GLITCH: Proffessional Journal Module 1

December 2015

A Branding & Identity Design Journal

By Julie Aaland

MODULE 1: Creative Research & Development 1

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FOREWORD In this first edition of my professional journal I reflect on research in the creative industry and creative development. A collection of my research, experiences and personal learning. In this first edition I will go deeper into the practices of creative research and development. Looking at the creative industry in a broader perspective and narrowing it down to specific practices within Branding. I will point out upcoming trends that I find relevant for my MA project as well as reflect on prediction for the general design industry as a whole. As I have chosen to focus my MA project around the food and restaurant industry, this is the main focus for research. Findings are, however, also relevant to other areas of design and applicable outside the food and restaurant industry.

GOALS FOR MODULE 1 • • • • • •

Learn and adopt a professional approach creative research.

Efficiently apply research on demographics into design solutions.

Implement research finding into creative development.

Practice lateral thinking.

Learn how to present ideas effectively.

Look at appropriate case studies and relevant case studies to draw inspiration and knowledge about the industry.

During this first module I have looked at different approaches to visual language.

In finding a visual signature I have come to realise I have a fascination for all thing imperfect or flawed. Visual details that doesn’t follow traditional ’rules’ or standards of design. A glitch in perfection.

MA PROJECT The main topic for my MA project is preconsumer food waste. The aim is to create a concept that utilise fruit and vegetables that usually would not meet the strict cosmetic standards common in the food industry. In a broader sense, to promote the idea of beautiful imperfections.

The idea is to develop restaurant franchise that offer healthy and affordable culinary experiences created from ugly produce.

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TABLE OF CONTENT

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THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY TRENDS & DEVELOPMENT

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TYPOGRAPHY WITH ALAN KITCHING

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CREATIVE RESEARCH RESEARCH IN BRANDING

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CASE STUDIES SILO BRIGHTON THE BUTCHERS DAUGHTER (WANDERLUST) CHIPOTLE (MOONBOT STUDIOS)

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REFLECTIONS & LEARNING OUTCOME

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THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY

THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY The creative industry is ever-changing and in constant development. Changes and trends in design is affected by numerous factors including social, economical and technological. In recent times the a major shift in the design and business industries is the demand for more conscious products and services. The modern consumer expects products to have a purpose.

A major shift that effects the creative industries is one towards a more experience oriented consumer. People emphasise the user-experience over the object that they buy. As we become forced to reconsider our consumer habits and consumption, the shift towards buying into an experience rather than the tangible product is one to be reckoned. In addition to the broader developments, design is constantly influences by numerous fads and trends that are hot one day and on the downfall the next. In the next section I will define some of the trends that will affect the creative industries now and in the future.

Interesting trends & development: The great reset Back to nature Co-creation The caring/sharing economy The slow movement New age of storytelling Experience this

THE GREAT RESET: The WGSN vision for 2018 is all about resetting. Resetting the future, resetting business, resetting technology, design, environments, nature, value, and resetting ourselves.

The great reset is divided in four directions distinguished by the natural and the designed, the raw and the opulent. These directions, all in line with resetting the creative industry.

(WGSN vision team, 2015)

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BACK TO NATURE One of the trends I am most interested in from the newest WGSN trend forecast is EARTHED. Not only because I see it at one of the visually most interesting trends, but also for the important values of sustainability and considerations for the environment. ”Sustainability will no longer be a buzzword, but an expected business practice” (WGSN vision team, 2015) People will seek to reconnect with nature and it could become a part of the design process. The relationship between man and nature will become more ingrained and a desire for tech-free self-reliance surfaces. This trend opens for the possibility of letting nature take control of the design process and designs can be grown rather than created. This can be done using bacteria or other natural processes. This trend also evolves around expanding the idea of farmto-table and locally sourced material.

SCIENCE IS COOL Harvard Business Review has referred to the profession of data scientist as the sexiest job of the 21th century.

This clearly tells us that science is cool, especially among the millennial.

Technology and science is undoubtedly of high importance in our tech based lives, and geek chic is gaining popularity among youth influencers such as garage/punk band The Bots.

In a social media perspective the I F**king love science Facebook page has 22 million followers, and National Geographic has 32 million followers on Instagram. Science has become cool, no doubt about it. And with science, design possibilities become endless.

