NEGOTIATED BRIEFS - statements of intent

PCL

I'm going to set up and run a hand made and short run clothing label because I want to create a working, functioning business in retail that incorporates my designs and a way of selling them.

Product - Clothing label/ business

Range

- printed t-shirts
- printed tote bags
- labels
- receipts
- jumpers
- art prints
- social networking web designs
- editorial look book
- logo
- brand name
- pop up stall designs
- hangers
- e-zine


Distribution

- print fairs
- exhibition space
- pop up shops
- fashion events
- student fairs
- student unions
- mosaic cafe
- social networking sites
- website
- music and clothes shops





MONK

I'm going to rebrand and design printed collateral for a bar situated in Buxton because it's recently changed management and needs to have a fresh aesthetic, identity and customer experience.

Product - Brand and Identity for a cocktail bar

Range

- logo
- business card
- letter heads
- placemats
- menus
- napkins
- napkin and straw holders
- bar mats
- bottle labels
- glasses
- vinyls
- venue masthead
- point of purchase/ bar surfaces
- event posters
- event flyers
- event wristbands
- door stamp
- promotional campaign

Distribution

- in the bar itself
- social networking sites
- student packs
- students unions
- clothes shops
- music shops

It's clear at this point that I really need to define who the audience actually is for this brief. I'll need to research about the area of Buxton and surrounding areas to see who there is to aim the design work at.



BIKOLOGY

I'm going to design an informative publication about the anatomy and science of bikes because I want to inform people about how bikes are made so they can fix minor repairs to their own bikes as well as spark an interest in bikes to those who do not necessarily know much about them.

Product - A photography and vector based publication on bikes.

Range

- types of bike
- different terrain
- posters (image based)
- info graphic based posters
- guide to bikes
- bike blog
- E-zine
- look book
- publication
- tool kit
- event, cycle of life

Distribution

- bike shops
- bikology
- cycling events
- clothes and music shops
- student guides
- student welcome week packs
- student unions
- blog
- social networks and fan page
- application


VIEW

I'm going to design a series of informative print based deliverables to educate potential clients of View Holographics because the process is hard to explain and View has no quick and easy way to communicate what they do or how the process works to their clients.

Product - informative posters, leaflets and publication based on holography

Range

- publication
- series of leaflets
- typeface
- info graphic posters
- presentation templates
- PDF mail out
- mail shot

Distribution

- Optic foyer
- business meetings
- company, client meetings
- exhibitions
- Views laboratory and office
- B2B meetings
- electronic mail out
- standard mail out

NEGOTIATED BRIEFS - Brief workshop, timelines and design process

This workshop was a bit of a scarer. So far third years has been quite relaxed and easy going in comparison to Level 5 but this workshop has shined a light on the actual time I have to get the briefs I've written done. I'm a bit nervous now but I've put that down to wanting to do the best I can with these briefs as they're all things I'm interested in and 3 of them are live.

Design process - from the old school text book of design (first year)


1 - IDEA GENERATION
2 - RESEARCH & INVESTIGATION
3 - CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT / CLARIFICATION
4 - DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
5 - EVALUATION & SELECTION
6 - PRODUCTION & RESOLUTION
7 - PRESENTATION & SUBMISSION


They don't necessarily need to be in this order. Depending on the brief it could be product, research, concept or idea driven. Each brief is different in the way I will have to approach it.


Timeline of my briefs. It's difficult to see in this photo but the idea is that we have roughly 10 weeks before the submission of OUGD301 and creating a timeline of how long we expect ourselves to spend doing the 7 parts of the design process in relation to each of our 4 briefs.

I thought it would be a reasonable idea to make some of the parts overlap because I already know that when I'm researching, for example, I'm also generating ideas. Phil came round an spoke to me about it and he raised an important question:

        - will overlapping certain parts of the design process have a negative effect on the overall design work?

With this in mind i'm going to try and focus my attention on individual parts of the design process to see if I'm more productive and designing better.

Fred pointed out that a lot of us were trying to use up all the 10 weeks and we've left no margin of error or 'The Buggeration Factor'. If things go wrong, which they will, then we need time to amend and rectify mistakes.

