Finding the One
In my last Blog post I talked about current trends in Cricket Bat stickers and how there was a following towards certain shapes and lettering. If you’ve been keeping up with the Cricket Originals Instagram feed you’ll have seen lots of mock ups of different sticker ideas that I’ve been playing with, be it super modern embossed branding, multi coloured geometric cut out patterns or retro style stamps. One underlying theme with the designs is something that I’ve always tried to keep to that it is original. What do I mean by that?
When I say original you might instantly think that it means being unique, a one-off, new. When I think of original I think about original values and beliefs in the design, about going back to move forward. Examining what makes a design great and how can I use that to enhance my thoughts and designs? I want to create designs that feel authentic, like they’ve always been around and are not just my version of a current trend.
So in the quest to create a Cricket Originals bat sticker I’ve looked at many different things for inspiration, from cars to boxes, from beer bottles to shop signs and of course cricket bat graphics old and new. I’ve also looked at how the design is going to sit on the bat and how that might effect the design process. This last part is particularly important as there are different sides to the bat and very different shapes and sizes for the sticker.
Normally there are a combination of 3 stickers: The face, the top of the spine and the toe. Usually all 3 will match in style and colour with the two larger stickers (Face/Top) containing the brand and the model of bat whilst the toe will be a brand logo.
Firstly, I looked at trying to create a single sticker that wrapped around the bat from front to back but whilst the face of the bat is flat the back is a curved surface which can create an optical illusion making some straight lines appear curved or misshapen.
With the edge of the bat also tapering towards the handle this meant a single wraparound sticker would be too tricky to pull off. Hmmm, back to the drawing board...
So, 3 stickers. 3 stickers that all fit together in style but that are different shapes and sizes.
Inspiration
Style-wise, what I wanted was a simple authentic look, something that fits with the other Cricket Originals designs but is different from other bat branding out there. I looked towards what made certain designs work, their shapes, colours, typography and logo layout.
I went back to look at old cricket bats such as 1970’s Slazengers and 1980’s Symmonds. They had a simple flat look that worked well and used basic colours to keep a clean considered look.
I looked at cut outs and transparency and how letters, numbers and shapes were layered over different surfaces. Beer bottles and food jars have to convey their branding over a curved surface and racing cars often carry multiple branding and numbers all across the same space. How would a longer thinner logo, such as one across the toe of the bat be shaped?
As with all my designs I looked at peeling back the layers of a design and trying to simplify it so that only the essentials were needed. Block colours, clean shapes and simple typography making it legible at any angle and distance. Something authentic and classic but above all something original.
Next Blog Post - This is The One