Today designers are transforming waste into new designs that look and feel natural. Recycling made appealing, and even sexy. It is possible something from waste that holds qualities of luxury and uniqueness, as well as a feeling of something natural and organic.

CRAFTED BY NATURE What does it mean to be ‘earthed’ in the The trend of earthed also focus on 21st century? the rawness of nature and how this can be incorporated in designs and ”In a world increasingly lived through allow nature to form unique texturescreens, our urge to connect with nature led designs, through an unkempt, is becoming more visceral. This direction organic material rawness that will is driven by a need to experience nature underpin a feeling of connecting with first-hand, to see the world through the nature. Wild and irregular patterns eyes of animals, to tap into something and forms can offer appealing tactility. wilder. Our perspective of the planet (WGSN vision team, 2015) will oscillate between microscopic and macroscopic views, and colour will have a new importance, with a tangible, physical quality that will ground us.”

WGSN Vision team

TRENDS

AND DEVELOPMENT 7

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TRENDS: CO-CREATION

EVERYONE IS A CURATOR In 2010 Kanye West declared on Twitter: ”If I had to be defined at this point I’ll take the title of an inventor or maybe curator”. Though grandiose, West predicted today reality where everyone is a curator, creator or maker. (WGSN, 2015) WGSN consumer trend named ”the creative class” explains how the notion of everyone being a curator, or at least having the opportunity to be one, affects the creative industry. With the access to creative Apps and networks like Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube, anyone can become an influencer and creator.

brands and this way also building their personal brand. Brands from Cliniques to Nordstom are paying creative influencers upwards of $15,000 to raise engagement. Danielle Bernstein of We Wore What, an Instagram account with 1.3 million followers, charges $5,000 to $15,000 per sponsored Instagram post.

(Benet, A., D., 2015)

As long as you have access to the Internet you can, in theory, access art form and design realms that once required years of training. Google and YouTube allows people to quickly and easily gain creative knowledge and skills. Newer sites such as Skillshare also makes it easier than ever to get and creative ”education” online, whenever, wherever.

Although everyone has equal opportunity to become an creator and curator, not everyone is equally influential. Creative influencers such as YouTube stars or fashion bloggers use their knowledge on what resonates with consumers to carry out marketing campaigns in collaboration with

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CO-CREATORS WGSN states one of the macro consumer trends for AW 16/17 to be Artisan. A area of this trend is co-creators, bringing craftsmanship back to communities. Driving this trend is the shift in consumer mindsets from a ’me’ to a ’we’ collective empowerment movement.

Reacting to the rise of 3D printing and technological design, consumers are reinvesting in artisan crafts and products with a human element. This new technology (such as 3D printing and new design programs) are altering the design landscape, shifting the creative process from hands-on-material to hands-on-computers, co-creators are dr The closure of craft-based education and workshops is driving Co-Creators to ensure that craft is not entirely replaced by code. Co-Creators are taking it upon themselves to ensure that arts and crafts education and workshops are still available.

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THE MAKER SPACE SURGE is driving new DIY movements: Do It With Others (DIWO) where people design, build and make something together and Do It Yourself Do Others (DIYFO), the same notion with an added philanthropic aspect attached.

A popular for of DIWO is 3D printing, as sharing and changing open source design files has become the norm.

Sites including Thingiverse, Craftsmanspace, and Instructables provide free 3D-printing patterns, codes, books, models and software.

DIWO IN ART: Although art has been a collaborative media for a while, Co-Creators are now shifting the design process through global initiatives with an ’I’ll start, you complete’ design ethos. The Exquisite Garden project features a rotating stream of artists who build a garden using things they find.

The individual artist has the creative authority to change the structure, this way creating a DIWO installation.

(Benet, A., D., 2015)

TRENDS: CARING ECONOMY

THE CARING ECONOMY ”In a time when Millennials wear their politics on their profile pages and Generation Z chose social activism over self-indulgence, caring becomes a new form of social and cultural currency. Brands and retailers that are embedding a caring element into the purchasing experience are reflecting the concerns of the next emerging consumer demographic.”

