The first lecture of the series was Branding and Marketing. This is such an important topic that I think you never get enough information about, especially if you still didn’t develop your own. It was very interesting to hear about how Branding and Marketing from somebody that runs her own business. About how they differ but how they are also strongly interconnected and dependent on one another. It is one thing to see it around you in the aesthetics of brands we know or we don’t know, and another to dissect it and analyse it in detail for your own practice.
Branding, in our case, is how a designer differentiates himself from other designers. It is the image of what the designer wants to visually and verbally communicate to it’s targeted audience, through logo, website, the colour palette or font chosen etc. while marketing is promoting one’s business through that understanding, the branding.
Looking at all the professional designers and companies out there, it seems that all of their aesthetics make sense, that merges together perfectly. We might see some very simplistic ones and we might even think that it might be so easy to replicate, or more overwhelmingly sophisticated ones. The truth is that behind each one of them there is research and an expert evaluation of every detail. There is a message that has to be conveyed with the right colours, fonts and lines, a message that can reach your audience in an instant just by looking at your logo. Putting together so many elements require first a deep understanding of who you are, or at least a part of who you are, in order to create a cohesive image of that.
How I can apply this to my practice for the Consultancy project:
1. What do you want to stand for?
Due to my high end target market, the style and finishing of my designs, I want to stand for quality and for something a bit more precious that you can connect with and want to treasure for longer.
2. What do you want to be known for?
For my galaxies inspired prints that celebrate the connection between loved ones through the analogy and passion for the mystery of the deep sky.
For the tactile and mysterious feel of my designs.
For the harmonious combination of the sinuous and geometric shapes that the entire universe is made of.
3. Who do you want to appeal to?
I want to appeal to those individuals that are passionate or somewhat intrigued by the mystery of the cosmos in its shapes and colours and want to celebrate the connection with their loved ones through the analogy between love and the universe.
I plan on designing for somebody who is selective in their purchase choices and are willing to pay that extra more to buy for themselves or gift something that reflects their passion or curiosity.
4. What does your colour palette say about you?
My colour palette reflects nature through its mysterious side. The colours of the deep sky in a play of light that celebrates bright pixels of colour on the intense dark tones of the night sky, with hints of deep earthy colours.
5. What does your theme say about you?
Besides being fascinated by it, my theme ‘Light Magic’ it is also part of the future 2019/20 trends in WGSN. It shows my design inclination towards nature, more cosmos oriented in this case. The interplay of light and darkness shows my attitude towards a more mystic approach in designing.
6. Are you fun or serious?
I tend to give a moody feel to my designs through a clear reference of the night sky, to evoke emotions that need to be celebrated with the loved ones, even through little tokens like a simple card.
7. How old is your customer?
Over 25, professional.
8. Who is your favourite brand? Why?
I especially researched the work of Ted Baker, Katie Leamon and Sara Miller. They are high end designer capable to convey the message of nature from their more simplistic designs through the more sophisticated ones. Ted Baker and Sara Miller I admire in particular for their drawing skills and colour palette. I love Sara Miller’s foil finishing of her designs.
9. How do you stand out from the crowd?
I aim to design for a niche market that also happens to be in trend. For those passionate or somewhat intrigued by the mystery of the cosmos;
I aim to design for an all year round collection of wrapping paper and cards;
I aim to design cards that celebrates relationships through meaningful phrases that I convey through the analogy with the universe;
I aim to use high quality materials and selected techniques to give both a tactile and an intriguing visual coherent to my theme.
What I’ve learned:
Taking the hints and bullet points from Sian’s presentation I intend to go more in dept with my research. Facing the reflective questions made me realise I didn’t have the prompt answer for some of them and this brought me to analyse and discern my ideas more and started already to alter my Moodboards, to better match my Theme and my Customer.
I am also planning on working on a logo that can relate to my ‘Light Magic’ theme and also to show my products how would they look like in a life style environment through CAD visuals.
Anda Avramescu 