Kelly Hughes
Fashion & Textiles MA
Brand Design, Business Cards
OVERVIEW
Kelly Hughes is a Fashion and Textile MA participant at the University of Portsmouth. They required a visual identity to create consistency across their printed materials as they presented their work for final submission. Kelly’s work is a blend of craft, sustainability and feminist narratives and pushes back against fast fashion by embracing imperfection and inviting community collaboration.
I worked with Kelly to create a personal brand that told the story of Kelly’s MA journey which centred around sustainability, gendered stereotypes and constant creative experimentation.
OBJECTIVE
Kelly’s MA encompassed a huge body of work, research, creative methods and the development of a unique style. Sustainability and reusing materials had become a core pillar in the project's story as preloved garments and waste material were used as symbols of opportunities for resistance, innovation and self-expression.
Kelly required a logo and business card for an upcoming show but wanted something that reflected her commitment to sustainability and the theme of making something new from something discarded. It also had to differentiate her from the other students she was exhibiting with and be memorable enough for potential collaborators to be intrigued by.
PROCESS
We began to build the visual identity for Kelly by looking at the tools used with fashion design, including swatch collections and rings. We also discussed creating fabric cards with either embossed or screen-printed details but quickly established the scale would cause legibility issues and too many variations to control during production.
We also took stock of the types of waste materials Kelly often worked with or was left with after a project, and discovered scraps of denim that are trimmed during assembly are one of the biggest by-products left from the creative process.
OUTCOME
Combining the idea of the fabric swatch with a business card, we decided to create simple business cards that incorporated scraps of denim from Kelly’s work process and frame them with her details.
This created a unique business card that felt in line with her MA and work values and also stood out and created interest through the combination of materials.
The design itself focussed on using white space to frame the fabric sample and the contact details.
We wanted to build in a utilitarian feel as the project had originated from looking at chores and domestic labour. To weave this in we selected a monospace type but customised letterforms for softer curves to humanise the final look.
All elements are then assembled within a tight grid structure that interacts with the staples used to fasten the swatch, helping the design feel compact.
Results
Each card is unique and is an embodiment of the values of Kelly’s work. The visual identity of the business card has since been extended into the final portfolio materials for the MA resolution, an upcoming website and other collateral designed to support and celebrate Kelly’s work.
Post MA, the visual identity we’ve started to create here can be expanded and developed into a personal brand that supports Kelly’s career post MA and helps her establish herself as a voice within the industry.
Tools: InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop
Image by Dr Gul Kaner
