Wednesday, 4 May 2016
Tuesday, 3 May 2016
OUGD501 | Module Evaluation
OUGD501 has proven to be a very difficult module for me on the whole. I first struggled with trying to find a topic of discussion that I like enough to write 3000 words on. After talks with my friends about my likes and interests, we often would discuss how this could then be linked back to graphic design and what my practical would be. Although none of the ideas I initially talked about were my final one, or anywhere near my final one, they still helped as I was able to think about how my essay should inform me and my practical work.
The major difficulty for me was writing the essay. I have had some problems over the past few months which really affected my ability to just sit down and focus; this proved especially problematic when it came to writing 3000 words. Other than that, I found that what I wanted to talk about, in relation to my personal interests in the topic, weren't important to the question I was aiming to answer and I often found myself rambling on and not quite getting any points across. Using quotes definitely helped me find a point and expand and explain it, although I am weary that I used too many as a backup and didn't quite explore the issue enough myself.
Because of the personal difficulties that have been brought to light towards the end of the module, it made me wish that I had started my essay earlier rather than focusing on other modules. Although the problems were there at the start also, it would have been easier to spread the difficulty out over the whole module rather than towards the end. This is my own time management that I really need to improve and I know that it needs to be sorted for level 6 if I wish to do well.
In regards to my practical work, I am very happy with how it turned out. For a long time I thought I would be keeping ASOS' branding and applying it to different uses, but after a couple of crits with my peers it seemed that most people thought that I should rebrand ASOS is one way or another; whether that be completely or just certain elements of it. I feel I succeeded with redesigning ASOS for the better while also keeping just enough of the old branding so that it is clear that it is still ASOS.
The major difficulty for me was writing the essay. I have had some problems over the past few months which really affected my ability to just sit down and focus; this proved especially problematic when it came to writing 3000 words. Other than that, I found that what I wanted to talk about, in relation to my personal interests in the topic, weren't important to the question I was aiming to answer and I often found myself rambling on and not quite getting any points across. Using quotes definitely helped me find a point and expand and explain it, although I am weary that I used too many as a backup and didn't quite explore the issue enough myself.
Because of the personal difficulties that have been brought to light towards the end of the module, it made me wish that I had started my essay earlier rather than focusing on other modules. Although the problems were there at the start also, it would have been easier to spread the difficulty out over the whole module rather than towards the end. This is my own time management that I really need to improve and I know that it needs to be sorted for level 6 if I wish to do well.
In regards to my practical work, I am very happy with how it turned out. For a long time I thought I would be keeping ASOS' branding and applying it to different uses, but after a couple of crits with my peers it seemed that most people thought that I should rebrand ASOS is one way or another; whether that be completely or just certain elements of it. I feel I succeeded with redesigning ASOS for the better while also keeping just enough of the old branding so that it is clear that it is still ASOS.
OUGD501 | Essay & Practical
My essay informed my practical work quite a lot as I was able to learn from my research what it takes to design a brand.
I found in my research that you have to really consider what it is a consumer will relate to in regards to a brand, and the demographic that ASOS is aimed towards responds and connects more to a simple, modern brand a lot more than a very vibrant and bold brand, which often seems outdated.
I found in my research that you have to really consider what it is a consumer will relate to in regards to a brand, and the demographic that ASOS is aimed towards responds and connects more to a simple, modern brand a lot more than a very vibrant and bold brand, which often seems outdated.
OUGD501 | Branding Concepts & Reasonings
The concept behind the new logo and branding was to essentially make it more user-friendly and familiar, compared with the harsh, bold, striking elements of the previous (existing) branding.
To do this I first changed the logotype. The existing ASOS logotype uses a very bold and sharp-edged type with extremely close kerning to the point of touching. This has served well as it is now easy to recognise and it was able to be used in a lot of ways, but I felt that it was too heavy and harsh for what ASOS stood for. I changed the logotype by choosing a new typeface, Oscine Bold, and rather than having all the letters touching, they are evenly spaced out to create a well-balanced logo. The type is a sans-serif which indicates a modern feel, it has round edges which reflects the friendliness and familiarity of ASOS, and is a quite heavy font which represents their reliability.
The shape of the logo is very similar to that of the previous logo which I felt was important as there are already millions of existing customers familiar with the ASOS brand, so changing it completely would be counter-productive. The line at the end of the type represents the flashing cursor you may see when typing on a computer. This came fro ASOS being an online-only company and where all of their customers are from. I felt this was a nice way to incorporate ASOS' history into their new design and new company ventures (having a physical shop). As well as it representing the type cursor, it also acts as a separator between the type and a sub-title, so it has a purpose as well as a reason.
