2. Contents
3. Problem + Design Brief
4. Analysis of Problem
5. Initial Specification
6-9. Existing Products
10. Materials Research
11. Ergonomics and Anthropometrics
12. User Profile
13. Analysis of Research
14. Design Specification
15. Initial Poster and Game Sleeve Designs
16. Development of Poster – Adobe Photoshop CS6
17. Plan of Making Game Sleeve, CD Sticker and Poster
18. Final A3 Poster
19. Development And Testing of Game Sleeve
20. Development and Testing of Gaming CD Sticker
21. Initial Mug Designs
22. Development of Mug/ Mouse Pad Designs using Photoshop CS6
23. Final Mousepad and Mug Designs
24. Plan of Making Mouse Pad/ Mug
25. Initial T-Shirt Designs
26. Final Designs: T-Shirt
27. Plan of Making: T-Shirt
28. Initial Point of Sale Designs
29. Point of Sale 2D Design
30. PoS Manufacture and Testing
31. Plan of Making PoS
32. Initial Keyring Ideas
33. Plan of Making Keyring
34. Development and Testing of Keyring
35. Final Photos
36. Testing Against Specification
37. Client Evaluation
38. Questionnaire And Results
39. Modifications
40. Materials List
3. The Problem
The problem I have identified lies with the marketing of the Nintendo Wii U gaming console. The
console has/is being poorly marketed, and as a result of it's naming, many people think it is an
accessory for the Wii and not a new console. The truth however, is the Wii U is a new, powerful
console and was intended to present a new image for Nintendo. Along with a price point $100
lower than it's nearest competitor, it should be flying off shelves. Through use of more
aggressive marketing and merchandise, I intend to follow through with the image change
originally intended, and bring Nintendo back to being a contender in the home console space.
Late last year, Nintendo released an all new gaming console, “Wii U”. Unfortunately, they are
facing horrendous sales, likely due to a lack of public awareness. With the new console they
were trying to change their image from being a party/family game company to once again being
a company that can satisfy core gamers, but this image change failed due to public confusion
regarding the name and once again a lack of marketing. I will solve these issues by creating
aggressive marketing campaigns for the Wii U, and by creating merchandise/packaging that will
reinforce the image change to anyone who sees it. The products must be of an appropriate size
and cost that the mainstream public could use them, and shops would be interested in
displaying them. I need to make sure I market the console to both kids and adults, as the
console is more than suitable for both demographics. The products I make will have to
prominently feature the console and again reinforce that this is a new console and not a
peripheral for the similarly named Wii. All of the products need to be viable for production using
the school’s equipment such as the inkjet printer, sublimation heat press/printing, laser cutter,
vinyl plotter and other machinery. This would therefore make all products designed suitable for
mass production and industrial processes.
Design Brief
4. Analysis of Problem
Who will the Graphic items be aimed at?
The posters, ads, packaging and merchandise will be aimed to at
consumers in child, teenager and adult demographics, and will be
made to catch their eye and inform them about the Wii U. The
point of sale display will be aimed at shops: it must be attractive
enough and of an appropriate size to display, and consumers: it
must be eye catching and interesting.
How will the products function?
The Wii U point of sale display will have the function of proudly
displaying the Wii U and catching consumer eyes. It will hold the
Wii U on a pedestal made of a hard plastic, and will be designed
to be intriguing whilst remaining of a size shops will be happy with.
The ads and posters will serve the purpose of being eye catching,
and making people think the Wii U is cool. They will printed on A3.
The merchandise will have the function of being interesting and
prominently featuring the Wii U logo. They will be made largely of
plastics.
Which environments will the products be designed for?
The Wii U merchandise I design will be designed for home and urban
environments. Thusly, they will not need to be designed to last in harsh
conditions, and I can prioritise aesthetics over durability. They cannot be
chunky and clumsy, as some of these will need to fit in people’s pockets, etc.
The point of sale display will be designed to operate on a shop floor, and
because of this it must be able to withstand some wear and tear. Despite this, it
only has to last a limited time and so I don’t have to use especially tough
materials, however laminated finishes would be needed to protect against
humidity and spillages. The ads and posters will be designed for use in shops
and outside on walls. They will not be facing any extreme harm, and can be
made from A3 paper.
How will I consider the environment?
I will make sure I am happy with the designs before taking them to production,
to avoid unnecessary waste of materials. Wherever possible/viable I will use
sustainable materials such as wood and card approved by the FSC. I will be
sure in the designing stages to cut down on non sustainable materials as much
as possible while retaining the product’s integrity, and products will only be as
big as they need to be. All products should be easy to recycle at the end of
their life cycle.
Which methods will I use for assembly?
The point of sale display will be constructed using slot joints and
tabs, the posters/ads will be printed on the school printers, and the
merchandise will use a wide range of techniques as there are
various pieces of merchandise. The mug will use sublimation, key
chains will be laser cut and assembled using adhesives such as
tensol.
How will I consider production in industry?
The point of sale display and some of the merchandise will require multiple
parts, and as such I will save these different parts as separate files. This way
they can be produced on separate assembly lines simultaneously, giving a
more efficient production process. I will design and save the ads and posters in
such a way they can be easily batch produced in industry. All machinery used
in school is of industrial standard and my processes can be replicated easily
when mass/batch produced.Will production cost affect the design process?
