Presentation Stage One

(left to right) Jason, Nadine, Yolanda and Jamie
GRAPHIC DESIGN

(left to right) Jerry, Gabi, and Andre
BRAND MANAGEMENT

So above is the two elements to which forms this team, with graphic and brand management working alongside each other. 

The presentation, which mentioned in the previous post went extremely well, and we were happy that we were able to capture both Carmon's and Inji with self experienced research, which really did give us a major insight to which will follow through. 

MA Graphics and Management Brief: Week One to Five (Summary)

So over the past several weeks we have been trying to find a problem to which we could be able to refine our findings to areas, to which we will experiment with (in some cases personally) and others through primary and secondary research.
Using four approaches:
1. Public
2. Questionnaire
3. Individual Brainstorming
4. Experimentation

Public (week one)
Public findings was very interesting, where we headed out into central London with a banner saying "What irritates you?"  We had a lot of willing people that we approached to write down what irritated them and took a picture of them holing up the paper (in the style of Gillian Wearing)

In Covent Gardens

Questionnaire (week 2)

I made a questionnaire so that we could try and gain a target group, and try home in on ideas.  This was made as a hard copy, but then later uploaded to Survey monkey to which we posted links and sent out to our friends etc via Facebook. 

Questionnaire.

Individual Brainstorming (week 3)

We did individual brainstorms, to see what irritated us collectively, combining the approaches so far led us down through to particular routes and possible areas to explore deeper. 

Experimental (week 4) 

From discussing the three process, we cam to a conclusion to colate all the data we had found, and tackle 6 areas.

1. Homeless - Jason 

2. Blind - Andre

3. Recycling - Gabi

4. Elderly - Group

5. Online (E-commerce/games) - Nadine and Jamie

6. MA Room at UCA - Jerry and Yolanda

Our overall presentation which we gave to both Inji and Phil went extremly well and came out with three key areas, to which we will develop through to possible outcomes 

1. 5 Sense (shopping experience)

2. Elderly (ecommerce) / (knowledge) 

3. Recycling

These are the strong elements, which we will now delve into. 

WEEK 4 & 5 (final execution) YCN Brief.

As a whole after certain situations with particular team members we did in fact come together eventually.
The work and finals of which we presented today we were all extremely happy about.
I have chosen no to put any images or progression of week 1 through to 5 as we are intending to send off our finals to YCN.  So I will post up work etc ending of March.

Before our presentation
(left) Yolanda - (middle) me -  (right) Lavine

We were extremely happy with the feedback, and I was over the moon with what they had said about the direct mail, as it was a concept that I had come up with, and was passionate about.

WEEK 3 YCN Brief (Summary)

So week three.
This week has been very hectic for me, as Yolanda had been in Venice for aw whole week, and will not be back until Monday night and the presentation is Tuesday morning.
Myself and Lavine spoke about what needs to be expected and done straight after the presentation, but this was not the case, as whilst the deadline for all work was set, she did not stick to the deadline, which has now literally left me in the position of putting the presentation together, and not having three views but having one.
I took out some camera equipment at the end of week two, as I opted to go down the photographic route to present my ideas to both the team and tutors.
Here are a few images from the photo shoot, In all I am very happy with it.

Me preparing the camera and model

Talking to the model

Working :)

The model (vintage) 

Close up of accessories

The range of accessories

Thanks to my friend who participated and being the model (Sumerah) and thanks for to the behind scene documentary pictures, my friend (Janos).

WEEK 2 YCN Brief (Presentation)

So last week myself, Yolanda, and Lavine presented the work we had done so far the brief.
Yolanda and I had already done the majority of the work by the time Lavine had joined use.
We set up a day to go and view the stores (previous post) but Lavine was unwell and so did not experience what we experienced in terms of our first hand primary research.

The presentation went very well and had a lot of positive feed back on the way we had presented, and a lot of people questioned why Lavine had not spoken much, so Yolanda and I at the end of presentation day spoke to Lavine, and so hopefully this next week ahead, more will be contributed.