The workshop concluded with quite a positive talk from Fred about managing our time sensibly and allowing ourselves to take a break or a rest day and go out. Essentially keep a balanced lifestyle and work ethic.

NEGOTIATED BRIEFS - rationale workshop and promotional pinups

The workshop today was really useful in defining what our briefs are about. I'm really starting to feel myself thinking about these briefs more and my approach to dealing with them and writing them is getting better and better.

Before we carried on with the brief writing part of the workshop, we all had to pin up our business cards along with a promotional piece. It was great to see some design on the studio walls and It was an eye opener to how much such a little thing can matter.

This is my promo piece, I simply took an illustration that I'd been working on recently and applied it to attract people towards it. However, against the rest of the group I got sort of lost and disappeared into the background.

Things I'd change:-

- stock - the stock is too dull and neutral, some of the other pieces that use bright or bold colours caught my attention straight away and really made themselves stand out

- type - I would use the type in a more effective way that makes it readable from a distance.

- scale - Fred pointed out that there was a lot of A size pieces which people see everyday, it would be more interesting to create a piece thats and odd size or perhaps bigger.

This one is Joe's I like his work and the idea of showing a range but if I could make one improvement it would be to put it all mounted onto a big piece of black or grey stock to show that it's a collection. Amongst the rest of the work they started to look like individual promotional pieces.

Really nice idea by Sadie, made me want to try laser cutting and etching.

Charlottes piece is a good example of the bright and bold colours being use to make it stand out and really catch your eye.

The first task of the workshop was to take the 4 main briefs that I will be working on and identify all the possible responses to these 4 questions.

- what skills will the brief allow you to develop?

- what contexts will this brief allow you to investigate?

- what content is it going to allow you to explore?

- what products will it allow you to develop?

BRIEF 1 - PCL

Skills:-

- screen printing

- collaboration

- editorial and layout

- branding and identity

- logo design

- illustration

- typography

- networking

- promotion

- event organisation

Context:-

- retail

- promotion

- business management

- event management

- business collaboration

- print fairs

- pop up shops

- fashion events

Content:-

- T-shirt designs

- photography

- business identity in publication

- promotional campaigns and competitions

Products:-s

- t-shirts, printed

- tote bags

- printed fabrics

- bespoke garments

- website

- social networking designs

- logo

- clothing labels

- receipts

- pop up stall prints and display

- editorial look book

- E-zine

BRIEF 2 - BIKOLOGY

Skills:-

- research techniques

- photography

- software skills mainly illustrator, photoshop and indesign

- info graphics

- vector design making

- photo editing

- how to fix a bike

- way finding

Contexts:-

- publication

- given out in bike shops

- leaflet in Don't Panic packs or student gift bags

- online E-zine

- bike retail

- bike fix it garages

- cycling events

Content:-

- anatomy of a bike

- types of bike

- what sort of bikes are good for different terrain

- vectored iconography of bike parts

- photography of natural image such as bike shops, garages, bikes and different terrain

- how to repair your bike

- how to maintain your bike

- history of the bike

Products:-

- publication

- look book

- event promotional collateral

- blog

- social networking sites

- application

- website

- posters

BRIEF 3 - MONK

Skills:-

- branding

- promotional design

- package and label design

- dealing with a client

- working to a live brief and deadline

- invoicing a client

- point of purchase design

- developing a professional dialogue

Contexts:-

- package and promotion

- music

- alcohol

- cocktail crafting

- customer experience

- point of purchase

Content:-

- alcohol - bespoke spirits and beers

- cocktail recipes

- different cocktails and prices

- event listings

- genres of music

- drink offers

Products:-

- signage and way finding

- point of purchase signage

- bar front/ venue masthead

- menus

- placemats 

- stirrers

- glasses

- ice buckets

- bar mats

- cocktail umbrellas

- event posters/ flyers/ wristbands

- social networking account designs

- website/ web friendly designs

BRIEF 4 - VIEW

Skill:-

- research skills and methods

- editorial design

- dealing with printers

- creating holograms

- market research

- pitching

Context:-

- editorial and layout

- promotion and persuasion

- information communication

- info graphics

- educational design

Content:-

- processes

- products View offere

- uses of holograms

- the future of the company and holograms

- investments and what they could do for the company

- what is a hologram

- the difference between digital and analogue holograms

- the science behind the product

Products:-

- short run publication

- online copy of publication

- a series of leaflets

- brochure

- info graphic based posters

- presentation/ slide show templates

- PDF email attachment for mail out

NEGOTIATED BRIEFS - Wants and needs workshop

Skills I want and/or need to develop...