(Davies, C., 2015, WGSN)

MILLENNIALS are viewed as more compassionate than other generations, and they demans integrity from all lifestyle touch points. The era of caring inspires creative conversations as designers and brands strive to align with the interests of the next big consumer demographic.

THE SHARING ECONOMY is a new type of business building on the concept of sharing resources. The ability to share what is available allows customers to access goods or services when they are needed, rather than having to buy them “just in case” they need them.

Built on the focus on sustainability and doing more with fewer resources, partially to help the environment but also tied to recent economic downturns that taught consumers a few lessons about saving, the sharing economy is a growing trend that could stay with us for the long-term. Companies like Lyft, Scoot, and Airbnb are now delivering innovative services that have ignited this new sharing economy. Right now, it appears the sharing economy has A RECENT EXAMPLE of the caring become a major business segment. economy in pop culture is the collaboration between charity ’Do Something’ and fashion brand Alexander Wang. The collaboration consisted of a limited-edition collection of clothing and a campaign featuring some of the biggest names in pop culture including Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Kate Moss and many more. The campaign got a lot of buzz in Social Media and generated a lot of awareness to the cause as well as proving Alexanders Wang as a ’caring’ brand.

For brands to adopt this trend of caring they need to embed compassion and kindness into the core of their values and into the consumer experience.

Brands that are able to creatively engage in such interactions and conversations will reap the benefits of this loyal demographic. Peace solidarity and kindness will be key marketing messages.

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TRENDS: SLOW MOVEMENT

�With life pulling frantically forward, people are increasingly intrigued by all things slow. Compelling and profound, the slowness movement wants to help us slow down how we eat, how we travel, what we buy and how we live. (Williams, C., 2015)

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THE SLOW MOVEMENT The slow movement is gaining traction. It’s a slowly growing phenomenon: we saw slow food first, then slow journalism and now we’re starting to see slow travel and slow tech emerge.

Slow fashion even has its own movement. But why are we slowing down?

Because it’s encouraging a more thoughtful approach. This is a movement advocating the benefits of slowness and slow thinking. It wants us to slow down, take our time and place a renewed focus on the benefits of quality over quantity.

AND FOR BRANDS? It means going slow so they can grow in the long term. It gives them more time to make the right decision, as opposed to the quickest. It means working smarter, not harder, not faster.

Society today is an advocate of speed: it’s short on quality but big on quantity.

The motto is bigger not better. As a result, we’re beginning to contemplate the richness of going slow. This is about living in the moment, experiencing the here and now. Why so fast we might ask? Busy doing what? It’s time to change gear perhaps. It’s time to get up to speed with the slow approach.

PURE FOOD People are becoming more aware of what they put in their bodies, and how a healthy diet can significantly improve their health. Adopting a vegan, paleo or gluten-free diet has become trendy, and the restaurant industry is tapping into this developments through health conscious and niche diet offerings. However, the ’pure foods’ trend isn’t about supplementing an existing menu with healthy dishes, it’s about businesses devoting themselves to the cause, having health and wellness ingrained in the core of their philosophy.

Slow living, slow design, slow fashion, slow print, slow travel, slow food.

SLOW FOOD is about cooking from scratch, sourcing in-season ingredients that have been thoughtfully harvested and responsibly grown and reconnecting around our kitchen tables. Despite its slow approach, this movement shows no sign of slowing either. With more weight being placed on what we eat and where it comes from, we can expect this movement to expand further, and along with it the way of creatively communicating this concept.

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TRENDS: STORYTELLING

NEW AGE OF STORYTELLING

Storytelling is not a new concept in design and communication, but as design changes so does the way of telling effective stories. What does the new age of storytelling look like?

One of the ’new’ directions of telling stories today’s through honesty and authenticity. This is illustrated by the documentary genre becoming the new blockbuster.

Documentaries are becoming more recognised by millennial, as they set out to represent a realistic view on the world and what is going on. Not too long ago documentaries would normally be overshadow by narrative films, now audiences are looking for something more grounded. Like consumers, movie audiences want truth and transparency, qualities a documentary provide.

Maker-documentaries has also become more popular in the creative industry, where people are interested in seeing how things are made, who is making it, and what goes in to the production of the product they consider purchasing.