To view the presentation, please see link below:
http://issuu.com/nbrown88/docs/the_pre_final_?mode=window&printButtonEnabled=false&shareButtonEnabled=false&searchButtonEnabled=false&backgroundColor=%23222222

MA Graphics and Management Brief: Week One & Two

As stated in a previous brief this team consists of 4 Graphic Designers and 3 Project Managers.
WEEK ONE:
We got to know one another (*sound clip made)
This method allowed us to feel very at ease with each other straight away
We discussed the brief, and deconstructed it to understand the objective and outcome that is to be expected.
We came up with various methods of research,
1. Asking the public
2. Individual brainstorms
3. Breaking it down into categories

So we headed down covent gardens with a quick poster we all made, and below are a few images and a small video clip of the day:

This strategy had its good and bad points, but opened our eyes more on way we ned to reach out to the public.The down fall to this method was that it was not cumulating a specific target audience, and literally was points jotted down by passer by.

WEEK TWO
So I created a questionnaire based on everything we had spoken about on saturday whilst in covent gardens.
I showed the group and they where happy with it, we posted this up on our FB walls, and created a link to it on Survey monkeys, also made hard copies to give out
The Survey Monkey Link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WJLS53D


I took it a step further by texting friends and making a mini poster and adding it to my FB wall, allowing others to comment.

We came together on Thursday...as this would be the end of week two, to discuss our findings, further research and ideas to which we could start a full on idea generation on at least two Ideas.

INTERESTING: VIDEO

Damian showed us a video via YouTube
Birgit Brenner Moleskin Notebook
Detour Exhibiton

This was extremely interesting with the way Birgit has used the thread to create a pattern and tell a story,

WEEK 2 Damians Lecture

This week Damians lecture consisted of "How to structure from a brief to a project" 


Below are a few key points which I aim to take on board:

• Who are you targeting?
• Why are you targeting them?
• Where do they live?
• What do they do?
• Think about the language you will use to 

1. Talk to a group of people
2. Talk to a mas audience

This was interesting, and in line with the research that I had conducted, and this was the next that needed to be defined and summarised.

WEEK 2 YCN Brief ...Store Experience

PEACOCKS:
Yolanda and I went to Tooting Broadway to view the Peacock store.
I have never shopped in Peacocks before as I thought it was just for young children, and Yolanda has never heard of the store at all all before.

So for the both of us it was a shock to what we are used too.  I am a Dorothy Perkins girl, as I work in DP and purchase near enough all of my clothes from there, firstly due to staff discount and secondly their clothes are of good quality and alway on target with new trends.
As for Yolanda, she is very much a New Look girl, and most of her clothes are from New Look, and she likes them as there is good sales on and alway a good student discount.

We both went to the store with no expectations, and after seeing the front display, we were both confused on whom their actual target audience was, and why they had 2 identities.

Peacocks window display

Our visit consisted of:
Looking at the window displays
Looking at the offers within the store
Prints (posters, pos and sale signage)
The store Layout
The Bags
Clothes Labels
The Fitting Room
The Staff and their Uniform
The Mood of the store
The Colour Schemes
Their look and buy Mannequins

Further info on this will be presented in our presentation next week.

DOROTHY PERKINS:
We visited Dorothy Perkins in Croydon, and as soon as we entered the store there was a nice vibrant expereince, the staff was nicely clothed, with their current trend, which was displayed at the front.  The mannequins showed how to mix match key statement pieces.  The posters where displayed in a way that pulled the customers in to view that particular line clothing.
There was a big contrast and feel, style, form within Dorothy Perkins and visually hit their consumers and invited new consumers to purchase.

Dorothy Perkins Mannequins Display

NEW LOOK:

New Look Window Display

H&M:

H&M In-Store Display

Yolanda and I went to a cafe, and spoke through all our findings today, analysing each store, and their benefits and negatives, and what we can use and develop on to bring forth PEACOCKS brand awareness.

