GARUFF

JELI DESIGNS

2015-08-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

It's been awfully quiet here at GARUFF. So quiet in fact, that we have moved.
Garuff has now moved to www.jelidesign.com
Please feel free to click on the above link to see how Garuff has progressed from amateur designer, to profesional with experiences in Asia, America and Europe.
The new website looks and feel truly Garuff, but with a twist. The website is simple, elegant and beautiful!
Additionally, we have a successful blog that features how we got to an end result.
Garuff has been an amazing time, and it's been great to view the previous posts over the years. We are still getting hits on here, but this will be our last post.

For the last time,
Love Garuff / Jeli

x

MAGAZINE

2014-02-20T09:28:00.000-08:00

I have just finished designing for a magazine in Shanghai and found that the cultural differences are very obvious between what I would consider good design to what the Chinese may consider good design.
The first picture below is my answer to the brief. I had less than a day to do this and I was quite happy with the overall outcome. However, the editors wanted some changes. The second image fits the brief to a T and naturally, they seemed to enjoy it.
I personally rather the first image, but hey ho!

EBK

2014-02-19T10:25:00.003-08:00

I have been working with a company in my hometown, Newport. I am enjoying it and I am most importantly, learning some more about design!
I have been give a project to create an EBK (ebook/ebrochure) for a local company. This local company is aiming to sell themselves and their products to other local companies.
One thing I would like to add is that since designing this, I have also been designing a magazine cover for a company in Shanghai. It never fails to amaze me how someone with little/no design knowledge insists on something that is going to look visually awful!
I quite like this EBK. There are some minor changes I would have liked to change - but in general, it's pretty good!
Enjoy!

KINETIC TYPE

2014-02-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

I am currently reexploring my passion for type and flash. Today I have created another video but this time I have managed to upload it to YouTube.
I just want to say that when designing this video, the type was in sync with the song. However, when I exported this file to a .MOV, it seemed to have seriously lagged.
Try your best to ignore the lagging and focus on the beautiful type!
Xiexie / Thank you.

KINETIC TYPE

2014-02-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

Click here to view my latest attempt at using Flash. This didn't take as long as I thought that it would.

The website used is a saviour for showing off Flash (SWF) files, however, I have noticed that it does cause a bit of a lag making it stick.

The singer is the fantastic, Tori Fuson who also wrote this absolute tune. Be sure to follow her on Facebook by clicking on her name below.

Tori's Facebook

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

TASCHEN - FLASH MOVIE

2014-02-06T03:48:00.000-08:00

During my third year of university I wanted to try and be as diverse as possible. One area in which I struggled with the most was Flash. I still struggle with Flash enourmously, but surprinsingly I managed to pull it out of the bag and create a visual performance of how an iPad App would work.
I decided to pick Tachen (book publishers). I hope you enjoy it!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

CAFFI CWTCH

2014-02-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

I always try my best to support any local and independent shops that open up on the high street.
In Newport, there is a new cafe near the train station called, 'Caffi Cwtch' (Translates from Welsh to English as Cuddle Cafe).
Caffi Cwtch is perfect for me. It's a local coffee shop, they sell Welsh products and it's convenient. However, their design is not as impressive.
Caffi Cwtch's logo is simply a red background with their name in a very basic font (looks somewhat like Times New Roman). It doesn't stand out at all and it doesn't make itself look that appealing to new customers.

Logo
I quickly knocked up this design and I actually really like it. I decided to stick to the red theme (represents Wales) and to keep it simple and basic as obviously the owners of Caffi Cwtch would want it to be basic. The font used is probably one of my all time favourite fonts, it's called Stainy Personal Use only
I think this logo just screams individuality, sophistication and being unique.
I also did a copy in black and white to see what it looks like if it were to be actually used.

Poster/Leaflet
As this is a local cafe in the heart of Newport, I wanted to include typical Newport humour into this design. I believe that appealing to the local audience and what they like will only be beneficial to the local cafe and its profits.
I think the posters/leaflets could even span out to be their own advertising campaign by capturing popular and local sayings and including the word 'cwtch' into it. I've actually seen birthday cards in a few shops in Cwmbran and Newport that focus on popular sayings/films and turning them into an inside Welsh joke, such as, "Cwtch me if you can."

I hope you all enjoy it!

TRUTH.

2014-01-03T15:45:00.001-08:00

I have been on the prowl for some new fonts and have found some beautiful and trendy fonts.
My personal favourite is called, 'Stainy'. Stainy is the first and last font used on the collage below. I find that it looks quite 1950's America/ Coca-cola/ Pop art.
Enjoy the collection of my favourite fonts at the moment.

Fonts in order from top to bottom (Click to download)

Stainy

American Typewriter

ArmenianCircus

CoffeeTin

VIETNAM & SHANGHAI

2014-01-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

I have redesigned the Shanghai ebook page. I haven't done any major changes except the colour scheme. I felt as if red symbolised China perfectly, however I don't think it looked as pleasing as it could have done.
I played around with the colour scheme and decided to stick to the main colour scheme which is a warming green. I will be using this colour throughout the ebook.
See the pictures below.

