Current Branding

All of this above is the current branding for Dare in Headingly, this does not represent the company that it is created for at all. Their company is so much stronger than this and should have a stronger branding, this is what I will do 

Small Student Lead Crit / Grand Opening

We decided that a few of us had some questions that we needed answering, to make sure we managed to get the feedback and be able to continue with the designs at a good pace. In this student lead crit we had 

Luke O'brian 
Sadie Thompson
Maxwell Gregory 
Charlie Crosby 
Niall Cruickshank Sutton
Joe Warborton
Francesca Pecqueur
Charlotte Bourke
and myself 

This was a very good group to get feedback from as they answered a lot of the problems which i had when it came too my project 'Grand Opening' 

Firstly they mentioned about the lack of direction that i had and that none of the previous names or logos would work for a restaurant. Instead of trying to design a brand new restaurant then maybe i should re brand an already existing one which will then allow me to focus more on getting the designs down and things that will help me develop as a designer. 

I took their advice and decided that i was going to then brand a company down in Headingly named "DARE" the menu and current branding was so bad that it was about time that i was due an update.

Concept Crit 1

We had a concept crit and placed out some boards, myself and charlie made a board each after discussing what we wanted to find out and these are what we managed to create.

The board above is charlies which he has photographed after the crit, this came back with quite a lot of negative feedback and there was quite a lot that needed to be touched up when it came to the afterwards. 

This board above was the one which i created. this was to base it more on the way of which design of t shirt people would prefer to try to purchase, the ones which were more abstract are the ones which came back with the most positive feedback, we got told to keep away from the more cliche style t-shirts and the silly quote ideas. 

Logo Development

These are the logo development from Charlie, this is an extension on what he had already created, this was something that I think could be adjusted to make sure it has the best style possible towards it. The only thing which was picked up on in a recent crit was the fact that it may resemble a sailor man signal, this is something that could be changed to make sure that it doesn't, we will ask a range of people to see what they say about the matter

Overall i think the design looks strong and communicates what we want it too, however if need be we will change the design if the target audience do not think so.

Crit Feedback

These are some crit feedback sheets which we received, this is so we were able to see which designs would work the best and then it would allow us to print the ones that we think can be most effective and have the biggest turn over.

First Drafts of the Label

Open publication - Free publishing - More label

These are the first drafts of the labels which were created to attach to the clothing, these are something which could then link together and make them look more authentic and have a style which is more fitting towards the final outcome of it all.

There are some sections which will need to be changed on the labels such as the scale of some of the sections and also the logo as it appears to be too small to make the most sense from it all, this could be changed with something else that I have created, this would then give it the most professional feel towards the final design. 

I then came up with the idea of adding more towards the logo this then will create a style of looking like its from a professional store, I will go out and get some context research for doing this, its the best way i feel to get the most out of what we are wanting to achieve whilst allowing us to see what well established companies place onto there designs.

Initial Ideas and concept

For this project i wanted to create a new restaurant which would be branded by myself and then have potential to pitch the designs to potential clients, these are some of the initial designs and names that i came up with

These designs were not as successful as i wished for them to be, this was mainly down to not having a key focus on where i wanted the restaurant to be opened, what i wanted the menu to be or how i was going to go about creating this. 

Overhead Look

To make sure that we keep track of were all the money is incoming and outgoing, i created this spreadsheet so that i can see how much i needed to earn to break even, this also allows us to make sure what stock we have available and what we need to create more off. 

Otto Logo Development.

Open publication - Free publishing - More charlie crosby

This is the logo development that was designed by charlie crosby, it is the branding for the Obediah (The Original Trend) brief which we are collaborating on, this is something that will be pushed onto try and get something that we are happy with and something that will create a strong way of making sure that its the most reliable way of connecting to the clients 

Some of these in here are not exactly what we are looking for but others are strong and connect in the way in which we want to make them appear more professional. This is something that I will adapt over time with charlie and make it the best it can possibly be. 

All T-shirts Designs

Open publication - Free publishing - More cotton

These are the t-shirt designs that I created for the Obediah brief, these where taken into the meeting with charlie and assessed. We decided to go along the lines of the more abstract designs as we feel this would communicate better with our target audience which we plan to sell too. 

There were a few in there that I thought would be the best to print however we found that they had been done before such as the one which is purely alphabet, this means we wont be able to print this one for a final test. 

This T-shirt design was something that we created, we had to get it checked out with John to make sure that this wouldn't be a infringement on the actual company and that we couldn't get into trouble with the obey company.

First Draft of S.O.I

Open publication - Free publishing - More my next step

This is my first draft of the statement of intent, i have sent it off to amber to see the feedback that i can get back from it & then see what adjustments need to be made for the final hand in on friday 

First Tutorial / Crit

We had our first group meeting today were we discussed our briefs and what we want to get out of them all, It gave me a real understanding of what we are going to do for each brief...