The point of sale displays and posters will be sold largely to
shops. They will only need to have a certain lifespan on the shop
floor, and I will employ obsolete design to make sure I’m only
spending as much as I need to on the displays. The merchandise
can’t break immediately but doesn’t have to be super durable. I
must find a balance between durability and a cost consumers will
be comfortable paying for the products.
Which outlet could I see the products being sold through?
The PoS displays and posters would be shown in dedicated game stores such
as GameStop, GAME, and EB Games, as well as larger supermarkets like
Wal-Mart or Asda. The merchandise such as key-rings, shirts, and mugs would
be sold in dedicated game stores along with anywhere selling the Wii U
including some supermarkets.
5. Initial Specification
The products must:
• Appeal to the demographics in this priority: Older kids/Teens>Adults>Kids. It must appeal to all three but prioritise teens and adults so as to follow through with the change
of brand identity.
• Effectively advertise to people of all different handicaps, religions and values without excluding anyone or appearing as exclusive to any one group. It must also not offend
any of these groups with inappropriate graphics. I will therefore select these carefully.
• Fulfill their respective purposes of advertising the Wii U (Posters, billboards, PoS), and of helping spread word of mouth/making fans more dedicated (Merchandise).
• Be suitable for their environments. The advertisement products must be designed as cheaply as possible to incentivise shops to buy them, and be designed with their
limited lifespan in mind. They will still need to have some kind of lamination to protect from moisture damage. The merchandise should be designed to last longer as it will
be used outdoors and indoors by consumers. It should still be designed to be affordable.
• Be of an appropriate size for in the shops, in the case of the PoS. Too small and it won’t catch anyone’s eye, too large and shops won’t waste the floor space to display
them. The merchandise must all be of an appropriate size to be used by the average consumer in the demographic.
• None of the products should feel overtly heavy, especially the advertisement products as they will be shipped en masse, as this will add to both shipping costs and use of
fuel for transport.
• Have a form factor which is intriguing and attractive to consumers. All of the products should attempt to reinforce brand identity by using a palette of blue, black and white.
• Be constructed of appropriate materials: Cheap, light and attractive for the ads; More durable, attractive and affordable for the merchandise.
• The advertisement products should ideally be recyclable once they are disposed of as they are not designed to last long. This is less viable for the merchandise but
choices benefitting the environment should still be made when possible.
• The advertisements will likely be batch produced as more shops order them, and the merchandise will be either batch or mass. Machinery needed will include vinyl
plotters, die/laser cutters, sublimation machines and lithographic printers. As the school doesn’t have some of these, I will use more available alternatives such as the
school’s A3 printers.
6. Existing Products: Posters
All of the surrounding posters are designed to promote a game or game
console. The poster in the top right tries to promote the Wii by showing a
large, colourful collage of various Nintendo characters. It is also
reminiscent of posters that used to come with Nintendo’s first console the
NES. I really enjoy the color scheme and it would definitely catch the eye
in a shop, but what would it do after that? Very little actual advertising is
done here, and apart from “Wii” in the bottom right no information is
given. A person viewing this poster doesn’t even know a new Nintendo
console is out.
The two posters in the bottom are for Microsoft’s and Sony’s Xbox 360
and PS3 consoles. The first step in the right direction is that the consoles
are featured prominently featured. Microsoft’s even incorporated their
slogan “Jump In”, using the console as the “I”, reinforcing brand identity.
Prominent imagery of the console and/or the slogan will be important in
my design. One issue I have with the Xbox poster is that I don’t think
using the console as a letter was a good idea, as it isn’t appealing
aesthetically, and appears. I do however like the green glow emanating
from the console as this is in keeping with the console’s brand identity
and colours. The PS3 poster is appealing to the eye, but doesn’t make it
overly clear that is a games console. It wouldn’t be silly to think the PS3
is a blu-ray player or something like that based on this poster. One more
good thing about the Xbox poster is all of the great games listed at the
top of the page, as one of the best ways to make a console appealing is
to show off the games available for it. I would however say that they
should have chosen either the “Jump In” or the games typography,
having both on the poster is a bit too much.
The top left poster aims to advertise New Super Mario Bros. Wii, a
Nintendo game. Some captivating and colourful in-game imagery is
shown which helps to clarify what the poster is about, and the game’s
title is displayed in large text. This poster is perhaps the best and most to
the point, but a release date and a tagline/testimony would be useful to
enforce a positive image. Besides these two problems, the poster is well
designed, in that anyone who saw it would know just what it is
advertising: a new Mario game for the Wii. Simple, contrasting colours
are used which look crisp and modern on the page. All that is explicitly
needed here is contact/website details and a release date, possibly a
testimony.
All of the posters will have been printed using the lithographic printing
method, which is very good for batch production. Lithographic printing
produces sharp, strong colours but is not great for the environment as it
releases chemicals and fumes during it’s processes. Screen printing or
the use of vegetable based inks would help solve this issue.
7. Existing Products: PoS Displays
A point of sale display’s purpose is double; first to advertise the product and
catch the eyes of shoppers, and second to store many of the product for
shoppers to pick up right from the stand and buy.
The top 2 displays are both for food & drinks products. Because of this, they
have been designed to carry a high capacity of units. Cheap snacks and
drinks will sell faster than expensive electronics, so I don’t think my unit will
have to have an extremely large capacity.
As for their designs, the top left display features the big images of the
product as part of the structure, which I may take into account when
designing my display. Apart from this however, I do not think the design
choices made regarding the unit’s size and shape would be appropriate to
sell a games console on. It does fine at selling something simple like
squash, but I think it would be smarter to make my display more complex as
it is for a more complex product.
