BRAND + PRODUCT DESIGN
The Postcode Shop
ORIGINS OF CONCEPT
The inception of the idea took root in New Farm, where the business owner, residing and engaging in daily activities, identified a unique market opportunity. The vision was to enable locals to proudly showcase their suburb allegiance through wearable expressions.
FONT SELECTION + CUSTOMISATION
Choosing a font marked the initial step, but the journey delved deeper into the intricacies of typography. Recognising that typography goes beyond uniform letters and sizing, each letter and number underwent individual rendering and spacing for every postcode. This meticulous process ensured a consistent and distinctive look across the entire range, culminating in the creation of a bespoke, brand-specific font.
DESIGN DIRECTION
Craig provided precise guidance on the typography he envisioned for his brand. All our designs, ranging from the logo to individual suburb initials and numerals, were rooted in the Athletic Font. His clarity extended to the choice of blue, specifying the exact shade he desired.
EMBRACING SIMPLICITY
Craig’s design philosophy is encapsulated in the word “simple.” He sought a cohesive solution throughout, emphasising uniformity. Interestingly, the hat design took precedence, almost dictating the logo’s form. Craig’s clear vision for the product directly influenced the overall aesthetic, showcasing a seamless integration of design elements.
Craig envisioned a specific ideal client for his unisex style product, emphasising a clip fastening and a keyhole for ponytail convenience on the back of the hat. The challenge arose when we discovered variations in bill sizes and aimed for consistency in colour under the bill, aligning with the cap. Additional criteria included avoiding seam tape and ensuring the eyelets matched the cap colour.
The Postcode Shop Colour Choices
The product’s colour range encompassed white, hot pink, navy, and black. Choosing thread colours that matched the available cap colours posed a challenge, as the caps were not coloured to Pantone standards. Despite limited options, we meticulously selected thread colours for each cap to achieve the best results
User Experiences (UX) Road Testing
Road Testing for Comfort
To ensure long-lasting comfort and ease of use, we extensively road-tested various styles, refining the design for optimal wearability.
Small Business Challenges
Typograph
Challenges
While the typography style was based on Athletic, using a combination of letters and numerals without adjustments proved impractical, which is quite common for designers, but unexpected to clients. Each design required individual adjustments to letter size and spacing due to the non-uniform profile of each letter and number.
This process of font customisation allows us to tailor the typeface to meet specific design requirements and achieve a unique visual identity while building upon an existing font as a foundation.
Embroidery
Challenges
Embroidering an existing hat design presented difficulties, especially with caps constructed from six pieces, causing a line through the middle of the embroidery. While flat swatch samples appeared perfect, experimenting with various embroidery services revealed challenges in achieving consistent centering.
Local
Production:
Despite Craig’s preference for Australian production, challenges arose. Outsourcing embroidery overseas for a more streamlined process meant sacrificing the production of caps within Australia, leading to a loss of quality control over the final product.
It’s important to acknowledge the unexpected hurdles we faced in ensuring Craig’s vision for his product aligned seamlessly with quality and comfort standards.