Brief 1:    Reveal 2

I am going to create an editorial publication, which leads on from the previous Reveal magazine at the end of level five. This magazine shows the work of other designers (which allows me to network) whilst also creating and publishing my own designs. This will allow me to focus on book binding, pagination & printing.

Brief 2:    Rhythm, Colour & Space

I am going to create a range of publications that explore visual communication through the use of colour & symbols to replace and work alongside typography. This will allow build up more concept developed work which both interests me and pushes me to find a conceptual outcome whilst still proving my professional design skills


Brief 3:    Obediah – Collaborative Clothing Label

I am going to explore branding, editorial & layout through retail to create a new clothing label because I wish to further develop my typography skill set.

Brief 4:    LCA Football Team
I am going to create & develop a range of football material which will publicise the university football team. This will allow me to develop my promotional and public sector advertisement areas



These four briefs are now the ones which will be my main focus through the first semester of third year, something that i need to focus on completing to make sure that i get the best from my work.

Dropbox

This is a post to describe about a way that we could keep in touch with each other so we are able to share the work much easier, this makes the way of creating and sharing designs much more fluid so we can then keep our work linked together thus giving us the opportunity to leave feedback for each other. 

Meeting 002 (with Charlie)

Meeting - 01/10/2012

After having out second meeting we realised that we were doing things in the wrong order, we needed to sit down and think about what were doing and how we should approach this, instead of trying to pick a name we need to ask ourselves a few questions first on whats we want to get from this and how we are going to do that.


3 questions were raised.
1. What are we (as a business) about?
2. Who is our target audience/market?
3. How are we going to deliver?


WHAT ARE WE ABOUT?
We want to provide a sense of uniqueness in our label, to make the brand cool and desirable to generate interest in order to make a profit and sustain the business. We decided from the start to screen print all our own designs on to the shirts, this gave us the idea of producing short run/ limited edition clothing which would be sold on a 1st come 1st serve basis. Designs could be printed on request but would be charged slightly higher to cover the cost of the screens being exposed and we would bring in new designs periodically and hold votes on social networks to get the most popular designs printed.

The idea that we are hand making our products and distributing them in isolated events and methods makes it more of a personal adventure for he customer to get hold of them. Being so limited means that the people that will buy them will feel like they are wearing some more personal. Everyone is different and everyone is unique and we want them to feel that way when they wear our clothes.

WHO IS OUR TARGET AUDIENCE?
We don't have specific audience at the moment because it's difficult to define as we want to sell to a lot of people.

We have decided however that the age bracket would be 16-28 year olds maybe even younger and old but we're not making it too broad for now.

Some specific audiences could be attendees of the fashion events, print fairs and pop up shops that we will be getting involved with to promote the label and selling at. ALongside this there is our own age group and the student population of Leeds that we will target through social networks.


HOW ARE WE GOIGN TO DELIVER?
The ultimate aim is to have an online shop and website where a wide range of customers can access the merchandise and find out about the label across the country. But that too be addressed at a later date.

For now we are going to selling our shirts at pop up shops, print fairs and any other possible fashion events.

We will be collaborating to produce a Look book to give out at the same events. This will also have a digital version like and E-zine so people can view it online.

The use of the social networks is crucial for our promotional strategy. Using Twitter feeds, Facebook pages and Instagram photo app we can create and online buzz and following that we can then communicate to about any new designs.

Some preliminary ideas for promoting the label and spreading the word.

- social competitions - getting followers to share images or there favourite designs for our Facebook page, the most impressive or outstanding share will get a free print of that design. This aims to get people to put images of our shirts on their Facebook timelines so their friends can see and they might find our page and share more images.

- discounts - the first set of printed shirts will be at a discounted price and any reprints or 2nd editions will be price slightly higher to cover the cost of the screens. Prices could go down the more garments the customer buys. And if they bring back a tote bag when they make their next purchase thy could receive a discount on their purchase.

- free give aways - as well as the look book, we have the scope and funding to print Tote bags and artworks of the designs to give away. The bags could even be sold separately or they could be bespoke carrier bags given out for free with every purchase.


Answering these questions was a really big leap forward for us and we can now go away and rethink the name with this information driving the concept of our brand and identity.

