Patch Design

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SDelSignore
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Patch Design

Post by SDelSignore »

How big are the patches people design? Are they designing beforehand or at camp? Some seem really well done!
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Re: Patch Design

Post by p51 »

Generally, you're expected to do the design while you're there, on a piece of letter-sized cardstock. Someone does the design and then it gets turned in. You'll probably never see it again after that, so make sure everyone on your team takes all the photos they want of it before it gets turned in.
The key to good patch design is NOT to put too many elements into it. Really, I'd say no more than 3 elements if they truly work together. It's a logo design, not the Bayeux Tapestry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayeux_Tapestry
Frankly, I think the patch design needs to be put off as long you can, because if its done too early, you lose the chance to put in elements that really speak to your team and the experience.
It can also get ugly. One year, everyone wanted whatever random element they thought was 'cool' and after I'd volunteered to do the patch, I waited them out and pretty much did my original idea. I did use elements that would work among suggestions. But we'd had the patch discussion almost right away. Nobody knew anyone else, nothing had happened yet, and the 'discussion' got downright comical. We wound up winning the patch design anyway but we never would have had I not stuck to my guns (so to speak) on that. It wasn't exactly my finest moment.
But if you have a good team, the patch almost designs itself, I've found, if you have someone with good design and artistic skills.
Also, I'd recommend bringing a cheap set of colored pencils and a sharpie marker with a narrow and broad tip at each end. You can never count on getting decent supplies to render the patch with, regardless who draws it.
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Re: Patch Design

Post by SDelSignore »

Thanks for the info!
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Re: Patch Design

Post by Hotdog »

Pretty much everything Lee said. One more tip, draw your design as large as you can on the paper or cardstock you're given. Bigger is better, it will help your team stand out amongst the others who may work smaller (you will be competing against the other teams for Best Patch Design award).

If you find yourself in a situation where your team is wanting to throw everything and the kitchen sink into the design, have some favorite patches picked out and ready to show as examples. Remind them of the KISS rule (Keep It Simple Stupid) :D Have fun and be sure to incorporate an original element or idea that represents your team, mission, slogan, inside joke, etc that sets you apart from the other teams if you want bonus points!
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Re: Patch Design

Post by p51 »

Hotdog wrote:Pretty much everything Lee said. One more tip, draw your design as large as you can on the paper or cardstock you're given. Bigger is better, it will help your team stand out amongst the others who may work smaller (you will be competing against the other teams for Best Patch Design award).
Good point, one I hadn't thought of. In my 3 times at Space Camp, I only ever saw two other team patch designs, and one was by accident as they were passing it around at lunch time before turning it in.
Hotdog wrote:If you find yourself in a situation where your team is wanting to throw everything and the kitchen sink into the design, have some favorite patches picked out and ready to show as examples. Remind them of the KISS rule (Keep It Simple Stupid) :D
Amen, there. If you look into it, you'll find that real NASA mission patches often were a tug-of-war between people over wanting to do what I refer to as the principal of, "Ten gallons of ideas in a two-gallon bucket". Look at several of the final STS patches, several of them were comically busy, leaving you to wonder what's going on with the initial glance.
There's a reason why military unit patches are only approved after a committee review because the original concepts are usually so extremely busy that they can't be used (or understood).
Above all, don't forget, it's a design you're looking for, not an illustration!
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Re: Patch Design

Post by SpaceCanada »

Everythin they said. Simple, unique, and charismatic. When I went to camp I always brought some reference pages with various space clip art images: various angles of the shuttle, planets, other spacecraft, the ISS, etc to refer to during patch design. I had a few NASA mission patches in that pack of papers too. That really helped with the drawing part but also the design ideas. Some teams add stars for team members, others add names (first or last), some include counsellors' names, some don't. I think a good start would be to decide on which names will be used (if any), two key elements, and a shape. Then let the artist get to work, adding details as the design evolves.

I will be at corporate camp, so we designed our patch ahead of time because we all know each other. The design is very simple but the colours makes it stand out. (And they shipped yesterday - cannot wait for them to arrive!) As for size, to get the names legible, our patch is 11.5cm (4.5") diameter.
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Re: Patch Design

Post by majtom7 »

SpaceCanada wrote: (And they shipped yesterday - cannot wait for them to arrive!)

DITTO!!! :D

as a side note: Did you order Col. Hadfield's album, Space Sessions: Songs From a Tin Can?
Release date is 10/9 so more waiting (hoping to be in the lucky 500)

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-0 ... sions.html
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Re: Patch Design

Post by wxnerdjenn »

Definitely take colored pencils and/or markers. You may also want to have some shapes you could trace. We found that none of us was really artistically inclined enough to draw a circle and it took a few tries. Our drawing was about "life size" for a patch and we got to keep the original. One of our team took it home with the intention of having it made into real patches or stickers, but that was in January and we haven't heard anything else about it lol. You'll want to pick something that represents your team so it really means something to you rather than just making a cool looking design. Our bucket, as seen in my avatar, is kind of silly (well, the engines on it are quite awesome) but it really meant something to everyone (bucket list item = space camp). Creativity ftw.
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Re: Patch Design