Later in the afternoon we received a message from Lavine, requesting if she could join our team, as we had done a vast amount of the research and we both had a similar thinking pattern to where we want to take this project through we both agreed to discuss with Lavine what she can bring to this team if we let her in, and why she approached us instead of the others.

WEEK 2 YCN Brief

I spent last week deconstructing the brief, and thinking of ideas and routes that can I can take full fill this brief.  I used my normal linear approach to start of with as seen below:

Brainstorm, by Nadine Brown

After creating this I realised that certain points made could in fact relate to the 7 narratives model from Propp, which Damian had spoken about in week one:

So I choose to deconstruct "Rags to Riches," as a theme generally and the expand from those points to relate to the Peacocks brief:

Brainstorm, by Nadine Brown

Rags to Riches as theme for Peacocks became an idea to which I felt could relate to ranges such as Casual to Formal.....The theme of dreams came from this, which linked to the ideas of Journey, this brought forth two more narratives The Quest and Voyage and Return, which will be explained further in a few a weeks as I feel these two Ideas are strong.

Before we had to present Yolanda asked if she could work with me, and from here findings she also had a similar idea to the way I was thinking, and told me a term called "Himono Onna," when explained further I could see how this could link into rags and riches 

Brainstorm, by Yolanda Ni

Brainstorm, by Yolanda Ni

YCN Peacocks Brief

I have chosen to work on the YCN Peacocks brief, as I feel this is where my heart lays. 

I will be working on this alone as there is not any one else that shares in the same interest in it as I do. 

So this has caused AZIDE to not work together on this particular brief, but we are still helping one another out when needs be. 

Peacocks Identity

The 7 Grand Narratives

During one of the lectures given in the week the model of "7 Grand Narratives" was spoken about. I write various notes on it, and on reflection realised how important this was to me....and how this could be feed through all work both theory and practical based. 

These 7 grand narratives is a good starting to point which the journalistic model of the 5W's and 1H system comes in to play, and allows you to use 1 ideas and explore it 6 different ways. 

The 7 Grand Narratives are: 

1. Over Coming The Monster

• A terrifying, all-powerful, life-threatening monster whom the hero must confront in a fight to the death. An example of this plot is seen in Beowulf, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Dracula, The Silence of the Lambs, Dracula, Jaws, Hansel and Gretel.

2. Rags to Riches

• Someone who has seemed to the world quite commonplace is shown to have been hiding a second, more exceptional self within. Think the ugly duckling, Jane Eyre and Clark Kent.

• Aladdin, Cinderella, Great Expectations.

3. The Quest

• From the moment the hero learns of the priceless goal, he sets out on a hazardous journey to reach it. Examples are seen in The Odyssey, The Aeneid, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

• The Lord of the Rings, Apocalypse Now, Raiders of the Lost Ark,

4. Voyage and Return

• The hero or heroine and a few companions travel out of the familiar surroundings into another world completely cut off from the first. While it is at first marvellous, there is a sense of increasing peril. After a dramatic escape, they return to the familiar world where they began. Alice in Wonderland and The Time Machine are obvious examples; but Brideshead Revisited and Gone with the Wind also embody this basic plotline.

• Alice in Wonderland, Gulliver's Travels, Back to the Future, the Wizard of Oz.

5. Comedy 

• Following a general chaos of misunderstanding, the characters tie themselves and each other into a knot that seems almost unbearable; however, to universal relief, everyone and everything gets sorted out, bringing about the happy ending. Shakespeare’s comedies come to mind, as do Jane Austen’s perfect novels.

• All’s Well That Ends Well, When Harry Met Sally, Some Like It Hot.

6. Tragedy 

• A character through some flaw or lack of self-understanding is increasingly drawn into a fatal course of action which leads inexorably to disaster. King Lear, Madame Bovary, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Bonnie and Clyde—all flagrantly tragic.

• Hamlet. Carlito’s Way, Macbeth, Oedipus the King.