The top right display’s design is closer to the level of complexity that will be
appropriate for the Wii U PoS display. I like the 3D sculpted cow’s head and
milk buckets, as they associate with Milka’s brand identity, which is all
centered around the purple cow. The PoS display I design should be closer
to this size than to the size of the top left display, because I am selling bigger
products that require a bigger introduction.
I like the bottom right display’s giant 3D sculpted shoe, as similarly to the
Milka unit, it helps to show some brand identity and in this case magnifies
the product they are selling so you would know those are Nike shoes from
across the shop floor.
The Robinsons display utilizes card and foam board for it’s structure and has
it’s imagery printed on art card/glossy paper and stuck to the sides. The
Milka display likely uses hard plastic for the cow head and milk buckets,
which increases environmental concerns but may be justified if the display is
expected to have a longer lifespan. The same issue is present with the Nike
display which also seems to use hard plastic.
8. Existing Products: Mugs
I will design a mug with a design associated with the Wii U brand.
Around this page are some mugs which all have designs which
associate them with various brands. All but the top left mug have
had their design transferred onto the ceramic using sublimation
printing.
The top left mug is designed to resemble a pipe from the Super
Mario games, and definitely achieves this. The actual design printed
onto the mug is very simplistic, designed to resemble the mid-80’s
“8-bit” graphics. I like the idea of a simple design that references the
brand, rather than one that outright advertises it or is just a picture of
the product printed onto the mug. Unfortunately I cannot achieve the
level of sculpting used in this mug as the school does not have the
facilities, and we will be printing onto standard mugs.
The mug in the top right is also a simple reference to it’s brand,
Batman: Arkham City. I think the design may have looked better if it
had a background and not just the plain white of the ceramic.
The bottom two mugs have banner images sublimation printed onto
them, so that the image wraps all the way around the mug. The left
Halo mug looks good with the black background fading onto the
black mug, but the right Breaking Bad mug has block yellow printed
onto white ceramic, and the result isn’t great looking. I think I should
definitely try and keep my background colour in line with or very
similar to the colour of my mug.
9. Existing Products: T-Shirts
These are three printed T-Shirts I found online, and they are also all
related to games. I think that right off the bat, the top two are both the
most attractive. I think this is largely because of their light coloured
backgrounds, and because of this I will make sure to use light
backgrounds on the shirt I design.
I think the vector based, block colour designs on the top two designs
are also helping them a lot, the simple colour schemes look much
“classier” than if there just actual pictures printed on the shirts.
The bottom left Xbox shirt has a good concept, but I think the XBOX
text might be unnecessary and the logo is too small. The use of a wide,
gradual colour range instead of a few select simple colours lessens the
attractiveness of the shirt in my opinion.
All of these t-shirts are made from a cotton-polyester blend as it is
comfortable, wearable, breathable and easy to print on.
Based on these findings, I will make my shirt have a simple colour
scheme, a light background and simple imagery that’s nice to look at
and not too obnoxious.
10. Materials Research
Material Properties Use in my products
Acrylic Rigid plastic, can be opaque or
translucent, comes in many colours.
Could be used to make merchandise
like keychains, or could be used in the
construction of PoS displays as it is
coloured and rigid.
Cotton/Polye
ster
Soft, comfortable to the touch, can
be dyed and printed on reliably,
workable.
The most common material used in the
production of t-shirts, I will use it to
make mine as well.
Ceramic Heat resistant, rigid, can be printed
on reliably.
The mug will be made of this
Foam Board Weak, disposable, but rigid enough
to stand on it’s own. Cheap.
Can be used in PoS displays for cheap
rigid structural support
Printer paper Cheap, abundant. Available in
school can be used in laser printers.
Posters will be printed on this, as it is
available in the school and does not
require any special equipment to use.
11. Ergonomics and Anthropometrics
Ergonomics are the relationship between the human body and items it has to work with, and needs to be taken into account while designing my products so
that they may be comfortably used by it’s average user.
Anthropometrics are the measurements of items which are important for ensuring the product’s proper function. Anthropometrics is important in that I must
produce all of my products with measurements which are appropriate, and fit together properly. Joints must meet, slots must slot, etc.
I am producing a T-shirt as part of my Wii U Brand Identity initiative. The
measurements for a T-Shirt I measured were 56cm in width, and 76cm in height, and
the printed image started 8-10cm from the edge.
I measured the anthropometrics of a mug to see which measurements I had to
design my wraparound image to. I measured the wraparound image on the mug as
260mm in width and 90mm in height. I will design my image a little bit shorter to
make sure it fits on the mug.
In my research, I found that almost all posters conformed to international
paper standards, being A4 , A3 or A2. Whether they were portrait or
landscape varied, but I now know to make my poster to regulation paper
sizes.