(Williams, C., 2015) FOR BRANDS there is a distinction in telling a story that entertains, or that aims to get the consumers to buy their products. It seems clear that the approach of storytelling in the creative industry is more a bout creating quality stories, over commercialized propaganda and spin. Honesty and imperfection is allowed.

For brand there is a distinction in telling a story that entertains, or that aims to get the consumers to buy their products.

It seems clear that the approach of storytelling in the creative industry is more a bout creating quality stories, over commercialized propaganda and spin. Honesty and imperfection is allowed.

Linda McCartney Foods ”Heart of the Country”: For its first television commercial in more than 15 years, vegetarian brand Linda McCartney Foods turned to animation to tell a story about the brand’s values. The one-minute short, which includes a song by Paul McCartney and narration from singer Elvis Costello, touches on animal advocacy, environmentalism, and the company’s commitment to all-natural ingredients.

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EXPERIENCE DESIGN

Globally, there is a shift where consumers prioritise memorable experiences over purchasing product: doing beats buying. This gives the designer of the future a new focus- designing experiences rather than just products to be consumed.

EXPERIENCE DESIGN WITH A SIDE OF BRAGGING RIGHTS In 2015 dining out become a stage event that comes with bragging rights. This means that more meals are created with Instagram and Twitter in mind. Restaurants realize the power of customers generating social media buzz in real time. This enhances the importance of designing user experiences that are unique and worth sharing to online.

Although smart-phones are such a big part of today’s society, we still need to engage with other human beings. ”The core human need we have to group and gather is still at the heart of how we want to spend our time.” (WGSN, 2015)

SUPPER CLUB RESURGENCE A great example of the experience economy is the resurgence of supper clubs. These community based supper clubs are transforming the dining experience and resonates with consumers that look for authentic ways of connecting offline. The general process for such supper club is customers signing up via email to attend monthly meals and the event planner assign seating arrangements to encourage interaction among strangers. These events can be developed further with questions on the menu that will work as conversations starters, or changing up location and entertainment to suit the theme, which will usually be food related.

WORKSHOP EXPERIENCES Moving further into the experience economy, consumers look for ways to get together. Brands that create rich, exciting and meaningful ways to group and bond will be successful in connecting with their consumer.

One way people can get together and bond is through learning a new skill. According to WGSN, workshops and classes are gaining ground as the leisure activity of choice. Skill swapping bring a sense of achievement and purpose to time spent together, and can bring people fro different background together on a deeper level.

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TYPOGRAPHY: ALAN KITCHING

LET’S TALK ABOUT TYPE Typography plays a crucial part in visual communication and in branding. Choosing the right type can make or break a design idea, and putting the right considerations in making the right choice is vital for visual designers.

This module we had the pleasure of listening in on Alan Kitching, a pioneer in type, talk about his work within typography and graphics. It was very inspiring hearing him talk about the process behind some of his work. I find that it is usually fascinating to hear someone’s explanation of their visual work, in comparison to just seeing it without having any inside on what their thought process behind the idea was. The important factors for how the project ended up, what would be the alternative, why did he choose those exact colours.

The fact that he uses traditional methods and stays true to the heritage of printing adds value of craftsmanship to his work, in contrast to the mass produced digital age. Also mentioning that he is ’slightly’ against the concept of mass-production.

There are so many small decisions that go into a finished piece of work.

Little decisions that could play such a big role in the finished visual. Hearing and seeing the process of some of his design and then finally the end result really emphasises the importance of the process. If you don’t try out all possibilities, you might not find the best solution, or be confident that the final solution is the best one.

Alan Kitchings iconic visual identity is inspiring, as he has been confident in his visual voice and kept true to it throughout his career.

Alan Kitching on his creative process: ”This is how I start: I make a montage of the type, I pile it up on the press before I get anywhere near the ink and the paper.”

Kitching emphasises the importance of experimentation and embodies the idea of lateral thinking. His process is a lot about adding, subtracting and combining different elements such as fonts and colours.

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CREATIVE RESEARCH

RESEARCH

IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY

Conducting research early on is a vital step towards being able to understand and solve visual problems. Through exploration of the problem designers are able to develop a comprehensive understanding of the client, the brief, and, ultimately, what an appropriate design solution would be. This is especially important when working with a new client or within an unfamiliar industry.