7. Rebirth

• There is a mounting sense of threat as a dark force approaches the hero until it emerges completely, holding the hero in its deadly grip. Only after a time, when it seems that the dark force has triumphed, does the reversal take place. The hero is redeemed, usually through the life-giving power of love. Many fairy tales take this shape; also, works like Silas Marner and It’s a Wonderful Life.

• A Christmas Carol, Beauty and the Beast.

As well as having 7 grand narratives, which can also be identified in the lovemark, and Propps' theory. There is always the counter to this, being Aristotles 6 dramatic element of drama.

I aim to apply this to the YCN brief that I have chosen to work on and also the Project Brief with MA Management

Create and Innovate: Project Brief

So the brief set states "As part of a multi disciplined design team you are being asked to developed a new consumer product or service and associated brand identity that i a response to an every day problem, issue or irritant that you have experience."

So the key element for this is to "identify and get to the heart of the TRUE PROBLEM."

We are all very much excited about this particular brief and have already started brainstorming as a group and individually.

* As this is a competitive brief I will not post everything up on weekly basis, but will keep up to date with things I feel I can talk about.

Semester 2 Brief with MA Management

MA Graphic Design and Management

So after a long discussion, AZIDE (myself, Jason and Yolanda) have joint force with an MA Management group, which consists of Jerry, Gabriella and Andre, alongside this Jamie from (Amaze aka Minotours) has also joined. 

So for the semester we have a group of 7, and we are looking forward to this exciting part of the semester. 

We had a big discussion at lunch time yesterday (which I recorded) and we all introduced ourselves, shared our interest, strengths etc, and what we aim to get out of this. 

We discussed the new brief, which Damian gave to us, and have already set up a day where we are heading into london to do some primary research so that we are able to come up with a few ideas, suggestions and problems that we can deconstruct to brainstorm themes and ideas for the new brief set. 

Another Interesting Day

So today it was MA Graphic based, and we went through key elements that need to be *rigorously instilled through out our work books for this semester.

As posted in the previous post, this semester we will be working on 3 briefs

1. With MA Management (creating a product of our own)

2. Either a D&AD or YCN Brief

3. Two Stories One Tale

So....for point 1. We are still currently deciding on who to merge with within MA Management, so not much I can talk about yet.

2. I have chosen to go for a YCN brief, but have not yet decided on which one.

These three are the ones which have stood out to me, and would like to explore. We have the opportunity to work with others, which I feel is definitely a fantastic experience to coincide with, but I might actually approach one of these briefs independently. 

So I am going ot come up with a few mind maps to deconstruct each brief so that I am able to distinguish firstly, what can I achieve from this? 

The third point was 3. - yet to be explained further by tutors.

*note to self

SEMESTER TWO - We now begin.......

Today was the intro to Semester Two, where we was given a vast amount of info which will surely be beneficial for this third of my MA experience.

The intro began with a an inspirational (video link) of Steve Jobs, 2005 to which he stated "Stay hungry stay foolish"

This quote is very interesting and the word HUNGRY was something of which we need to have to full fill and get to where we want to be.  FOOLISH is the word to which we need to remember to try and keep pure..and to not restrain ourselves to what we already know.

To  know that Semester Two is an area to which we will be trying and making...and this process will be combined with working with MA Management.   I am looking forward to this, and official groups will be arranged by Thursday. As already known myself, Jason and Yolanda already have our team AZIDE...but we are looking into adding to this, and what is best for us in terms of management collaboration.

So within the next couple days I will post the decision made. 

A key element which has been a focus of Semester One was to understand and clarify narratives when explaining ones self, etc..Damian showed us a video from site packtv.co.uk.  The video was by Steve Osbourne from osburnepike ....which was really interesting deconstructing easily the narrative of branding and how to follow it through. 

I thought I would share this on my blog, as I found it interesting, and would like to bring this through to semester two. 

Another key statement made today is "CREATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES"! 

This is my ultimate aim for Semester Two

 :)