Also, I designed the page for Vietnam. It is pretty much the same as the Shanghai and the Malaysia pages with the same colour scheme and the same layout.
Of course, there will be some tweaks - but here is the page so far!

SHANGHAI EBOOK

2014-01-01T11:23:00.006-08:00

Continuing on with my very own ebook of the 2013, I have done a page which focuses on Shanghai.
Again, this is still not 100% complete. I normally have to leave some designing for a while and then come back to it and make some tweaks.
Here is what I've come up with so far.
Click to make bigger.

So I have included 4 different coloured lines on the image page. The reason on why I did this was to show the audience my overal opinions on Shanghai in a visual manner. The bars are colour coded and represents a different aspect of the city i.e. transportation, cleanliness...

Additionally, I have stuck with the same 3 fonts, code (light and bold), helvetica and prisma black. The colour scheme for this page is red, naturally. Red symbolizes good luck and wealth in Chinese culture.

Enjoy!

TRAVELLERS EBOOK - MALAYSIA

2013-12-30T11:33:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in an earlier post, I want to make a small and personal ebook in which I can showcase some of the international designs I have found across the world. Also, I wanted to make an ebook so I can show family/friends pictures and information about my travels.
Here is the first page I have designed. I am at the first ideas stage at the moment so I probably will be editing as I go along.
This page is for Malaysia. A great country filled with wonderful people.
The screen on my Mac has smashed so I can only see about 50% of my screen. Forgive any mistakes etc... (I'm working on getting a new Mac)
As always, click to make bigger!

Colour Scheme
The colour scheme on this book is going to be a nice, rich teal. I have found that teal is becoming more and more popular to use, along side some modern looking fonts. I have kept it minimal for the time being and I quite like it. I think the mixture of fonts I have used are great. P.S. The colours don't show up as nice as they do when they're on my Photoshop. My guess is that once saved as a JPEG, the colours aren't as strong.
Download the fonts below.
Stay tuned for more developments!

TWO THOUSAND AND THIRTEEN.

2013-12-28T06:15:00.000-08:00

2013 has been a super year for me. I've learnt so much, achieved so much and accomplished so much.
I have travelled to a few of my bucket list places which include, Malaysia, Thailand, China and Hong Kong.
To celebrate this great year, I am going to be creating a small and personal e-book in which showcases my year via the pictures I took.
Here is the front cover I designed last night. More to follow...
Click to make bigger and to view in HQ.

ART o'CLOCK

2013-12-27T05:42:00.000-08:00

Now, I love art. To me, design and art go hand in hand. I can't decide which one I like best. But when you're living in a world where design is absolutely everywhere around us, it does get hard to notice and appreciate some of the finer things in life, art.
I'm on instagram, mainly for the art. I like to follow people who don't just upload 'selfies' but also who like to showcase their talents.
I wanted to showcase the talent of someone that I follow. His name is Hau Ma and his drawings are probably the most beautiful I've ever seen. Definitely follow this man on instagram if you're interested at all in art. Hau Ma even does short videos on how to draw a certain object.
Enjoy these, guys. Beautiful!

To follow Hau Ma on instagram, search: @hau_ma
And to follow me on instagram, search: @garuff

HOW IMPORTANT IS A FONT? very.

2013-12-27T05:17:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone reading this.
I decided to quickly show how important choosing the right font is. If you get the wrong font, you're in jeopardy of ruining your design.
Here are the visuals I've made to show you. (Click to make bigger)

The Comic Sans
Those two words that scare any graphic designer, 'Comic Sans'. You would be surprised to know how many times I have seen this font over the past month or two in the build up of Christmas.
I actually think, personal opinions on the font aside, this isn't too bad. It suits the target audience and looks somewhat ok. Naturally, it wouldn't be my first font to use.

The Helvetica
That one word every designer likes to hear, 'Helvetica'. Helvetica is a tricky and complicated font. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It all depends on what you need it for. For this, it doesn't work at all. It's not a festive font and nor does it fit in with the colour scheme and design going on around it.

The Cast Iron
It's no secret that I like Circus Fonts. Circus fonts are just so versitile. They can be black and white, pink, orange... you name it. I decided to try the Cast Iron font for this quick mess around and I am pleased with the results.

So, how important is a font? Very important. Pick wisely and don't always stick to Helvetica.

EAST VS WEST - 'GOOD DESIGN'

2013-12-27T04:32:00.000-08:00

I have just moved back to the UK after living in China for almost a year and a half.
Even though sometimes working 12 hour days for 6 days a week, I would still find time to include design into my life.
I lived near Shanghai so finding my fix of international design wasn't too much of a challenge.
I did however notice the huge differences between the east and the west in terms of what they both consider, 'good design'.
I feel as if in the west, especially the UK, white is alright. How often do we see successful pieces of art or design that is one big cluttered mess? Not since the early 90's. I feel as if in the UK, if you want to get noticed, be as minimal as possible when it comes to your designs, pick a good font and you're laughing.
In contrast, I noticed that China is toying between being minimal but also embracing full on clutterness and surprisingly, it works.
I have found some examples in which reflect the traditional modernness of the new and up and coming Chinese design field which can be viewed below.