CREATIVE RESEARCH is vital in order to back up possible solutions and create credibility with the client. The designer needs to be able to sell, and back up, every design decision that is made.

Why is it the best design solution for the demographic?

TESTING AND MEASURING Before that can be conclusively answered and proved, the design solutions needs to be tested with representatives of the demographic. This can be done through focus groups, qualitative and quantitative interviews.

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CASE STUDY: GUMTREE RE-BRANDING

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KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE Understanding the audience that you are trying to communicate with is a fundamental requirement in visual communication. In order to design something that appeals to a specific demographic, you need to speak their language, understand their taste, their dreams, their interests and their lifestyle.

Demographics will help you understand who buys your product, psycho-graphics will make clear of why they buy.

DEMOGRAPHICS include age, gender, sexual orientation, income, education, occupation, location, household.

PSYCHO-GRAPHICS focus on the audience’s psychology, lifestyle, behaviours, hobbies, interests, values, musical tastes, brand and consumption preferences.

MOOD-BOARDS: One way to better understand and visualize your audience is to create mood-boards that represent the target group.

REFLECTIONS

DEMOGRAPHICS

PERSONA: Another method is to create fictive persona of the end users. This method combine demographics and psycho-graphics to create a realistic picture of who your customer could be.

Include name, sex, age, living situation, job and aspirations, and why they need the product. Creating a persona from your static demographic can be a good way to make the target audience more realistic and approachable. And even more fun to design for.

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MAKE IT PERSONAL In the development of my idea I have found that it makes it a lot easier to place the target audience by creating a persona. Giving the persona a name, hobbies, interests, likes and dislikes, can help generate new ideas for design more so than working with a static demographic.

For the development of my project I have created a persona called John.

John is a pretty cool guy, but he definitely has his quirks... In order to have a visual of who the persona is, it’s a good idea to create moodboards that visualise personality and lifestyle.

In the research I have done I’ve chosen cases and examples that I think John would have an opinion about.

RESEARCH IN BRANDING

BRANDING IDENTIFYING RESEARCH ACTIVITIES IN

In order to create a brand and identity, it is firstly important to understand the business you are designing for. Mission, vision, value proposition, SWOT, business plan, culture, history.

MARKET RESEARCH What does the market space you’re designing for look like? Market research include primary, secondary, qualitative interviews, focus groups, quantitative research, online surveys, usability testing, segmentation, brand equity research, name awareness, reputation.

BRANDING IS PERCEPTION Perceptions of a company, and its products or services.

Branding is all about knowing the consumer and theirs need, this way being able to crate a connection and emotional appeal. A band can be status anything, everything has a brand, and a brand is the comprehensive experience a consumer has of the company as a whole, every touch-point.

In branding or re-branding there are four key ingredients, and four important questions to answer.

MARKETING AUDIT Brand identity, business papers, THE BIG IDEA: What lies at the heart of you company? electronic communication, sales and VALUES: What do you believe in? marketing, internal communication, VISION: Where are you going? environmental applications, retail.

PERSONALITY: How do you want to come across?

UNDERSTANDING THE COMPETITION In the end it is always important to stand out, and have a differentiated or better offering than the competition. For this reason it will be vital to analyse and understand who you are competing against for market share. Who are they?

What does their brand stand for? What advantages/disadvantages do they have? What do they look and feel like? etc.

When you have a clear and concise answer for these questions you will be able to create a strong brand.

THE BRAND NAME needs to communicate these four elements through a descriptive, evocative or abstract approach. The brand name should reflect the overall strategy. Furthermore, there are a number of considerations to be made in choosing the right name.

OTHER ELEMENTS to be considered in branding include logo, organizational goals, key stakeholders, key messages, brand architecture, typography, colour, imagery, look and UNDERSTANDING THE DEMOGRAPHIC Last, one of the most feel, sound, motion, and the competitive landscape. important things to recognise is the importance of knowing who you are Recently there has been a shift from purely a logo, to a talking to. Who are the audience? What visual brand identity system, which is a more flexible system are their needs and wants? Where do of colours, patterns, graphic elements and images used they belong? Why do they act/consume in different ways across media, but always in line with the they way they do? Where are they brand personality. online/physically?

”Products are made in the factory, brands are made in the mind.”

