Skate Tag: DONE

last day

last project

probably the one i spent the most time on

Skate Tag is finally done and it seems like the effort was worth it

all the plans came to fruition

a lot of work -

the original design is detailed in earlier posts, but since then, here is a list of elements i had to put together:
- watercolor backgrounds for all the tag pages



- photoshop manipulation of watercolor elements
- illustrator tracing for the skate graphics
- logo tracing
- bar code
- written text
- assembly of transparency layers

and here is the finished product






props to my boy Matt for flipping thru the display as i took the shots


now its time to get down to serious business


get back into learning Flash and CSS and keep the ball rolling

still dont know how the blog is going to fit into the future plans

will have to do some heavy thinking tonight and thru the weekend


plans to unveil some sort of platform to proceed on


etc

whatever


anyway:
semester 1 - complete

many skills accumulated
good connections established

things are moving

Tag Prototype Part II

Here is a Prototype (#3) of the tag in the main colors.

I have included the transparency section as well.

It took a bit of work, but if what I'm conceptualizing pays off, it should be pretty dope.

Just as I was hoping, the transparency layer shows clear through to the bottom.











I think I am pretty settled on this design.

The only thing I will prolly change is the location of the transparency (prolly will move that a little closer to the top).

Time to get live with it.

Gonna hit the watercolors and design some icons.


Also of note - I am gonna figure out a way to make all my other projects tie into this one as well at least in some aspect.

These include:
- Toy design for Sketching class
- Collage for Multimedia class
- Matrix for Interactivity class
- Magazine Ad layout for Media Tools class


stay posted

or dont

1

Tag Prototypes

I got problems, but I seem to have a system in place that is saving my ass.

I keep losing track of assignments - but the fact that I do all my work at the college and keep the shit in my locker means that I always have material on hand.

Yesterday it turned out we also had to submit all our rough notes for the work we had done on the In-Line skate tag assignment - something which I completely forgot about.

Fortunately - I had all my notes and prototypes on hand - PLUS I had already made copies for the blog - PLUS i had the camera on me to take a quick photo of the latest prototype that I had put together but had not had a opportunity to scan yet.

So everything was salvaged - except for my retarded memory skills.

I swear - ever since I started messing with mnemonics - I can easily access a integrated understanding of the universe but even as of right now as I type - I can hardly remember what day it is and what my schedule for the day is.



The overall plot for Memento may have some holes and be far-fetched, but where there's a will, there's a way.

Look into NLP. Sigils. Symbols.

My note-taking skills is intense.


Anyway - back to the project:

Here is prototype #1 again:




Here is prototype #1 taken apart:



Here is what I have in mind for the general color-scheme:

It will be primarily brown with light colors inserted.
I am leaning toward light yellow, pink, and light blue (lighter than the blue construction paper I have there).


Here is the photo I snapped of Prototype #2 just before I handed it in:

Prototype #1 was 4 inches wide, this one was 3 inches and also had the colored tabs.

I'm liking the way 3 inches looks, but 4 might be easier to maneuver with.

Skate Tag Developments

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah some nice progress going on

just about ready start layin it down in Photoshop

finna do some watercolors for the backgrounds - and i got some other ideas going thru my head to work on

but this is how things are looking right now -

here is what the notebook is saying:






and this is the earliest prototype of the tag

if you can follow the notebook scans - these images should make sense



here is the tag broken down into components:



basically im looking at 4 sections to be printed front and back with some innovative assembly

i got a ill idea for transparency use - and if that comes together then this might actually turn into something to look at

still a fair amount of work to be done


- need to choose a font
- need to illustrate some vector images
- need to settle on a color scheme (i have one in mind - will save that for next post)


will be posting more soon

1

The State of In-Line Skating in North America

so its true - nobody in-line skates anymore

or at least the number of people who in-line skate is steadily decreasing


i was talking to one of the managers of a sporting store and he was telling me that in-line skate sales have been diminishing consistently over the last 8 years or so

in fact - he said that annual sales of in-line skates is a quarter of what it was compared to 8 years ago

i believe the figures he mentioned were a mill in sales, and last year they only sold 250K


also of interest - the Salomon line of in-line skates is being discontinued

apparently they used to be owned by adidas, but they got bought out by the sports company Wilson, and Wilson does not have the facilities to continue making in-line skates anymore


anyway - in-line skates have 2 main parts - the boot and the wheels

the boots used to be made out of a thick plastic material (and weigh a ton), but now they are made out of fabric

they are not as durable, but they are hella lighter and more comfortable

other important features of in-line skates that i was informed of:
- some skates have a extra braking feature at the back, but this technology has never been mastered and apparently is quite fragile - it was meant to appeal to beginners, but is nothing more than a nuisance and it generally breaks with the slightest use
- the framing that holds the wheels can be made out of plastic or aluminum - the plastic is heavier and not as solid, so the aluminum is a no-brainer
- there is a variety of wheel styles (thickness and circumference) currently available - also the composition of wheels varies from company to company
- right now - the hottest type of wheel is the largest type of wheel - generally 100mm - allows a skater to go the fastest
- the dude at the store expressed some lament that Salomon was leaving the in-line skate industry because he held that they had the best wheels


the K2 style seems to have the most cross-over appeal

some of their blades actually had designs on them rather than the generic black skate with highlights

that kind of snowboard style seems kind of played out at this point

its all about the paisley and the curves


i see this project coming together nicely


earth tones
bold icons
paisley curves
focus on comfort and durability
environmental themes (environmental awareness is trendy right now)

maybe i can get Al Gore to endorse my in-line skates

top seller for sure


more updates to come

Target Market: Settled

Although there does not seem to be as much cross-over appeal for in-line skates as there is for skateboarding, the target market for this project is going to be the non-hardcore skaters - so i am going to be highlighting such aspects as:
- ease
- comfort
- durability
- functionality
- utility
of the in-line skates for my campaign

i am tempted to use the innovative 2-wheel company, but since style is going to be as significant of a selling-point as functionality, i am going to stick with one of the more conventional companies.