Product Height Width Depth
T Shirt 760mm 560mm n/a
Mug 90mm 260mm 80mm
Poster A3 - A2 A3 - A2 n/a
Keyring 60mm 60mm 6mm
12. User Profile (for PoS displays)
Name: Nesbit Round Age:
14 Interests: Movies,
Pokemon, Gangsta Rap Occupation:
Student Desired
product outcome: “I usually
look at the displays in stores if they’ve got
screens showing the games or whatever, or if
they let you try the product. And if they look
cool, like they’re in the shape of the product
or something”
Name: Bread Harrity
Age: 28
Interests: Ghouls, Retro games, Technology
Occupation: Beekeeper
Desired product outcome: “If
I’m in a game store, everything is always so
loud and brash, I think I would look at
something if it looked more inviting. There
are always so many bees around me,
sometimes I just want some good music and
a relaxing game to play”
13. Analysis of Research
Existing Products
When analysing existing products, I found that most posters
include bright, bold colours, a logo, brand imagery and colours
for corporate identity, they are eye catching, have the name of
the product, lithographically printed and will attract people of all
ages who are interested in gaming. The mugs have large
imagery of the main character on them, contrasting colours,
bold typography and a small logo. The t-shirts all include a
large image that is centered and usually on the chest area or
covering the entire front of the shirt. I will make sure that I
consider all of the above when designing my products. I
cannot use a lithographic printer as we do not have one in
school, I will therefore use the laserjet. However if made in
industry the posters would be printed using lithography.
Materials Research
Through conducting materials research, I gathered
data on the properties of several materials which are
relevant to my products. I found that acrylic plastic is
a rigid material than can be obtained in translucent or
opaque forms, and comes in a variety of colours,
making it a good material to use on merchandise and
keychains, as well as being a possibility for PoS. I
found cotton/polyester blend to be a comfortable,
breathable material which can be dyed and printed
on, making it suitable for garments. I discovered that
ceramic is a hard, heat resistant material, and that it
is useful in making mugs. I also researched foam
board which, I found was a cheap, disposable
material which is often used in movie standees. It’s
quite weak but is rigid enough to stand on it’s own,
and is a possibility for PoS displays.User Profile
This segment of my research involved looking at profiles
for people in the demographics I was mainly looking at
appealing to: Young-Teen males, and Adult males. From
thinking as these demographics, I was able to gain some
deeper understanding of the criteria they would like to see
reached in the types of products I am designing. I found
my young-teen male audience to be interested in
interactivity and cool designs relevant to and referencing
the brand they like. Through writing my adult profile, I
found the male adult to be attracted to chilled out, inviting
designs that made them associate the product with
relaxation, downtime and enjoying themselves in an
innocent way almost akin to a child.
Ergonomics + Anthropometrics
This part of my research involved looking for T-Shirt size
charts so I could know the standardized sizes. By looking
at these charts, I was able to know the measurements of
each individual T-Shirt size. Now that I know the specific
measurements for all the standard sizes, I can use that
information to inform my designs and how large I make
them, ensuring they take up the amount of space on the
shirt that I envision when I am designing them.
14. Design Specification
The products must:
• Appeal to the demographics in this priority: Older kids/Teens/Adults/Kids. It must appeal to all three but prioritise teens and adults so as
to follow through with the change of brand identity.
• Effectively advertise to people of all different handicaps, religions and values without excluding anyone or appearing as exclusive to
any one group. It must also not offend any of these groups with inappropriate graphics. I will therefore select these carefully.
• Fulfill their respective purposes of advertising the Wii U (Posters, billboards, PoS), and of helping spread word of mouth/making fans
more dedicated (Merchandise).
• Be suitable for their environments. The advertisement products must be designed as cheaply as possible to incentivise shops to buy
them, and be designed with their limited lifespan in mind. They will still need to have some kind of lamination to protect from moisture
damage. The merchandise should be designed to last longer as it will be used outdoors and indoors by consumers. It should still be
designed to be affordable.
• Be of an appropriate size for in the shops, in the case of the PoS. Too small and it won’t catch anyone’s eye, too large and shops won’t
waste the floor space to display them. The merchandise must all be of an appropriate size to be used by the average consumer in the
demographic.
• None of the products should feel overtly heavy, especially the advertisement products as they will be shipped en masse, as this will
add to both shipping costs and use of fuel for transport.
• Have a form factor which is intriguing and attractive to consumers. All of the products should attempt to reinforce brand identity by
using a palette of blue, black and white.
• Be constructed of appropriate materials: Cheap, light and attractive for the ads; More durable, attractive and affordable for the
merchandise.
• The advertisement products should ideally be recyclable once they are disposed of as they are not designed to last long. This is less
viable for the merchandise but choices benefitting the environment should still be made when possible.
• The advertisements will likely be batch produced as more shops order them, and the merchandise will be either batch or mass.
Machinery needed will include vinyl plotters, die/laser cutters, sublimation machines and lithographic printers. As the school doesn’t
have some of these, I will use more available alternatives such as the school’s A3 printers.
15. Initial Poster + Game Sleeve Designs
Mario Poster
• Known character in foreground and
middle of poster -- catches attention
• “Jump Around” slogan is satirical of
Xbox’s “Jump Ahead” slogan,
represents fun over technical power.
• New characters in background and
below Mario, putting focus on him
• Colour scheme reminiscent of Mario
games
Zelda Poster
• Link in foreground
• “All new Zelda” prominently
displayed will excite consumers
• Generic characters surrendering
in background
• Golden colour scheme
reminiscent of Zelda games
• “Back with Power” slogan is a call
back to old Nintendo Power
branding of the 80’s and 90’s
Sonic Poster
• “Back in Pole Position” slogan
is relevant to Sonic’s speed,
and “Back” fits in with the
comeback theme of the
marketing effort
• Scenery looks like a normal
racing game: race track,
grass, sand.
