Sketchbook page

Logo Design on Bottle Experimentation 25/08/23

I decided to try etching the logo onto a glass to get a feel for how it would look and whether it could be done the same as the logo design. I looked at the best ways to try placing the design on the glass, finding it easiest to tape the design to the inside of the glass. I realise this won't be possible on the gin bottles due to the neck, however, it has been useful to practice getting the technique right.

The design came out really well and shows up great on the glass. I realised I would have to edit the leaves on the 'C' as these are very small and cannot get the same level of detail as I could in the digital logo designs.

My biggest concern for the final etching of the gin bottles is how to trace the designs onto the bottles if I cannot have the design on the inside. I tried transferring the design on using tracing paper but due to the smoothness of the glass the pen would not transfer onto it. The next thing I will try is to have a paper design over the glass and try etching through the paper onto the glass so that I have an outline. If this doesn't work I may consider trying to create a template by cutting out the outline from paper - this may work better for the illustrations than for the text.

I would be able to freehand the design in permanent marker and then etch over it, however, this would mean that the logo and text may look slightly different on the four bottles. I aim to get them looking accurate so that when displayed they look professional and show it is all for the same brand.

Bottle proportions 21/08/23

After looking at the etching done at Dartington Crystal I saw how the look of the illustrations changed depending on what was on the back of the bottle.

I need the text to be easy to read and stand out, therefore it has to be bold while also being the right size to be fully readable from the front of the bottle.

I took the measurements of the bottle, placing them onto a flat surface so I could see the template I've got to work with for both the text and illustration. I have decided not to include the neck of the bottle in this template.

Proportions:

height total = 146mm

height (not including ridges) = 139mm

circumference of bottle = 280mm

Visible front area (including curve) = 120mmx139mm

visible front area = 90x139mm

The text and main details should stay in the visual front area, whereas the illustrations will be able to go across the visual front area (including curve) and break the grid. I will need to test the etched design layout with both the lighting and liquid to see how they fit. Once I know what works on one bottle the proportions of the other three should be very similar.

I have eight gin bottles in total to work with. Four of these will make up the final presented designs and at least one other should be left in case of damage or large etching mistakes. This leaves three bottles for layout experimentation and development. As well as the Gin bottles I have other glasses to practice the process of etching on and build my confidence using the tools.