For this project I was asked to create a pattern inspired by a fruit or vegetable, design a bag to be made with my own fabric, and a tag system to use with my bag.
I started off by drawing various fruits and vegetables. I gravitated towards one that would inspire the rest of my project; a radish. I loved the bright red base with the beautiful green leaves spouting from the top. I started to try different ways of communicating the radish's form.
At first I did some basic sketches of the general shapes, then cut paper with ink outlines (left), and finally watercolor and ink (center and right).
I was also really inspired by old California produce packaging and branding. The colors and typography used by many of the brands I had seen have a distinct look and style that I always equate with fresh produce and home.
When I started thinking of where my bags would be sold and how they would be used I began to think of my home town and my family. As a child, I spent a lot of time outside in the vineyards or in my grandparent's garden. My grandmother has a never ending supply of baskets that we would use to go and collect berries and vegetables. This inspired me to make a smaller basket-like bag for transporting one's vegetables. I also chose to play up the small town vibe and shop local attitude I grew accustomed to growing up. I decided that my bags would be marketed towards locals, would be sold in smaller local shops, and have a percentage of the purchase go back to the community. In theory, this would be one of several items sold all with the idea of supporting the community.
For my tag system I chose to create three separate tags. One saying "Grow", another saying "Buy Local", and a third that is a packet of radish seeds. To create these I used brown butcher paper and handmade stamps to create a more down to earth, crafty effect. They were then strung around the handle of my bad with a simple piece of string.
