Oakfords

Initial Idea + Website

Oakfords is the name of my brand I created over the summer. It was made so i could start to sell some of my photography work and design work. I thought the name was simple, as it is my second name, and also feels countrysidey. I incorporated an oak leaf into the O, which is a nice touch and can also be used as a letter mark. I began with my website. At this point, I didn't even have my brand name, it was just my website. I used Squarespace to design this, and while it has its flaws, it was a good introduction into web design for me, as I didn't know how to code.

My website has had 10+ redesigns since, as I've learnt more about intuitive layouts and what works within Squarespace. It is still a work in progress, but it's in a nice place at the moment. When my Squarespace year ends, I will switch to another host. I have briefly experimented with Framer, and it looks like something I'd like to use going forward, as I want to incorporate CSS into my site and give it an all-around polish.

You can visit my site at https://www.danieloakford.co.uk/

Creating a sign

Over the summer, I also had a week's work experience at Oriel Studios. The week consisted of working through some fake briefs as well as helping out on some live ones for clients like MersyRail and Everton FC. I saw how the work went from the studio to becoming a physical thing. At the end of the week, i had my own sign created using the flatbed printer and cut out using the CNC machine. I had been helping operate the machinery all week so I was able to do my own sign by myself. I am really pleased with how it turned out.

Business Materials

For fun, I created some business materials for Oakfords. While these materials are out of fashion these days, it was good practice for building up my brand design and design work in general. I created a Flyer, Letterhead, Business Card and Comp Slip.

Winter Print Fair

In November I attended a meeting about the winter print fair. I wanted to sell some prints I created as well as work on some new stuff so i got to work. I already had some prints up for sale on my website, a set of posters of the UK three peaks.

I also created a calendar to sell as i thought it would be the perfect time of year to sell one.

I then began to design in illustrator a laser cutter file for my logo and lettermark. I took this down to the workshop where I cut it out and then sanded and sealed it so as the ink wouldn't bleed into the wood as much.

After this i took the stamps up to printmaking where i then used the print press to print onto my bags.

Each Bag had a my logo on front and lettermark on the back. Finally after completing the bags and my prints I created a price sheet and some mini ads in after effects for my instagram story to promote my spot at the fair.

And lastly a picture of my space at the fair.