Thursday 26 November 2015

OUGD502 Taking Care of Business - Areas of Interest(Study Task One)

Members: Cameron, James, Tom, Izzie, Me.

We came together as we all have very different styles within graphic design, and we also enjoy different aspects of the design, that, when together, has the opportunity to create a very successful business. Although we all have our strengths, we we all be good contributors to each aspect within the design, as we are all interested in every aspect as well. Initially, we were a little nervous that we could have some disagreements are our styles are very different, however after discussing, we feel that the disagreements may actually be beneficial, as it will give us different approaches to the design work.

Study Task 1:

Choose 5 areas the group are good at that makes us unique and individual to help us discover who WE are.
  • Cameron - Collaging & Pattern
  • James - Editorial Design
  • Tom - Typography
  • Izzie - Screen Printing
  • Myself - Branding & Identity

As previously discussed, I really enjoy branding and identity. Together, we discussed what we would all like to specialise in within the business. This would be roughly, as each member would have the opportunity to work on other specialisms, not just the ones stated. The purpose of the above would be for the client; to let them know that as a collective, we each cover a lot of aspects within design. 

For example, I really enjoy editorial design and screen printing too, but there's no need to state this as if the client would like an editorial design or a screen print, they could go through the company as it is listed as a skill.

OUGD502 Taking Care of Business - Briefing (Study Task One)

Today we have been introduced to a task in which we have to get into groups of 4+ people and plan in great detail how we would go about creating a design studio. The task is to create a business plan/business proposal and the final result will be a 10 minute presentation. Within this presentation and through-out the project, we will have to consider:

  • What skills and services do we have to offer?
  • Who is the target market?
  • Who is the competition and how will we compete?
  • What are our costs, charges and financial considerations?
  • How will we structure the studio?
  • Who will be responsible for what?
  • How will we promote our services? To who? Using what media?
Originally, Cameron, Izzie and myself decided to form a group. We chose to do this as we all have a keen love for analogue printing and we think it would be really beneficial to have this aspect as a distinguishable recognition of our business. However, we wanted to try to make our group both analogue and digital, so for this reason we asked Tom and James who were originally in a group with Drew and Ethan if they would like to join us. This was quite sly of us as Drew and Ethan were left without two members, however we thought it would be worth asking as, from crits, we had previously really enjoyed their work and wanted them in our business. 

After deliberating, Tom and James said they would join us, therefore making our business up to five people! 

To begin this project, we all thought it would be beneficial to write a paragraph of what we personally bring to the table, this can be seen below:



Personally, I find logo design and branding as a whole very enjoyable. The branding of a company is very important, as if it is the first time a consumer is exposed to a company, the logo design and the aesthetic of the company is the first impression that that said consumer will have. In summary, the branding of your company is how the customer will perceive you. A brand isn't just a one time thing, it is a well planned strategy.