• Sonic in foreground
• Sports cars trailing behind
Sonic
Luigi Poster – I will develop this idea as it
is most suitable and meets the brief /
specification
• Luigi in foreground
• Scenery reminiscent of Luigi’s Mansion
games
• Luigi is vacuuming up a monster from the
Silent Hill series of horror games, with the
tool he normally uses so defeat the
“Boo”s from the Mario series. This fits in
with the old beating the new theme of the
marketing effort.
• “It’s bustin’ time” is a throwback to the
Ghostbusters series, which was coming
out when Nintendo was in it’s prime, and
is relevant to the ghostbusting nature of
the Luigi’s Mansion games.
All posters will be made using A4
white glossy art card and printed
using the school laser jet printer. In
industry they would be
lithographically printed and batch
produced for shipment around the
world.
16. Development of Poster – Adobe Photoshop CS6
Initial Idea chosen for
development
Original image of Luigi’s
Mansion imported to Photoshop
from the Internet onto black
background.
Image of ghost blacked
out using Paint Brush tool.
Tornado image cropped from a nasal spray advert, pasted
and rotated to fit the gun. I then used the Blur tool to create
a cool effect coming out of the gun.
Image of monster cropped
from white background,
rotated and warped to
create an effect of being
sucked into the gun.
Tornado layer copied and pasted on
top of itself and the monster, giving
the effect of the monster being
sucked inside the tornado. I then
used the Blur and clone tools to
create an effect of the tornado
engulfing the monster; thus blending
the two layers. I also adjusted the
transparency tool to achieve this
effect.
Wii U logo imported, Continuum font
added, which is what Nintendo use.
I made the U in “Bu” bold to keep in
line with the Wii U branding. All
colours are consistent with the Wii
corporate identity giving this a very
professional appearance. I feel a
price needs to be added to entice
buyers to purchase the console.
Custom shape tool used to create
a speech bubble, which I then
warped to make it look like Luigi
was saying it. I added an outer
glow to make it stand out on the
black background and to grab the
attention of the buyer. Continuum
font added inside the speech
bubble including the price.
17. Plan of Making Game Sleeve, CD Sticker and
Poster
START
Open PSD or JPEG file
of design, set image size
to how big you need the
print (5 min)
Load printer with desired
type of paper or card, and
print, ensuring to maintain
the original image size (2
min)
Is the
image size
correct?
For CD Sticker, peel off
sticker from paper,
place on disc. (10 min)
FINISH
Are the
colours and
size
accurate?
Use the guillotine and/or
scissors to remove all paper
except the design (10 min)
Is the
design cut
out
accurately?
No
Ye
s
No
Yes
No
Yes
18. Final A3 Poster
• Contrasting colours make the
poster eye catching
• Monster from a horror game,
fits with theme of old beating
the new
• Wii U colours used
• Full Wii U logo prominently
displayed
• ALL NEW CONSOLE text
strongly reinforces the idea
that the Wii U is an entirely
new console
• IT’SA ONLY $299 text
reinforces the message of the
price drop
• Printed on art card for a high
quality finish
• Miniamlist style means it looks
good in any size.
• All the above are inline with
the specification and with the
corporate identity of the Wii
brand; making this a suitable
product
19. Development and Testing of Game Sleeve
The game sleeve is clearly
shown in this test to not be wide
enough to fill the case. This had
to be fixed by changing the
proportions of the image,
widening it by 5mm.
The game sleeve is
shown again to not be
wide enough, from the
rear as much as from the
front.
In this iteration, the sizes
were correct but the text
on the back of the
sleeve was hardly
visible. I had to solve
this by using a thicker
typeface.
The text has been fixed
here by using a thicker
version of the
Continuum font, the font
Nintendo uses. The
sizes on this
measurement are also
correct, meaning this is
my final game sleeve.
This is a full view of the final
version of my game sleeve. It
perfectly fits the case and all text
is visible. The colour scheme
and design layout are in line with
Nintendo’s own boxes, making it
appear authentic. A bar code is
included.
20. Development and Testing of Gaming CD sticker
This is my final design for my CD sticker,
and was designed in Photoshop CS6. I
made a circular shape based on the
reference image, and made the internal hole
larger to fit my disc. I made the design by
filling the donut shape with the Wii U shade
of blue, and then using the Burn tool to
darken the lower half, before adding the
“Nintendo Power” game logo to the bottom. I
then imported the Space U graphics I used
for my mug and mouse pad, and deleted any
parts of it, which were outside the disc
shape using Select>Inverse. Finally, I made
a circle at the top of the disc and cut off the
excess, creating an even ellipse. I filled this
in white, and added the Wii U logo.
This is an actual-size CD
template which I found
online. I used this as a size
reference when designing
my sticker.
This is my final sticker in situation on a disc. The
PSD file was printed with the school’s laserjet
printer, onto sticker paper. The sticker was then
cut out of the sheet of sticker paper using a craft
knife, and stuck evenly onto an existing disc. In
industry the image would have been printed
directly onto the disc, but this is the closest we
could achieve using school equipment. I later
realised, that I could have cut this out using the
Roland CAMM1 plotter in school. However, due
to time restrictions and the fact that the CD
sticker met the specification, I kept this as my
final product. If I were to repeat this process, then
I would use 2D Design Tools and the Roland
CAMM1 to improve the overall speed and
efficiency when manufacturing in quantity.