Want:-

- illustration - i want to develop my own style and techniques and push them further and experiment with ways that i can apply them to briefs and my design practice
- branding - I like branding and creating a range of deliverables for a brand I want to develop a strong and dynamic approach to branding
- photography
- drawing
- screen printing
- social networking
- printing
- event organisation
- self promotion
- font design
- type as image
- presentation skills - I want to be abel to give a well articulated presentation because I feel that so far I ramble on about a topic and it can be a bit too loose or undirected. Overall I find talking to a group of people quite straight forward.
- people skills - networking with clients and other designers and illustrators

Need:-

- networking
- delivery - execution and presentation of work
- digital design and web design - site maps and design sheets, app design and functionality
- research techniques
- editorial design
- hierarchy of type
- pantone colour referencing
- design for screen - not motion graphics, more web safe fonts and colours


Work I want and/or need to do...

Want:-

- start my own business in retail
- brand my own business
- illustrate more and develop my style and create a name for myself in the illustrative industry
- more branding/rebranding
- work on product based design work such as a new whiskey brand or rebranding some biscuits
- vector based design work
- photography based design work
- screen printed designs and merchandise
- live briefs based on illustration and branding
- selling work online and through self organised events
- create a business network for students to help them collaborate with each other
- vector and icon based projects based around research

Need:-

- editorial look book
- digital designs that are compatible for social networking site
- photography
- typography
- printed t-shirts
- promotional campaign based work
- competition briefs that are established in the design community such as YCN, D&AD, ISTD and RSA
- a short run publication that incorporates photography and digital design


Research I want and/or need to do...

Want:-

- bikes - the anatomy and science of bike, how they are constructed and how to look after them. types of bikes and how the technology has developed
- biscuits - types of biscuits and how they are made, the recipes and uses of biscuits
- whiskey - how whiskey is made, types of whiskey, whiskey labels and branding, promotional campaigns and adverts
- holography - the process, the two kinds of holograms, lighting, lasers, science behind it, possibilities
- films and cinema -
- music
- clothing and retail
- fashion trends
- alcohol
- fish and chips
- cafes

Need:-

- food - local residents interests and preferences in food and restaurants and what they expect/want from a restaurant
- the process of creating a hologram
- the target market of a hologram manufacturer
- pop up events and print fairs
- market research into competitors and other retailers
- how to kick start a business
- peoples everyday commute to work/school
- the fundamental rules of type and layout

Work I want and/or need in my portfolio...

Want:-

- Illustrations - briefs that have utilised my illustrative skills and style to show that they can be as effective as a typically vector or photography based responsible
- vector based work on branding and identity
- competition briefs
- awards and commended design work
- photography orientated designs
- live briefs to showcase my work in action and that I can work to a clients requirements

Need:-

- competition briefs
- live briefs
- collaborative briefs
- printed deliverables
- digital mock ups of proposals to show how far I could push a brief
- independent work to show my individual practice
- print based projects
- digital work like designing for web
- awards
- commended work
- skills based design work such as vectored based, photography based, typography based


Questions I want and/or need to ask...

Want:-

- whats the best way to go about creating a full/6 colour screen printed t-shirt?
- can I do some design work for you and can you pay me? I want to redesign several places but they aren't looking for anyone to redesign them, how can I get them to want me to redesign their businesses and get paid for it?
- can we have a clock in the studio?
-

Need:-

- how do you create a functioning website where people can buy things from?
- who is the best to collaborate with?
- how do you create a perfectly printed and bound publication? I've always struggled with type and layout especially with printing the end product
- how do you get hold of creative directors emails and not the ones that take you through to the reception?
- how is my audience?
- what do i want to get out of each brief?