-Walter Landor, founder, Landor Associates

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THE PROCESS

Alina Wheeler identifies a five step process to design brand identity in her book Designing Brand Identity.

CONDUCTING RESEARCH: Clarify vision, goals and values. Research stakeholders needs and perceptions.

Interview key management. Evaluate existing brands and brand architecture.

Present readout.

CLARIFYING STRATEGY: Synthesize learnings. Clarify brand strategy. Develop a positioning platform. Co-create brand attributes. Achieve agreement. Write a creative brief.

DESIGNING IDENTITY: Brainstorm big ideas. Design brand identity. Explore applications. Finalize brand architecture. Present visual strategy. Achieve agreement.

CREATING TOUCH-POINTS: Finalize identity design. Develop look an feel. Prioritize and design applications.

Design Program. Apply brand architecture.

MANAGING ASSETS: Build synergy around new brands. Develop standards and guidelines.

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CASE STUDY: SILO

CASE: SILO

Silo was conceived form a desire to innovate the food industry whilst demonstrating respect.

For the environment, the way food is generated, and for the nourishment given to our bodies.

The ZERO WASTE restaurant located in Brighton, UK, has a holistic approach to sustainability and focus on a nose to tail ideology in every activity in their value chain.

From their brewery and vegetable focused dishes they serve, to the furniture and fittings the restaurant strive to reduce their waste to a complete no existence. The food that is not consumed by customers or themselves is shared across the local community.

Silo is a frontrunner in showing that a truly sustainable food business is viable both financially and ethically.

As I have not found the designer behind the concept I would guess it has been more of an organic process, where the design has �grown� around their values of integrity and respect for the environment, this way making the concept honest and authentic, as it might not have been created and planned out in a studio.

They acknowledged that their suppliers and local farmers are important to their concept and continually strive to give back where they can. They carry out their approach by having a close relationship with their stakeholder through social media where they let their audience in on how the concept work, behind the scene. Silo communicates in a personal tone and post as if they are sharing updates with their friends.

Silo aim to make a difference in the food industry and show that a sustainable food business is viable both financially and ethically.

HOLISTIC APPROACH: Silo is seen as a holistic ZERO WASTE concept that easily enables the consumer to make the right choice while eating out. The level of transparency ensures the consumer that the people behind the concept are authentic and honest in their claim. The concept also gives a feeling of sophistication combined with responsibility for the environment and the people involved.

The visual language is highly representative of their values around respect for food, environment and people. Exterior, interiors and all other touch-point give a feeling of something honest, natural and organic, recycled and all around an organic feeling.

Even though the visual language is representative of their values of ZERO WASTE it still gives a feeling of The restaurant have a close relationship sophistication and quality with a raw with all stakeholders involved in their finish business and take great consideration into the ethics evolving their The brand draws a link to traditional stakeholders as well as their resources. farming through their name and logo, The restaurant creates a community and carries this out with untreated and around their concept through a recycled wood furniture, simplicity and personal, transparent and authentic community feeling. approach that resonates with the consumer.

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CASE: THE BUTCHERS DAUGHTER

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CASE: THE BUTCHERS DAUGHTER Juice bar, cafe, and ”vegetable slaughter house” - this NoLIta cafe offers the ideal atmosphere to people-watch while enjoying the freshest juices and savoury plates. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, the menu changes daily, is 100% vegetarian and dairy-free. The cafe is popular with young hip New Yorker, and even celebrities. So what makes the butchers daughter so popular?

The Butcher’s Daughter was envisioned and designed by founder Heather Tierney, for the urban, vegan, health conscious consumer. Her design firm, Wanderlust outfitted the space as a feminine take on an old-world, masculine butcher shop. In order to do this research on visual language of slaughter shops has been made and then implemented.

THE VISION was based on a fascination for the dichotomy of using industrial elements such concrete floors, steel metal hooks, heavy iron butcher rails, against softer, earthy materials like beached raw wood, white tile, brick and greenery growing out of an old chicken coop.

The Cafe and juice bar is successful in having a clearly defined concept that is represented through both naming and visualisation with a red thread that is easily understood. It appeals to the consumer with a humoristic twist by using term such as vegetable slaughter house.

