the great gig in the sky

As some of you know, I’ve dedicated a lot of time to a project for a real client that my professor handed off to all his upper-level classes. The idea was to provide this client with a barrage of different styles and designs to choose from. The project was to create an identity for a Florida-based baker, Sandy’s Sweets. Sandy is expanding from in-shop sales to worldwide distribution and not only needs a strong identity but also packaging for her cookies and brownies. She suggested only that she would prefer them to be shipped in some sort of metal tin. Everything else was up to us, the designers.

After weeks of research, sketches, tin shopping, collecting paper, and many empty ink cartridges, each student submitted multiple logos and packaging designs. From what I gathered there were over 200 logos and at least 100 different packaging designs. It was quite probable that the logo mark and the packaging would be from two different students, forcing them to collaborate.

I got the news a while back that one of my logos was in Sandy’s top five. Alas, a few more weeks go by with no new news. Then, my professor casually walks into class the other day and says Sandy has chosen a logo and packaging. He gives me a quick glance as he announces that both of them are mine.

Needless to say, I was floored. My first real-world design job and it’s going into production. This came at a critical time in my graphic design career, right as I started to seriously doubt my talent, direction, and choices. Then to top it off, my professor, being full-time faculty who writes and publishes graphic design books wants to include some of my logos for Sandy’s Sweets in his upcoming book – Color Management for Packaging. So, not only will I have my design produced, but now I’ll also be published. I can’t explain how truly awesome it feels knowing I’m on the right path. And now, I’m on top of my final projects while preparing these files for press and getting ready for the end. I must say, overall, May has been pretty good to me, well, except for the headaches. But that’s why the gods invented booze. :]

Check out the project here.

Current mood: justified
Currently listening: Move Along by The All-American Rejects