so i am going to go with K2

their logo is straight ill and i am looking forward to working with it (although i am still not in far enough to turn back if i change my mind in the next couple days)

on my mind right now is Lupe Fiasco - a lot of sources have been hailing his album and approach to Hip Hop as a landmark in crossing Hip Hop and skater culture

reasons for this are especially evident in his video 'Kick Push':




his other video 'I Gotcha' is also dripping wiff style:




i took a trip to the mall again to check out some other labels in general - but ima save the results of that trip for the next blog post


tomorrow

111

Undercover Video Online

Here is the trial run from my In-Line Tag Recon Mission.



The camera was tucked into the right-side pocket of my vest.

It opens in the washroom because that's where I set the camera up and started recording. It was originally 23 minutes of footage, but i chopped it down to 7 boring minutes.

A interesting side note - when i came out of the washroom stall, there was a security guard in the washroom. I almost decided to call the whole thing off.

The voices you hear is generally me talking to salespeople looking for in-line skates.

They don't seem to be very popular at this time of year.

Enjoy.




Im gonna have to give this another shot.

Undercover Mission pt 1 - MuthaF****n Cables

i went on a trial run to get some video footage on my mission to find some in-line skate details

i took the digital camera and managed to disguise it in my apparel and went to a local mall

i managed to get 22 - 23 minutes of footage, but when i made it to school i noticed that I FORGOT THE CABLES needed to upload the dam footage

curses


the video seems like it came out alright

half of the screen is blurred by my jacket pocket, but im gonna see if i can edit some of it together


the irony of the whole affair was that a found a store that sold inline skates and none of them had any tags on them

how great is that?


anyway - stay tuned for undercover mission v1

i just have to find some free video editing software so i dont have to upload 22 minutes of walking thru a mall


(the first scene is me setting up the camera in the public washroom ZOMFGLOL)

Notebook Session

Had a good brainstorming session this evening.

Here are the pages from my notebook.

My tendency is always to orientate myself, and I find benefit in dragging all pertinent knowledge into the situation.

There is a reason why psychology class is part of this course, so I make a attempt to incorporate some of that shit into my methodology.

Discounting knowledge seems stupid at this point.


There is no reason to feel obliged to create something that has already been created.
BUT
There has been successful techniques used in the past.



The intended demographic side of things is a bit of a pain in the ass to me.

I hate targeting only a certain group of people - then again, I'm not much of a salesman.

It is looking like my intended market for this thing will be for people who do not generally use in-line skates or perhaps have never really even considered in-line skates.

I wouldn't mind developing a tag that is cool enough that kids would steal it off the product on the store shelves.

That's not a bad marketing technique, as far as I can see.

Logo exposure is logo exposure.



This was some research on the various brands of in-line skates that are currently on the market. Also some quick sketches of their logos.

Here are the brands and their websites:

K2
Salomon
LandRoller
Fila
Rollerblade

There was this other company called 'Roces' which had one of the most horrifying websites I have ever seen in my life. I am sure there was some good intent behind it, but that joint suffers from some serious communication issues and may want to invest some more time and resources into their net development.

Here is a example of their verbal mastery:

These are the goals for wich we work hard 365 days a year.

Improving our product, our quality, our services to customers and consumers, our image. Improving in order to deliver you the best product yu may need to perform perfectly in the sport we all love: skating.

To do this we develop all of our products with the different types of skater in mind, and we are almost sure we didn't forget any!
Our aim is to give to every style of skater it own product. This may make the line a little broad, but it's a necessity to reach our most important goals: skater satisfaction.

To make this happen we are always out there getting input, we are always living, eating and breathing skating. To do this we have The Spirit and Soul of skating

yikes

Anyway - I'm leaning toward taking on this LandRoller company because their product seems to be the most innovative and their advertising seems to be the most hokey among the other companies. A bit of a challenge. Could make sense to try to advertise this to my target demographic.

K2 might also be a good candidate because their logo could fit what I currently have in mind.

Fila looks cool too.

Also: I couldn't find any info on the Salomon site about in-line skates so I'm wondering if they even produce them anymore.



Things are looking good.

Although I don't think a product tag can tilt the world on its axis, this seems like this will be some good creative exercise.

It's all about creative problem solving.

That's today's lesson boys and girls.

1

Project Name Change

and oh yeah - one more thing

it isnt a Rollerblade Project

its a In-Line Skate Project


apparently Rollerblade is a name brand




another side note

it was funny in class today when the instructor asked how many people in the class actually own in-line skates or go rollerblading and pretty much nobody responded


i had a pair of in-line skates when i was about 11


so it looks like there is gonna have to be some research into the target demographic



as you were