21. “U” Mushroom Mug
• Uses Wii U brand colours
• Mushroom imagery is
familiar and will draw in the
mainstream audience
• Wii U logo is used within the
known symbol, making
people curious
• Simple imagery may be
more appealing to adult
audiences, rather than the
busy designs of the bottom
two
• Only two colours means less
expensive production and
much better for the
environment
Initial Mug Designs
“Are U Ready” Mug
• Asks rhetorical question,
marketing the Wii U almost
aggressively. People will
respond well to this as it is what
they have wanted from Nintendo
for a while.
• Takes up a lot of space on the
mug making the design eye
catching
• Uses Wii U brand colours
• Uses Wii U brand logo
Space Character Collage Mug
• Space mask makes logo look like a
window to large unexplored area
• Familiar characters visible, and look
crisp and clean against the space
background
• Colours contrast and look appealing
• Is in the shape of a giant Wii U logo
• Takes up a lot of space, which
makes it draw attention from people
in the room.
• I really like this design and feel it
will look equally effective on a
mouse mat, so I will therefore use
the same imagery for a mouse
mat- a great overall design
“Moon Assault” Mug
• Busy imagery and bright colours
will appeal to younger audiences
• Recognizable Nintendo
characters
• Retro Mario imagery attracts
older audience
• Wii U logo used on back of plane
All mug designs will be printed
onto sublimation paper and heat
pressed onto the mug in the
oven.
22. Development of Mug/Mouse Pad designs using Photoshop CS6
Original Wii U logo imported to
Photoshop from the internet, and
Magic Wand tool used to get rid of
white background.
Large space image imported from the
internet and placed in a layer behind
Wii U logo. Magic Wand tool used to
select the area covered by the Wii U
logo. I then inversed my selection and
deleted except what was covered by
the Wii U logo, and deleted the logo
itself, resulting in a Wii U logo made of
space.
Many images of Nintendo characters downloaded
from the internet, Magic Wand Tool and Eraser
used to remove any backgrounds from the images.
I then imported the cropped images of the
characters into the document with the Space Wii U
logo. Next, I positioned, rotated, scaled and
layered the characters to be in the positions I
wanted them, before selecting the logo, inverting
my selection and pressing Delete to remove any
portions of the characters that were not inside the
logo, producing my final image.
Here are all
the layers to
evidence that
this is my
design.
23. Final Mouse Pad and Mug designs
These are the final mockup designs of the “Space U” being used for my mouse pad and for my mug. The final JPEG file was sent to the
sublimation company in two sizes, 93x70mm for the mug and 235x200 for the mouse pad. At the company, the images will have been printed
onto sublimation paper and put onto the product, before being put into an oven and heated to a certain temperature for a certain time: 250F for
60 seconds for the mug, and 400F for 45 seconds for the mousepad. The products will then have been removed from the oven and the paper
immediately removed.
The above designs accurately represent how the design will be printed on the mousepad and mug. We would have produced the products in
school, however we do not have a sublimation machine and thus had to use a company. Despite this, I have done the research and fully
understand the processes involved in heat sublimation.
24. Plan of Making Mouse Pad/Mug
START
Print design onto
sublimation paper at
correct size ( 2min)
Place printed sublimation
paper onto
mousepad/mug and stick
with blue heat tape (5
min)
Is the print
the right
size?
Repeat process as
many times as needed.
FINISH
Is the
design
lined up
correctly?
Put product with sublimation
paper into the oven, heat to 400F
for 45 seconds, remove from oven
and remove sublimation paper. (1
min)
Is the
image
printed as
desired?
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
25. “Are U Ready” T Shirt
• Design takes up most of
the front of the shirt,
making it hard to miss.
• Use of Wii U branding
• Asks rhetorical question,
marketing the Wii U
almost aggressively.
People will respond well
to this as it is what they
have wanted from
Nintendo for a while.
• Wii U colour scheme
GamePad T Shirt
• Clear imagery of actual
Wii U hardware
• Use of Wii U logo
• Use of Wii U brand colour
• Gets people familiar with
the imagery of the
gamepad
• Large design looks
interesting and catches
attention
• The strange looking
controller may garner
people asking about what
it is.
Happy GamePad T Shirt
• Cartoon/fun imagery is
more appealing to
children (in age or at
heart)
• Use of Wii U hardware
imagery
• Takes up much of the
shirt and catches the eye
of people.
• People will likely
recognize the controllers
from the better known
Wii and associate the
two, drawing in the
mainstream audience.
Controller Evolution T Shirt
• Use of Wii U hardware
imagery
• Wii U brand colours
• Wii U logo
• Imagery of old Nintendo
controllers appeals to older
markets who grew up with
them.
• Establishes connection with
old and new consoles,
getting people on the side
of the Wii U.
• I will develop this one
further due to the
evolution of the design
All t-shirts will be made using cotton / polyester which will then be sublimated onto
the shirts. There is a gas in sublimation pigment, which reacts with polyester and the
polyester acts as an adhesive, which means that when washed the t-shirt will be more
durable and will not wash off / fade. The images will be designed using Adobe
Photoshop and heat sublimated onto the t-shirts.
Initial T-shirt
Designs
26. Final Designs: T-shirt
This is my final graphic to be printed
onto a T-Shirt. I designed the
graphic by finding three high
resolution photographs of the
Nintendo Entertainment System,
Super Nintendo Entertainment
System and Wii U controllers, using
the Magic Wand tool to get rid of the
white background on them. I then
resized them all to be the same
width and placed them in a column.
This is the final mockup design of the design being used for my T
Shirt. The final JPEG file was sent to the sublimation company at
the correct size of 205x290mm. At the company, the images will
have been printed onto sublimation paper and put onto the product,
before being put into an oven and heated to 400F for 60 seconds.