Colour wise I felt that ASOS needed to have a very modern and minimal colour palette because minimalism is not only very popular now, but it also makes for a better website and physical space regarding how much information and products they have. Due to this, dark grey, gold and white are the only colours used for the branding. Other colours will be used for posters and magazines and such, but in terms of ASOS' branding, it is very minimal.
To do this I first changed the logotype. The existing ASOS logotype uses a very bold and sharp-edged type with extremely close kerning to the point of touching. This has served well as it is now easy to recognise and it was able to be used in a lot of ways, but I felt that it was too heavy and harsh for what ASOS stood for. I changed the logotype by choosing a new typeface, Oscine Bold, and rather than having all the letters touching, they are evenly spaced out to create a well-balanced logo. The type is a sans-serif which indicates a modern feel, it has round edges which reflects the friendliness and familiarity of ASOS, and is a quite heavy font which represents their reliability.
The shape of the logo is very similar to that of the previous logo which I felt was important as there are already millions of existing customers familiar with the ASOS brand, so changing it completely would be counter-productive. The line at the end of the type represents the flashing cursor you may see when typing on a computer. This came fro ASOS being an online-only company and where all of their customers are from. I felt this was a nice way to incorporate ASOS' history into their new design and new company ventures (having a physical shop). As well as it representing the type cursor, it also acts as a separator between the type and a sub-title, so it has a purpose as well as a reason.
Colour wise I felt that ASOS needed to have a very modern and minimal colour palette because minimalism is not only very popular now, but it also makes for a better website and physical space regarding how much information and products they have. Due to this, dark grey, gold and white are the only colours used for the branding. Other colours will be used for posters and magazines and such, but in terms of ASOS' branding, it is very minimal.
OUGD501 | Brand Guidelines Research
Before I started rebranding ASOS, I thought that looking at existing brand guidelines would help me a lot. I researched the reasons behind brand guidelines and the usefulness of them in my essay, but now I have the chance to implement this knowledge into my design work.
http://www.creativebloq.com/branding/great-examples-design-style-guides-3132070
Skype:
Channel 4:
Adobe:
Firefox:
http://www.creativebloq.com/branding/great-examples-design-style-guides-3132070
Skype:
Channel 4:
Adobe:
Firefox:
OUGD501 | ASOS Consumer Research
Taken from http://www.asosplc.com/how-we-do-it.aspx
"Our core customer is the twenty-something fashion-lover: an avid consumer and communicator who is inspired by friends, celebrities and the media.
We are obsessive about understanding them so we can join their conversation and offer them the fashion they want."
"WHO THEY ARE
Setting trends or following them, most twenty-somethings are engaged with fashion.
For them, their clothing – and beyond that, their style – expresses their identity and helps them assert their individuality.
Twenty-something consumers lead digital lives: they have instant access to information, communicate constantly with friends and broadcast their daily lives and thoughts across the social networks. For them this level of communication and interaction is what they’ve grown up with.
And fashion matters to them: 67% of under-25s believe how they look is important with almost three quarters of all young women saying they enjoy shopping for clothes*.
That’s because fashion is also entertainment. These young consumers don’t just like to shop online. They follow and often comment on celebrity trends; they blog their own “fashion editorial”; they broadcast their thoughts on style in soundbites on social networks and via YouTube.
How do they like to shop?
Two thirds of those aged 19-25 shop online because it’s faster and easier**. And they are responding in different ways to the financial squeeze – for example, in the UK we’ve found that the 18-21-year-old group is the most likely to shop according to discounts compared to those in their mid or late twenties*."
OUGD501 | Current ASOS Branding
ASOS' current branding is very bold and striking. This is to appeal to a young and vibrant demographic in hopes that it will catch their eye and then develop into them buying something from their site. The logo has now become very recognisable due to the strong, tight, lettering, so much so that it is now recognisable by shape rather than type a lot of the time.
OUGD501 | Crit & Feedback
Today we had a crit where we got the chance to ask three questions about our work and receive feedback from our peers. This was very useful as I was struggling with my practical work and where to start with it.
I asked;
1) Other than posters and signage, what else would you expect to see in a store that I could design?
2) How closely should I stick to ASOS' current online branding?
3) Does this idea link with my essay question enough?
I got some really great answers and feedback, a lot of which will inform where I go with this work.
One of the most important things I learned today is that most people think that I should rebrand ASOS in one way or another, rather than completely sticking to its current branding.
I asked;
1) Other than posters and signage, what else would you expect to see in a store that I could design?
2) How closely should I stick to ASOS' current online branding?
3) Does this idea link with my essay question enough?
I got some really great answers and feedback, a lot of which will inform where I go with this work.
One of the most important things I learned today is that most people think that I should rebrand ASOS in one way or another, rather than completely sticking to its current branding.
OUGD501 | Tutorial Feedback
After talking to Simon about my initial idea for my practical work, it's now clear that a publication might not be the best response for this work.