Post by p51 »

wxnerdjenn wrote:Definitely take colored pencils and/or markers. You may also want to have some shapes you could trace. We found that none of us was really artistically inclined enough to draw a circle and it took a few tries.
I'd suggest that as most patch designs are round, grab one of the black plastic salad bowls from the cafeteria at your first meal if you have a place to stow it. That's what I used for two of my three winning patch designs...
wxnerdjenn wrote:One of our team took it home with the intention of having it made into real patches or stickers, but that was in January and we haven't heard anything else about it
That's always a crap shoot either way. I've taken it upon myself to have patches made each time I went to SC and sold them at my cost to the team later on. Last year, we had a small team and it got to be a close thing on if enough people could but into having them made to cover the minimum amount. The lowest amount most patch places can make is usually 50. I think they wound up costing about $7 each, so ten people bought into 5 patches each. It never would have worked otherwise. the previous year they were a little less through another company but I didn't like the finished product nearly as much as last year's:
Image
I also got semi-digital version of the original designs done as soon as I got home from each experience. Those are the ones in my avatar and signature line.
wxnerdjenn wrote:You'll want to pick something that represents your team so it really means something to you rather than just making a cool looking design. Our bucket, as seen in my avatar, is kind of silly (well, the engines on it are quite awesome) but it really meant something to everyone (bucket list item = space camp).
Here are some examples of this:
First year: We had three guys on the team with birthdays during or immediately before/after camp. Soemone suggested a birthday cake and I was off and running with a concept. This is very close to the idea I sketched on my note book. We were pressed for time to turn this in, so I burned this out in about 10 minutes (I got witnesses to that. Steve here on the forum watched me do it).
Image
Second year: Lots of bickering at first. I waited everyone out and went with a comment someone made about 'bucket list' being a common theme for camp. The peace symbol was something one person wanted. I didn't, but several people did, so in it went. I really had to cut out a lot of other elements that people wanted in. this patch almost never got done:
Image
Third year: All-alumni team. Pure joy, being on that team. Best SC experience I ever could have hoped for. Several people on the team knew who I was and had seen my previous work, so it seemed everyone was okay with me doing the design. I came up with this myself. We had an Australian trainer, a Japanese Doctor on the Team, and we all used the Orion trainer for the first time. I decided to go from the Aussie flag representing night, to the US flag representing... well, the US and the Japanese flag representing daybreak. I wanted to use the capsule to represent us using it as well as the Orion EFT1 test flight being readied at that moment for launch that winter. Our trainer asked we use a Kangeroo in the design, but I had the concept on my notebook (with a ballpoint pen on lined paper) already informally approved by the team. the kangaroo became a land mass, an easy decision there.

Image
FYI, the phrase at the bottom is Latin for, "Been there, done that." :mrgreen:
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Re: Patch Design

Post by majtom7 »

SDelSignore wrote: Are they designing beforehand or at camp? Some seem really well done!
I believe that the intent is that it's a team building activity. (Maybe some of the current or former counselors can chime in on that.) However, I have seen folks arrive with drafts.
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Re: Patch Design

Post by p51 »

I have a feeling that the trainers wouldn't think much of a pre-done patch design for a normal team of people who didn't know each other ahead of time. Every time I've done a patch design, I've had the trainer watch me do the design or at least hang around for the discussion on what I was going to do. I drew my second one alone in my HAB room (everyone else was at Otter's at the time) and showed it to the team soon afterward. But even then, they knew what it was going to be like as I had a basic sketch in my notebook to show generally what it'd look like.
Last year, we went up against a team of Facebook space fans and they'd long had their patch done. They'd had an artist (I think not on their team) do it for them and I think someone on the team had to re-create the pre-done design to submit.
I don't know but I assume that trainers weigh in on the patch designs. I've always heard you have to submit in writing an explanation of the design itself. I think each time, I've asked someone else to write that down (Hey, I shouldn't have to do everything, right?). Beats me how they're judged.

Oh, if you do have someone with real talent on your team, don't be surprised if the other teams make snide comments on how your team had a 'ringer'. I've heard that twice, personally.
Last edited by p51 on Fri Aug 14, 2015 6:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Patch Design

Post by SpaceCanada »

Patch designs are 99.9% of the time done at camp, from scratch. I think it would be unfair to have one done up beforehand for a team you've never met. Part of the design comes from who you are as a group. Part of the design is coming up with a design without outside influence or drawing talent, too. Your mission patch should reflect your team, the people in your team, and the ideas and talents of those team mates. It is something your team should be proud of, even if the design is silly or drawn by someone who isn't a professional artist/designer.

Corporate camp is slightly different because it's not always a team of strangers who register separately for a team. They may know everyone from years before and how they get along, their team name (which may also influence the design), and what activities they will be doing. So having a patch done up ahead of time is an exception in that case. Most corporate groups still design their patches at camp as a team building exercise.

I will share our team mission patch design after camp - if someone reminds me.

FYI - Blending colours to make a gradient makes the design incredibly difficult to have made into real patches. There are very few companies who can/will stitch the gradient (vs. laser printing). Just something to keep in mind.
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