The shirt will then have been removed from the oven and the paper
immediately removed.
The design accurately represents how the design will be printed on
the shirt. We would have produced the product in school, however
we do not have a sublimation machine and thus had to use a
company. Despite this, I have done the research and fully
understand the processes involved in heat sublimation.
27. Plan of Making T-shirt
START
Print design onto
sublimation paper at
correct size A4 (10 min)
Place printed sublimation
paper onto T-shirt and
tape with blue heat tape.
(10 min)
Is the print
the right
size?
Repeat process as
many times as needed.
FINISH
Is the
design
lined up
correctly?
Put product with sublimation paper into
the oven, heat to 250F for 60 seconds,
remove from oven and remove
sublimation paper. (1 min)
Is the
image
printed as
desired?
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
28. “U” Mushroom PoS Display
• Mushroom imagery is familiar and will
draw mainstream audience
• Wii U logo used on mushroom
• Wii U colours used on mushroom
• Console is displayed prominently so
people will know it is it’s own console
Wii U Banner PoS Display
• Full Wii U logo prominently
displayed
• Mainstream audience will
recognize the “Wii” part
• Use of Wii U brand colours
• Can hold any game --
Reusable
Wii U “Space U” PoS Display
• Space background is vast and grand
looking, and makes the logo seem like a
window
• Use of Wii U logo
• Use of Wii U brand colours
• Is not limited to advertising one game
etc, can be kept for as long as the Wii U
is sold
• GamePad is prominently displayed,
showing the strange controller off to
people who may have never seen one
in real life
• I will develop this idea as it is the
most creative and stands out
Initial Point of Sale Designs
29. Point of Sale CAD/CAM in 2D Design
These are two images of my CAD designs which I completed in 2D Design Tools. A red line was used when drawing
the shapes so that the laser cutter would get the message to cut through the 5mm foam board.
30. Point of Sale development (CAD/CAM)
manufacturing and Testing
Graphics printed for PoS, and cut
out using craft knife.
First version of PoS parts cut out
on Mercury III laser cutter using
5mm foam board on 2.8% speed
and 100% power. Slot joints are
too far apart and give the game
case too much room to move.
PoS parts cut out again with
revised slot joints.
PoS front foam board and graphic
cut out/printed.
Graphics stuck on back piece of
PoS display using double sided
tape.
Front graphics stuck on front
pieces of PoS display using
double sided tape.
Ready for assembly, all slot
joints etc in correct places.
31. Plan of Making Point of Sale Display
START
Turn on laser cutter,
place in 5mm thick
foamboard, tape down.
(10 mins)
Autofocus material, sent to
print.
Settings: 6% speed, 100%
power. (5 mins)
Is it
accurately
in place?
Slot together (2min)
FINISH
Are they
cut out
accurately?
Cut out graphics, attach to
foam board with double
sided tape. (20min)
Are the
graphics
attached
properly?
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
32. Mario “U” Cap Keychain
• Mario/Luigi cap is an iconic Nintendo symbol
• “U” on cap instead of M or L shows Wii U branding
• White/Blue colour scheme rather than Red/Green conforms to Wii U
branding
• Resembles “Club Nintendo” logo which will draw in hardcore
Nintendo fans
“U” Mushroom Keychain
• Mushroom is another iconic Nintendo symbol
• White/Blue colour scheme is in line with Wii U brand identity
• “U” on mushroom is relevant to the Wii U
• Layered “U” adds depth
• Mainstream audiences are familiar with the mushroom
symbol and will be interested in why there is a “U” on it,
leading to inquiries.
U Keychain
• Clearly displays Wii U logo
• Colours are in line with Wii U branding
• Layers add a quality look to the product
• Simple understated design would not look
out of place on an adult’s keyring,
whereas a game controller or mushroom
might.
• Lack of engraving makes production
easier, faster and most
environmentally friendly – I will use
this design for this reason
Game Pad Keychain
• Form is representative of the most
interesting part of the Wii U’s hardware,
the GamePad
• Wii U logo displayed on “screen” so
people know what the keychain is about
and may ask the owner about it
• Colours match it’s real counterpart
• Layers show raised thumbsticks/buttons,
and add depth
All keyrings will be cut out of acrylic
using the laser cutter, and glued
together where necessary. Acrylic is
good for keyrings as it is rigid and
durable, as well as it’s ability to be
engraved by the laser. The reason I
am using a laser cutter is that the
school does not have access to more
industrial methods, but in industry
the keyring would have a special
mold produced for it and either be
injection moulded into shape or even
made on a 3D printer depending on
the costing implications spared by
the company
Initial Key-ring Designs
33. Plan of Making Keyring
START
Turn on laser cutter,
place acrylic on cutting
bed. Open 2D Design file
on connected PC. (5
mins)
Print the design using
settings:
Cut = Speed 2.8%, Power =
100%
Engrave = Speed 95%,
Power = 15% (5 mins)
Are the
cutting/engraving
lines in the right
place? Will it fit
on the acrylic?
Repeat process as
many times needed.
Add metal rings, then
turn off laser. (5mins)
FINISH
Is the cut
accurate?