A publication doesn't really have anything to do with retail, fashion or branding so therefore it doesn't quite work as a way of communicating information in this circumstance.
A better idea is creating collateral for a brand and its shops such as signs, clothes labels, posters etc.
Maybe if I choose a brand that is exclusively online it will make more sense and also allow me to have more freedom in ideas than an existing shop.
Monday, 2 May 2016
OGD501 | Crit Feedback Notes
1. Doing a big shop like ASOS might be better because there is more stuff to do and create compared to a small boutique.
If there are multiple brands in one shop that means extra signs to indicate that.
I imagine the ASOS shop would be rather big and similar to Topman, Debenhams, John Lewis.
2. Design a look-book that goes along with the design.
If there are multiple brands in one shop that means extra signs to indicate that.
I imagine the ASOS shop would be rather big and similar to Topman, Debenhams, John Lewis.
2. Design a look-book that goes along with the design.
OUGD501 | Developed Practical Idea
Design the shop and everything that goes with it for an online company. This includes tags, signs, leaflets, gift cards and maybe window displays.
ASOS
LMDN
Fear of God
Off-White
Yeezy
Maybe just pop-up (temporary) shops.
A big shop like ASOS could be hard as there are lots of other brands involved. This could make it less refined when it comes to branding.
Maybe some sort of blueprint for store layout.
OUGD501 | Articles & Sites
http://www.debutart.com/studio/the-wilson-brothers/supreme-store-london#/project-portfolio
http://hypebeast.com/2016/3/supreme-paris-store-images
http://hypebeast.com/2015/12/the-architecture-of-design
http://hypebeast.com/2016/4/chanel-glass-amsterdam-flagship-store-by-mvrdv
http://hypebeast.com/2016/3/beijing-nikelab-dsm-pek
http://hypebeast.com/2015/12/apc-kyoto-flagship-store
http://www.designprinciplesftw.com/
http://hypebeast.com/2016/3/supreme-paris-store-images
http://hypebeast.com/2015/12/the-architecture-of-design
http://hypebeast.com/2016/4/chanel-glass-amsterdam-flagship-store-by-mvrdv
http://hypebeast.com/2016/3/beijing-nikelab-dsm-pek
http://hypebeast.com/2015/12/apc-kyoto-flagship-store
http://www.designprinciplesftw.com/
Sunday, 1 May 2016
OUGD501 | Initial Practical Idea
A publication displaying different and interesting retail shops around the world.
1) What were your initial aims?
Th show people how street fashion has changed from like grungey, skate aesthetics to a high end, expensive looking minimalist aesthetic.
2) What processes/strategies have you used and why?
I feel like a nice publication or a coffee table book would work well as it informs the reader but also makes it interesting and digestible through layout and colour etc.
3) What literature have you read that informs this work?
There a some books in the library on this kind of thing but there is a lot more information online.
What would be in the publication?
About
Talk about the brand. When they started, their brand views, why they started etc.
Where
Where they have physical shops - why that location?
Shop
Photos of the shop, analysis of store design (Who designed it, why, inspiration)
Products
The brands clothing and products to inform why the shops are designed the way they are.
Either at the start or the end talk about/conclude as to how the physical shop influences consumers.
In terms of design, it would very minimal and clean to reflect the new aesthetic of high fashion and streetwear.
Who would it be aimed towards?
Fashion forward people.
Anyone interested in good design.
People who like a particular set of brands that may be included in the book.
Where would they get it?
Oder online. - If it was a limited run this might make it more successful and allow it to be sold for more, making shipping costs less expensive.
Pick it up at selected retailers? - Shops that are included?
1) What were your initial aims?
Th show people how street fashion has changed from like grungey, skate aesthetics to a high end, expensive looking minimalist aesthetic.
2) What processes/strategies have you used and why?
I feel like a nice publication or a coffee table book would work well as it informs the reader but also makes it interesting and digestible through layout and colour etc.
3) What literature have you read that informs this work?
There a some books in the library on this kind of thing but there is a lot more information online.
What would be in the publication?
About
Talk about the brand. When they started, their brand views, why they started etc.
Where
Where they have physical shops - why that location?
Shop
Photos of the shop, analysis of store design (Who designed it, why, inspiration)
Products
The brands clothing and products to inform why the shops are designed the way they are.
Either at the start or the end talk about/conclude as to how the physical shop influences consumers.
In terms of design, it would very minimal and clean to reflect the new aesthetic of high fashion and streetwear.
Who would it be aimed towards?
Fashion forward people.
Anyone interested in good design.
People who like a particular set of brands that may be included in the book.
Where would they get it?
Oder online. - If it was a limited run this might make it more successful and allow it to be sold for more, making shipping costs less expensive.
Pick it up at selected retailers? - Shops that are included?
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