INFO
Figure 1: Lin, G. (November 2016). Master Badminton Exquisite No.3 Shuttlecock. [Photography]

Figure 1: Lin, G. (November 2016). Master Badminton Exquisite No.3 Shuttlecock. [Photography]

GRAPHIC DESIGN | PRODUCT | TYPOGRAPHY | PHOTOGRAPHY | NOVEMBER 2016

MASTER BADMINTON EXQUISITE NO.3 SHUTTLECOCK

DIGITAL DESIGNER, PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHER | Freelance

Photoshop, Illustrator

This project was my first major graphic design work completed for Master Badminton Ltd. in less than a month. Specifically, I designed the graphics and text layout for the cover of the product “Exquisite No.3 Shuttlecock” that was sold online, to the local community and gave out to students who attended Master Badminton’s courses. Also, I shot and edited the feature photo of the product that was later featured in the online store and social media.

Figure 2: Lin, G. (November 2016). Exquisite No.3 Shuttlecock in use during a Master Badminton lesson. [Photography]

Figure 2: Lin, G. (November 2016). Exquisite No.3 Shuttlecock in use during a Master Badminton lesson. [Photography]

Brainstorming & Sketching

Figure 3: Lin, G. (November 2016). Brainstorming individual graphic elements of the shuttlecock cover. [Sketches]

Figure 3: Lin, G. (November 2016). Brainstorming individual graphic elements of the shuttlecock cover. [Sketches]

In this process, I drafted numerous different designs for the cover of the product through sketches and iterations. In the beginning, I brainstormed how the individual graphic elements would be like in the design under my knowledge in badminton and supervisor’s requirements.

Figure 4: Lin, G. (November 2016). Different layout drafts of the shuttlecock cover. [Sketches]

Figure 4: Lin, G. (November 2016). Different layout drafts of the shuttlecock cover. [Sketches]

Then, I designed six different layouts from the ideas that I brainstormed and implemented them inside a sketched box in an approximated ratio of the actual print, which I passed them to my supervisor and for him to choose the best one that will fit the overall aesthetic and goals of the company.

Figure 5: Lin, G. (November 2016). A more detailed version of the fifth draft. [Sketch]

Figure 5: Lin, G. (November 2016). A more detailed version of the fifth draft. [Sketch]

Eventually, my supervisor chose the fifth version of the six layout designs. Then, I modified the design to enhance the attractiveness of it and added extra contents that were requested by the supervisor. To improve the visibility of the brand, I added the smaller version of the Master Badminton logo at the top of the layout (right side in the sketch).

Graphic Iterations

Figure 6: Lin, G. (November 2016). Different primary colors of the shuttlecock cover design. [Graphic]

Figure 6: Lin, G. (November 2016). Different primary colors of the shuttlecock cover design. [Graphic]

After finalized on the draft, I used Illustrator to digitally recreate the graphics and layout. In the first stage, I experimented with the colors and typography that best suited the design and pitched them to the supervisor, in which I created five different versions of it.

Figure 7: Lin, G. (November 2016). Alternative secondary colors of the shuttlecock cover design. [Graphic]

Figure 7: Lin, G. (November 2016). Alternative secondary colors of the shuttlecock cover design. [Graphic]

However, none of the versions were seemed to be favored by the supervisor as they weren’t quite fit, except for the red color from the blue and red version and the black from the first three versions. Therefore, I combined those aspects and came up with a red and black color scheme. At the same time, I did some minor changes to the content due to the supervisor’s request, such as changing the product number from 1 to 3 as the premium and a more powerful shuttlecock.

Figure 8: Lin, G. (November 2016). Implementing the shuttlecock cover design into Illustrator. [Screenshot]

Figure 8: Lin, G. (November 2016). Implementing the shuttlecock cover design into Illustrator. [Screenshot]

To make the design more eye-catching, I imported it to Photoshop and added glow and gradient effect to one of the graphic elements, which greatly enhanced the overall appearance.

Figure 9: Lin, G. (November 2016). Adding glow effects to a graphic element in Photoshop. [Screenshot]

Figure 9: Lin, G. (November 2016). Adding glow effects to a graphic element in Photoshop. [Screenshot]

For the typography, I used Trajan Pro 3 as the primary since it gives a formal and classy feeling to it from the serif font family style, and also tends to be leaned towards modernistic due to the thinner strokes of the letters. Which is quite suitable for the title “Exquisite”.

Also, Gill Sans MT as secondary since it contrasts with the title with its san-serif font-family style. It is clean and causal as well, which is greater for smaller text readability.

The two red colors in the color scheme represent the power and strength of the shuttlecock and its user.

Figure 10: Lin, G. (November 2016). Typography and Color Palette of the first version of Exquisite No.3. [Graphic]

Figure 10: Lin, G. (November 2016). Typography and Color Palette of the first version of Exquisite No.3. [Graphic]

Final Iteration

Figure 11: Lin, G. (November 2016). The second version of Exquisite No.3. [Screenshot]

Figure 11: Lin, G. (November 2016). The second version of Exquisite No.3. [Screenshot]

However, we discovered that the color scheme resembled another notorious badminton brand “Li-Ning” in which we wanted to avoid the confusion of the customers and possible copyright problems. Therefore, I had to redesign another color scheme that will suit the product and stands out concurrently.

Figure 12: Lin, G. (November 2016). Typography and Color Palette of the second version of Exquisite No.3. [Graphic]

Figure 12: Lin, G. (November 2016). Typography and Color Palette of the second version of Exquisite No.3. [Graphic]

In the redesign, I changed it to purple for the main colors as it not only presents power but also the ambition and premium of the product and its user, which it is even more suitable for the title “Exquisite” and I considered it as an enhancement to the previous iteration.

Product Photography

Figure 13: Lin, G. (November 2016). Feature photo of the Exquisite No.3 Shuttlecock. [Photography]

Figure 13: Lin, G. (November 2016). Feature photo of the Exquisite No.3 Shuttlecock. [Photography]

After the product was manufactured, I was assigned to shoot and edit the photo of the product. To get a professional look, I set up lighting around it and put a white cloth behind and under the product. Then, I used Photoshop to enhance the quality of the photo and cleaned up the background.

Takeaways

From this project, not only I improved my technical skills on Illustrator and Photoshop, but I also learned that focusing on what message is being conveyed provides direction and ultimately is what leads to a unique design. In addition, I gained more experience in coordinating and communicating effectively with my supervisor, as it helped keep everyone on track with the process, hence improved the efficiency and consistency in designing.

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