Clean the acrylic using
methylated spirits. ( 5 min)
Is the
acrylic
clean
No
Ye
s
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
34. Development of Keyring (CAD/CAM) and Testing
The keyring was first designed based on the Wii U logo, in 2D Design Tools. A red line was used so
that the laser cutter would be told to cut through. Then, the first sheet of acrylic was placed on the
laser cutter bed and cut out, followed by the second. These pieces were then cleaned using
methylated spirits and stuck together using tensol, before a keyring was attached. In reality the
keyring is too big in size and would be approximately 30mm smaller all round if made in industry.
Although the target market probably would not mind this size as they like everything to be larger with
bling.
35. Materials List
Product Material Length (mm) Width (mm) Depth (mm) Quantity
Mousepad Mousepad 200 235 3 1
Sublimation Paper 297 210 N/A 1
Mug Mug 90 260 80 1
Sublimation Paper 297 210 N/A 1
Keyring Acrylic 95 75 3 1
90 70
Keyring 60 60 6 1
T-Shirt Polyester T-Shirt 760 560 N/A 1
Sublimation Paper 297 210 N/A 1
PoS Foam Board Back 280 210 5 1
Front 280 210 5 1
Sides 220 50 5 2
Base 185 145 5 1
Front extra 160 60 5 1
Printing Paper 297 420 N/A 1
37. Testing Against Specification
Achieved
Achieved
Achieved
Not achieved
Achieved
Achieved
Achieved
Achieved
Achieved
Achieved
Upon evaluation, my products meet almost all of the goals set in my design specification, and the one they don’t
meet is a small violation whereby I couldn’t put lamination on the poster. I referred back the the design specification
during the design and production processes in order to ensure I met as much of the criteria that I could. The
products meeting most of my criteria means that I have produced products which are safe, sensible and achieve
their purpose.
38. Client Evaluation
Poster
Teen Male Gamer: “This is the best Wii
U poster I’ve seen, it’s got a game I’d
actually really like to play on it and the
whole thing with the Pyramid Head is
funny. I also didn’t know the price was
lower now so this would definitely make
me interested in getting a Wii U”
Keyring
Adult Male Gamer: “It’s got a cool
design and does look like the Wii U
logo, but I only now that because I’m
informed about it. If any random person
saw this they wouldn’t think “Wii U” so
maybe it would be better if it said Wii U
on it somewhere. It’s also a little too
large to be practical, but it is
aesthetically pleasing. I’d pay 1 to 3
pounds for it.
T-Shirt
Adult Male Gamer: “I like it, it’s cool. I
used to play the Super Nintendo when I
was small so this is a really cool design
for me. Yeah, it might make me think
“What’s that weird controller under the
SNES one?” And I might end up
learning more about the Wii U. I’d
probably pay 10-15 pounds for it”
Mousepad
Teen Male Gamer: “This is a really cool
mousepad, if Nintendo sold it in this store
I’d probably buy one. It actually made me
a little more excited about the Wii U just
looking at it because the mousepad
reminded me of all these Nintendo
characters I loved as a kid. If I could
improve it I think I’d write “Wii U” on it
somewhere so people who don’t know the
logo know what it is. I think I’d pay 5 to 10
pounds for it”
Mug
Adult Male Gamer: “Whoa, cool design.
I really like the depth of the space
effect and I remember a lot of these
characters from when I was a kid. As a
Wii U fan I’d definitely buy this, but
maybe it could do with some better
branding so uninformed people know
what the logo is. I’d pay 5 to 10 pounds
for it.
Point of Sale Display & Game
Game Store Manager: “This is a really
cool stand, we haven’t really been sent
anything to help push the Wii U before. I’d
definitely be happy if our branch got
shipped some of these because I think it
appeals to everybody”
40. Questionnaire Results – Gathering the views of others
Conclusion
The results of my questionnaire
show me that my products
mostly hit the targets set in the
design specification. The
answers I received mean that
my products appeal to the
correct audience, are not
offensive, and use the brand
colours well. Two people said
they did no think the PoS was
eye catching, but some people
outside of my demographic
were given the questionnaire,
so those answers may be from
them. Three people said one or
more of the products are too
heavy for their purpose, which
is probably down to the
Keyring, which was admittedly
too large.
Ye
s
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Ye
s
41. Modifications – What I Would Change
Point of Sale Display
If I was making my Point of Sale display for
industry, I would cut the front “controller” panel
in correct proportions to the real thing, as in my
version it appears distorted. I would also
produce the panels using a die cutter to
efficiently batch produce the display.
T Shirt
In a repeated and/or industry production of my
T-Shirt, I would use a PNG file when printing to
the sublimation paper, as this would mean I
could have a transparent background and only
print the imagery. In my version I used a JPEG,
which by default puts a white background
wherever there isn’t imagery, resulting in an
unattractive white rectangle around my design.
In industry the shirt would be printed in large
sublimation quantities.
Mousepad
One thing I would like to change about the
production of my mousepad is the colour of
mousepad it was printed on. We weren’t given
an option when printing through the company
and the design was printed on a white
mousepad. In a future production with industry
facilities or with the school’s own sublimation
printer, I would print the design on a black
mousepad as this would blend better with my
design and create the cool effect I was
envisioning when I first designed it. In industry,
like the T-Shirt the mousepad would be
sublimated.
Keyring
If I were to make my keyring again or if it were to be made in
industry, I would keep everything the same except that I would
make the whole thing about half the size. At it’s current size it is too
big to conveniently fit on someone’s set of keys, as was evidenced
in my Client Evaluation. Additionally, white vinyl stickers might also
add to the attraction making the background stand out even more.