Who Else Is Out There

This is a list of existing retailers that sell clothes and already do what we're are tyring to achieve...
MKI
SABBC - skulls and bones boys club.
DIRTY GIRL mens boutique.
FRESH PRINTS - printed tees, sweaters and hoodies.
THE ALLOTMENT - new just opened up in the central arcade on Briggate. Buys in brands and sells them. Get in touch with Sol he owner. Also sells and displays art works and designs.
TEST SPACE - moved from Leeds Corn Exchange down to London.
ON THE WALL - associated with Dots Printhaus, sells art and art prints and printed tees.
COTTON LOVE - Newcastle based, very distinguished branding.
AMERICAN APPAREL - very plain clothing but trendy and expensive, features a lot of unisex clothing.
URBAN OUTFITTERS - well established, vintage feel but with modern clothes and trends, displays artwork, sells interesting and quirky products that you wouldn't find in many shops.
ASOS - completely run online, no shop spaces, well established.
TOPSHOP/TOPMAN - well established, super brand in the retail industry, separate shops for boys and girls.
PRIMARK - mock high street trends and very affordable, more often than not the clothes are of poor quality or miss cut or printed.
THREADLESS - online interactive T-shirts design, print and selling company. Designs are often meaningless and naff because they come from an external body to the business.
DAVID & GOLIATH - funny/ humorous printed T-shirts, colourful and illustrative. No real identity, more of a novelty brand.
OBEY - began as a political message create by street artist Shepard Fairey made into a clothing label and distributed worldwide in many stores. The aesthetic of the photography reflects the content of his artwork. Lots of popularity and cool factor.
JOHNY CUPCAKES - Start out selling shirts from an old suitcase and became a well known business in the USA, now owns stores in England, designs all their own prints and gives customers and experience when they visit the shops, not just a desolate cell where people can find the clothing.



Printers and such.
DOTS PRINTHAUS - young business specialises in T-shirt printing to order, also does art prints and posters. Available to collaborate on projects as well. Very cool studio space based in Leeds.
TARGET - big commercial printing company, good for flyers and posters
TEAM - bespoke print finishes, good for short run projects
DUFFIELD - Not much known at the moment
FACTORY 4 - screenprint facility, £50 for the year, access to a carousel for multiple coloured printing.

Personal Clothing Label - Initial Plan

This is a brief which I have decided to collaborate with Charlie Crosby, this brief includes a lot of attention due to the mass amount of work that we need to get out of it, we have so many objectives on the go all the time that will need constant reviewing.

Here is the initial plan of what we need to get done...

• get t-shirts
• come up with a name
• create brand and identity
• design and select designs for printing
• print shirts
• plan promotional outlook and campaigns
• get models for photo shoots (boys and girls)
• organise photo shoots // 1 studio shoot // 1 on location
• set up stalls and get involved in design/ print/ pop up fairs and events
• build website to sell the clothes (big cartel or perhaps by our own domain)
• create business plan
• keep track of costs and overheads (excel spreadsheet)
• market research - visit boutiques and shops, find fairs and events to sell at & who else is selling clothes?

Brand Naming

We have to create a brand name for the Personal Clothing Brand, this is something that could change the way that the brief looks and works together, Below is a list of all the names that Charlie has come up with... 

BOUTIQUE // CLOTHING // APPAREL

Put any one of these three words after one of the names below.

- illa
- jakes little brother
- no mind
- beau
- XL
- XXL
- XXXL
- LXLXXL
- caution
- cautious
- parel
- appetite
- illastray
- C // C+
- alstead
- cross
- fabrique
- j'ai
- firstmate
- cap't
- charlie
- the new trend // that new trend // TNT
- bout
- sign / D-sign // deesign // deesine
- yours
- kcuf
- tihs
- dratsab
- hctib
- mighty // migh-T // MI - TEE
- own
- lone
- subconscious
- unchartered
- WFIO (we're fucked it's over)
- OYO // YOYO - you're only young once
- busk
- titan
- L+
- for the record
- off the map
- alright
- stylus // style us
- big
- little brother
- brother
- obediah
- drool boy
- repress
- MT (mount)


Below are all the names that I've been able to come up with...


- Labrat
- Acosh
- Dowel
- Fabric
- Astro
- Array
- Moschino
- Creeps
- Empire
- Cotax
- Shibby
- The Clothing Brand (TCB)
- Wanna
- Fitting
- Stud
- Apocalyptic 
- Ashame
- Reficol
- Q&A
- Hibit 
- Rural
- Viola
- Light
- Laska
- Macfarl
- Coldent
- GT
- Stich
- Sleeve
- MW 
- S&L
- SEIIN
- EOTN (eye of the needle)
- Blend
- Redic
- Corrox
- Lonce
- Kolbehnn
- Spek

Meeting 001 (with Charlie)

Charlie and myself sat down and went over a plan which we needed to get completed

Things we need to achieve:
Name - needs to reflect identity - needs to be appropriate
     what is it we want to say?
     who are we selling to?
     how are we going to do it?

Ways of getting our brand out there
Social networks
on the wall
corn exchange
Factory 4
Georgia Alcock* - ask about events


To Do List- Send brief to Thierry and rewrite so its appropriate to his course
- Send Marty a copy of the briefs and some ideas for designs
- Contact Georgia about events and clothing shops she knows about
- Market research
- Ideas for company names and identity



*     Georgia is a friend and is studying in her 3rd year on the surface patterns and printed textiles course at the college and she has a great knowledge of all the events, shops and trends going on in Leeds. She will be a great source of information to help us kick start our business and get involved in some of these events.

Next meeting has been planned for saturday 29th of September at 1:00pm to go over our progress and set some new targets.