Brochure layout -1st draft

This is the first draft of the brochure layout, keeping true to the simplistic and efficient style of my graphic inspirations. When I start rendering my products and have all my shots, I will likely have to create more space for the product shots so this layout will change through time. The text will be descriptions of the products and a description of the range itself.

The brochure will be split into 3 categories of furniture; dining tables, coffee tables and seating. I believe this will allow me to have enough variety of designs to create an interesting brochure.

My brand - Locus

This is my brand, it will be called the 'Locus Range'.  Locus is the Latin translation for 'space' so I believe this is quite a fitting title for my furniture range. The Latin phrase adds a certain elegance to the brand and will appeal to the audience I am trying to reach.

The colour scheme will be an off colour dark grey and white. Not fully black and white.

The logo itself exemplifies the nature of the furniture, giving the text plenty of room to breath within the box. In the future the brand may go through further iteration and I will produce a style sheet of the brand.

Front page of the brochure

Branding - Mood board

The final product of this project will be a brochure that markets the products. The graphic style of the brochure will compliment the minimalist style of the furniture itself.


I collected these brochures as inspiration for my own brochure. They all have simple layouts and minimal colour palettes. This kind of style seems to lend itself well to advertising products and property. To make my products viable I have to advertise them in a contemporary fashion.

Chair / shelf concept

The process of getting the materials and lighting right. At the beginning the black material was too grey and the scene overall was too bright. By making adjustments to the lighting and material settings the desired look was achieved through multiple iterations. 

Coffee table/ seat concept

Different materials and colour schemes will be considered for the final shot/s. Also I may model a more cushioned seat but I want to keep the straight lines. This is keeping more in line with the minimalist theme.

Refining materials and placing model in studio

There was too much noise within these materials and I didn't want the material to be so grainy. 

Close up of the material. I wanted my material to have more of a matte finish and more reflective.

With more work on the materials I achieved the look I was after; a matte finish with slight reflectivity. When it comes to the final shot/s the lighting will be more refined as well as the camera angle and the actual model.

Furniture CGI test

This was a quick model to demonstrate the idea of space saving furniture. These coffee tables sit inside each other but can be separated out for more table space.

I may use this piece in the final brochure.

CGI studios

I created these studios in Cinema 4D with a range of materials that attempt to emulate the contemporary studios. These studios will be used with my furniture designs although the lighting and camera angles will likely change to suit each individual product.

How minimalist furniture is shot

It is important I understand how minimalist furniture is presented and what kind of studio best complements the simple lines of minimalist furniture.
I looked at a range of products and there is a common trend throughout; the products are shot in very simple environments. The kind of environments that mimic the design of the actual product; sparse, simple and not much colour.
The use of props is also used sparingly. There is none of very little adornments that are used with the product. I believe this minimalist approach focuses the viewers attention on the products as there is very little distractions in the scene.

The most common materials used in these scenes are bare wood floors, polished concrete and white paint.

I will try to emulate these scenes in terms of materials,lighting and atmosphere.

Furniture sketches

Furniture mood board

This is the type of furniture I want to model. Minimalist, monochrome and simple, with an emphasis on saving space within the home. Although I am moving away from the student market the focus of this project is still saving space and designing the most efficient furniture possible.
The furniture I will be designing will likely slot into each other or become stackable. When the furniture is in it's 'stacked' mode the object itself will still be aesthetically beautiful.
The furniture will resemble high end designer products.

Slight change of direction

•I initially was trying to solve the issue of storage and space within a student house.

•I had planned on designing and modelling furniture that included clever storage designs for

students.

•I found it difficult to come up with a genuine idea that marketed furniture to students as buying

furniture as a student is not commonplace. 

What I plan to do next:

•I now plan to design and market a range of minimalist furniture to young professionals. 

•This furniture will focus on saving space within in the home.

•It will be presented in a printed brochure.

•The brochures design will mimic the minimalist, sophisticated design of the furniture

Narrowing down the problem

The list of previous problems were too varied and most of them didn't apply to me so I thought it best to narrow down the problem area to something that affected me personally.

I live in a student house with several room mates and this can lead to a number of problems and issues. I asked my room mates to list any problems they felt existed around the house.


•Can’t put pictures up on the walls
•Hard to personalise.
•Can be pokey with a lot of people
•Room mates not doing dishes
•Room mates eating using other people’s butter, milk etc
•Redundant space in the house
•Not enough storage space
•No space for drying clothing in doors
•People not closing doors behind them, wasting heat
•People leaving lights and appliances on, wasting electricity.
•Can’t skateboard in the house.
•Stair way too dark, alternative lighting
•Can’t see whether the heat is on quickly.
•House gets messy after a social gathering.

After I had a list of problems I wanted to find out which problem was most prevalent. I made this chart to narrow down my choice.

It was clear that redundant space and lack of storage was the biggest issue. In a small house with several people the available space affects everything. As each student has their own food,cutlery,plates,glasses etc the communal living spaces can quickly become cluttered. 

Solving this problem will lead to a better living environment