning on that front, I knew we would need more time dedicated to piecing it all together. Meaning, less time for the weekly online workshops. I put a post out on the Fresh Perspective Instagram page, explaining that we’ll be slowing down with the weekly live streams with an explanation as to why – ensuring that the following we had managed to gather so far didn’t feel abandoned or left out of the process.
I arranged a meeting with Debbie Cross & Kath Clark, the leaders of the Skipton HAZ project and Beth from Fresh Perspective to discuss how we plan to move forward with the project. This week the Government had announced the new COVID guidelines that people are no longer able to meet up in groups larger than 6, which certainly threw a spanner in the works. We discussed potential alternative ways than we can bring the workshops to the public safely – as initially we were hoping just to use local business spaces, big and small. Although we were now aiming just to host one workshop per month, I proposed that we broke this down into multiple cohorts, this way we could still adhere to the government guidelines whilst being able to offer workshops to approximately 20 people each month as planned. Another approach, would be to host the workshops in an outdoor space, however, as we come into the winter months the weather is being less reliable and we would then have to consider hiring appropriate cover/heating supplies to keep the workshop attendees comfortable. Debbie raised the idea that as we would be providing a free service to the general public that includes some form of training in a skill, we may be able to fall under the ‘educational’ guidelines instead – certainly something to look into!
Kath gave me the email address for Geraldine from the Skipton Town BID, as she may hold some answers for me regarding the government guidelines as well as potential workshop venues.
Until Debbie hears back from Manon, Lindsey & Catherine, there isn’t much more I could do on that front of the project. So instead, I turned back to the branding and public facing elements. During the meeting Kath, Debbie & Beth, I brought up the potential of creating a separate Joy in Numbers social platform, as it was currently embedded within Fresh Perspective. Previously when I had suggested this, the FP team were hesitant as the workshops were their primary source of content, however since we’ve slowed down the workshops, they’ve picked up some new content and are no longer relying on Joy in Numbers. Also, with the project now being supported under the HAZ programme as well, I thought it may be a little confusing to the general public to keep it umbrellaed under the FP social platforms. The rest of the FP team agreed this time round and I got to work creating a new platform.
This was a great opportunity to start putting together a brand tone as well as creating the overall aesthetics. I wanted the brand to be casual, upbeat, energising and trustworthy. I wanted people to know that they would be taken care of within the workshops, and that they’re being put in place with their best interests at heart – that the core of the project has been formed around the idea of bringing them joy. When writing up the bio for the Instagram page, you’re already limited by a character count so you don’t have any space to ramble. Meaning I kept it short, sweet and to the point.
Within the next few weeks I’ll be working on the content, which in turn will secure the brand aesthetics. I’m thinking it may be worth while to create some stills on Cinema 4D to embed within the real life photography content I’ve already gathered. Using multiple forms of media will keep up the momentum and narrative that the project is ever evolving, adapting and aims to remain varied.
Sian Laüra 