Typical Chinese design examples

Typical British design examples

Review:

As you can see, the major differences between the two is; colour, space and font.

I personally think that British design is one of the leaders in the world, and I am expecting the British design industry to take huge influence from Chinese design. As we all know, China is taking over the world, and that includes the design world, too.
I think it's only a matter of time before the western design world begins to mimik some of the way that the Chinese designers work by being more bold, making a statement and breaking the minimalistic rules.

MOCK UP.

2013-12-27T04:06:00.000-08:00

This post is continuing on from the previous post below, about Indoor Air Pollution.
The brief stated they just wanted some info-graphics on the facts and figures on indoor air pollution and gave me full control over how I showed this.
I did two versions for this brief and allowed the company to pick whichever one they liked the most.
Here are the two versions I designed.
Please click on the images to view them in more detail.

Version 1

Version 2

Review:

So I think the biggest difference here is the colour scheme. I personally enjoy seeing info-graphics that only contains one or two colours. I enjoy this because it gives you more control over what you want the audience to see first. By changing the gradient, opacity and the size, you are creating a statement using just a few basic colours. However, I do enjoy info-graphics that contain a lot of colour as it is more visually pleasing to the audience. Having said that, the designer should always be cautious when using a full range of colours as it can also detract and take away from the overall meaning.

Result:

The company I designed this info-graphics for enjoyed both versions, but felt as if their brand was a modern and colourful one. The company decided to pick the second design which I agree suits their company more.

Discuss:

One thing I have noticed since designing is, what the customer wants isn't always what the designer wants. Designers are told to stay away from 'Comic Sans' and to be cautious of too much colour from their very first day at university... but since doing more and more freelance work, the design's eventually need to reflect what the company wants, whether or not the designer approves or not is a different story.

INFOGRAPHICS: INDOOR AIR POLLUTION

2013-07-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

So as the regular readers are aware, I have moved to Wuxi, China to teach English for a year to gain experience and something to add to my C.V. Just because I've moved abroad, it doesn't mean that I have forgotten about design. I am currently working with an independent design company doing some volunteer work and have produced some beautiful infographics. Here is one that the company really liked. Beautiful, easy to understand and straight to the point!

Hope you enjoy!

PANTONE OVERLOAD

2013-03-27T04:04:00.003-07:00

Ever wanted to remember your favourite Pantone colour but cant? With these handy new inventions its even easier to do so -

MISC.

2012-10-27T05:12:00.000-07:00

In the past month I have moved from the UK to China to teach. I live in a small (5 million people) city called, Wuxi near Shanghai.
Therefore, this has been the reason why I haven't posted for quite a while. I do intend to continue my regular posts with photography, graphics, arts, typography and any misc posts.
Here are some nice photos I've captured over the past few months.
Enjoy!

HONG KONG & AUSTRALIA

2012-03-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

I have been away for a while in Hong Kong and Australia and have taken some stunning photos.
Lay your eyes on these bad boys. (click to view in better quality)
Hong Kong

KEEP CALM & CARRY ON.

2012-01-07T09:35:00.000-08:00

I havent posted for months I know, I have just been so busy with work and seeing my friends and family I haven't got round to it, but that doesn't mean I haven't done any graphics work.
I am a fan of Coldplay, but I'm more a fan of their latest album work, Xylo Myloto (see below). I love the fonts and I love the mash of colours and the entire collage feel to the album.
I have been casually playing around with their fonts and the use of colours and ended up with this, just a bit of experimenting with a new ray of fonts.

EXTERNAL PROJECT

2011-10-06T03:26:00.000-07:00

In Uni I handed in a batch of projects in this book. Here is the post I did a few months back showing this, click HERE to see it. I made this book by printing out the pages in order and then binding it together, I think it was the first book I ever made whilst including my work on it. Enjoy!

Open publication - Free publishing - More art

CARDIFF BAY ONLINE BROCHURE

2011-10-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More cardiff

I decided to put all the pages from my Cardiff Bay book together on an online publication. Click HERE to see the final outcome in print form. I did one in Welsh, will probably do a Welsh version of the online publication in the coming days! Hope you enjoy.

MAGAZINE COVER & CONTENT

2011-10-04T15:22:00.000-07:00

Like you may or may not know, I am doing some work experience for a Japanese magazine. They asked me to do a piece on Britain (anything I liked) and decided to do it on The Great British Summer (?). I'm not too sure what I think of these and even if it makes much sense but my internet wasn't working over the weekend so just messed about with different styles and took some pictures in the fields by my house.

Hope you enjoy!

2011-09-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

STATS & FACTS

Was a bit bored earlier so decided to put some good fonts to use and did some infographics. Only took me about 20-30 mins so nothing too special or serious. I am aware it doesn't look great on the home page but just click the image so it can be seen in its original size!