Design Context

You can tell that this publication is coated, because of the shimmer on the pages when photographed. Even though the photographer has lit the pages in such a way that almost removes all that shine, you can still see it on the inside edges of the pages which proves that the pages have been coated. The paper also looks smooth and glossy to touch - you can't really see any texture in the paper. Coating the paper in the publication will help to look after the pages over many uses of the book, and also helps to make the photographs look authentic and even vintage (in the sense that photos used to always be printed onto glossy photo paper).

Coated & uncoated stock used in Branding & Identity

The stock for the business cards themselves looks quite matte and textured, in other words uncoated. However the words "hidden creative" have a shiny surface that is reflecting the light off of it. This is because it has been UV coated (referring to surface treatments which either are cured by ultraviolet radiation, or protect the underlying material from its harmful effects). The UV coating looks a bit like spot varnishing in it's finish. Another positive of using UV coating is that it dries almost instantaneously when placed in UV lighting. Using the coating on the typography will give the brand a feel of being more high-end and luxurious. This is rather like spot varnishing.

Uncoated stock used in Packaging & Promotion

The stock for this Italian Herb Kit has been chosen for the fact that it is uncoated, matte and textured - this relates to the earthly feel of the product and "getting back to nature" when you grow your products. The uncoated feel to the stock also helps the product feel natural, recyclable and as though it has come from a sustainable resource. If the designer had chosen to coat the material, the product would instantly lose it's effect and seem mass produced, un-biodegradable and unnatural.

Uncoated stock use in Information & Wayfinding

The information needed to find your way around this spa has been painted onto the walls of the spa interior. I'd say that this is a way of producing way-finding that is uncoated, because the paint has been applied to the walls surface, which will be matte and textured, and the paint itself doesn't look glossy, from the photographs. This would be an interesting way of producing way-finding for a brand, and is also eco friendly in the fact that they won't use loads of plastic materials to create bulky objects of information to be screwed onto the walls. It would probably be quite cheap to produce as well, yet it leaves you feeling as though the experience in the spa is unique as it's quite an uncommon technique.

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Examples of Embossing / Debossing:

Embossing is the process in which paper has been raised against the background. Debossing is the process in which paper has been recessed from the material (sunken into it), but may have some sort of raised relief on the reverse side.

Embossing used in Branding & Identity

The business cards have had the logo blind-embossed into them (the use of embossing without any addition of colour), which will make the end user interact with the texture and feel of the embossed logo on the card. The cards have also been cut into triangles, which is extremely unusual for business cards - this will help to make the brand stand out from their competitors and hopefully encourage the receiver of the card to keep it as a piece of design to appreciate, rather than just another business card to throw away once they're home. I quite like this idea - I don't particularly like the design aesthetic of the logo or typeface used, but the concept behind it is really appealing.

Debossing used in Branding & Identity

This particular business card intrigued me, because of the debossing used for the logo as well as the diffraction foil fore-edge printing process used on the outside edges of the business cards - this type of foiling creates the rainbow effect that you can see across the cards. I think these are really interesting and well made business cards, and certainly stand out from competitors as I've never seen this used before. I like how the logo has been debossed in a way that makes the H and the J stand out from the debossed circle background. This makes it seem like they have both debossed and embossed the logo. I also noticed that the information on the reverse side of the business card has been debossed as well as foiled - colour debossing. The foiling on the outside makes the cards look almost like glass / holographs when stacked on top of one another.

Embossing used in Packaging & Promotion

Embossing has been used in this 'Kokosboller' packaging as a form of illustrative decoration. It works well, because it helps make the food look appealing to whoever picks up the packaging - consumers buy into how packaging looks, and if a product looks like the packaging was expensive than the consumer will believe that the product inside will be of higher quality and better taste.

Embossing and Debossing used in Publishing & Editorial

The letters were mirrored exactly on the back cover of the book as on the front cover. The front cover was blind debossed and the back cover blind embossed to give the impression of the text having been 'pushed' through the book. The designer says that this ties in with an element of the story in which a man becomes locked in a room and bangs for help on the door, leaving a hand print that would be 'pushed' through. I think that this is a good example of embossing and debossing, as it relates to a clever concept and isn't being used only for aesthetic reasons. 

Embossing used in Information & Way-finding

I couldn't find any way-finding designs that used embossing or debossing, so resulted in trying to find something that showed an example of information and came across this calendar. I'd say that this is a form of information design, as it gives you information on the days of the month. The use of embossing has been brought into the design in an interesting manner, as it outlines the generic shape of each VW car. I think they decided to use blind embossing, as the car could be any colour - it seems as though they've left the certain components in colour because of the fact that they probably don't change colour from car to car, for example soft top cars always seem to use black soft top material.

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Examples of Foiling:

Foiling is a decorative type of finishing, where the end product looks shiny, has a waxy feel to it, and almost looks as though it has been spot varnished. However, you can foil in any colour under the sun!

Foiling used in Branding & Identity

Alan Flatt (the owner of this business card) specialises in print finishes and processes, such as foiling, so the fact that his business card has been produced using the types of processes that he can do helps give the audience an understanding of what they could be working with. I thought that it was an interesting concept for a business card, as it is more like a CV in the way that they show the different processes that he can do on separate pages that fold out from one another. But the booklet is still business card size, so it won't be annoying to carry about and could still slot into your purse / wallet.

Foiling used in Packaging & Promotion

Foiling used in packaging, especially food products and wines, makes the end product seem luxurious and expensive. The use of gold foiling adds a sense of richness to the product, as the viewer will associate the colour gold with money and riches or even royalty. I think that foiling, when used appropriately, can really add to designs and make something look so much better than it actually is! With this wine stickering, it helps that the gold foiling hasn't been used in abundance and the designer has selectively chosen which parts of the decoration will be foiled.

Foiling used in Publishing & Editorial

The use of foiling in this publication works well, because they have considered the colour and how it will interact with the other colours of the page. I was attracted to this particular design, because the user hasn't used gold or silver foiling and has gone for a pink foiling instead which is unusual. I noticed that most examples of foiling have been produced with gold or silver. I also liked how they only foiled the title on the front cover, and didn't go over the top with it.

Foiling used in Information & Way-finding

I couldn't find anything that was foiled in this sector... This could be due to the fact that foiling could be distracting and unnecessary for information and way-finding to be read and understood - it is more of an aesthetic and decorative design choice, than something needed to give information.

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Summary of Finishing Processes:

I've found that most of the time it was quite hard to find examples of finishes used within certain areas of Graphic Design, for example when it came to finding foiling used in Information & Way-finding, it was impossible! I found nothing! However, when it comes to Branding & Identity, you can literally find every finishing process under the sun - this is probably due to the fact that designers want to show off when it comes to talking about themselves and promoting their work. They want to stand out from their competitors and make the clients remember them and feel confident when hiring them. Packaging & Promotion design also comes across the use of finishing across their products - this will come from a similar idea to branding. The brand want their product to sell, so will try lots of different relevant finishes to make their product stand out amongst the rest.

Finishing processes are definitely used for aesthetic reasons and to decorate a design. This isn't a bad thing, as the design is meant to attract your eye and be aesthetically pleasing, just as long as there is also a good design concept behind it all too!