The Butchers Daughter has a personal and authentic vibe, where it creates an illusion of being amongst friends. The finishes have an industrial, raw and natural feeling to it that goes well with the rawness of the concept.

Their casual and personal approach is carried out through their website and social media presence where they use emojis and interact with their customers and reposting their customers photos.

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CASE STUDY: CHIPOTLE

CASE: CHIPOTLE

Following the success of its ”Back to the Start” short in 2011, Chipotle set out to win consumer hearts again with its ”Scarecrow” campaign. The animated short features a scarecrow increasingly saddened by the realities of the factory farm where he works. In the end, he decides to open his own restaurant featuring only fresh, all n ­ atural ingredients — a nod to Chipotle’s ”food with integrity” motto.

The ad has since become one of the most recognizable examples of meaningful brand storytelling, totalling more than 13 million views on YouTube and winning several awards.

Chipotle is a good example of how to communicate sustainability and transparency through storytelling. The concept of the Scarecrow realising a problem and coming up with a solution to it creates a heart-warming feeling and illustrates Chipotles motto “food with integrity”. The storyline is in line with the growing trend of ”Caring Economy” where the consumer look for brands with integrity. It appeals to the modern consumer that demand brands to have integrity and care for the environment and the stakeholders their business affect.

To expand the story over different platform, Chipotle also made a arcade game App that expands the storyline and engages the consumer in the story and Chipotles values on sustainability.

The visualisation of the campaign is playful and childlike but also appeals to and older audience with the message it carries. The animation allows for the message to be communicated through an innocence and honest voice of the scarecrow that represents the hero of the story.

THE ROLE OF RESEARCH The Scarecrow campaign and video is a great example of how good research can create amazing results.

The campaign follows a similar video that Chipotle had success with and takes it to the next level. By looking at what worked with the last campaign Moonbot had a understanding of the audience they were communicating with. A comprehensive understanding of environmental issues also comes across in the storyline. The studio is playing on the emotion of the audience, but is also careful to not guilt the consumer into feeling bad. It follows the trend of being authentic and not putting a commercial spin on everything. The video is more like a short-film, rather than a branded video that pushes people into choosing Chipotle.

MIXED REACTIONS Chipotles advert received mixed reaction. Critics were quick to accuse the company of misleading consumers about how it goes about its business.

The Atlantic’s James Hamblin says the company is implying that it is not a fastfood chain. David Sirota, in Salon, took issue with what they saw as an advert endorsing a vegetarian diet, when the company mentioned no plans to reduce meat on the menu. However, Chipotle’s film also attracted gushing praise from Gawker and the New York Times.

Regardless of the ads critical reception, and how much can be read between the lines, it inevitably does highlighting some of the fast food industry’s most pressing issues. The film also promotes the notion that there is someone behind the food, giving the farmers a voice. it raised awareness around the issue and 28

Other examples of branding through storytelling includes Clif Bar, Dominos, Honest Tea and Linda McCartney Food.

These brands communicate not only a message, but a philosophy.

CLIF BAR- FARMERS SPEAK: Clif Bar decided to ”give a voice to the stories of organic ingredients and the farmers that grow them.” Their video focuses on an organic oats farm in Canada, is beautiful in its simplicity. It combines engaging storytelling, family values, and a subtle dose of education about the benefits of organic farming. It’s a brilliant start, if only because it forges a connection between the consumer and the farmer. The communication style is in line with the growing trend of documentaries and the appeal this has to makers. It allows for and honest and authentic communication where the audience hear the message through the voice of the farmer behind the product.

This moves the communication away from a hard sell approach, where the audience feel like they are being tricked into buying a story that is fabricated through a big corporation.

CLIF BAR: telling the story of the people behind the product, focusing on traditions and family.

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REFLECTIONS

REFLECTIONS

The first Module is over and I look back at what I have learned and the feedback I have gotten from peers and staff. What have I learned and how will I progress in the next Module?

GETTING THE RIGHT IDEA, AND GETTING THE IDEA RIGHT One of the most important lessons I learned during the first module was to not get stuck on a specific idea.

Kill your darlings, again and again , until the idea is right. Sometimes going back and forth between ideas will make it easier to find the best concept. Perhaps is the final idea a combination of several ideas.

INNOVATING When do you know an idea is innovative?One of the feedback pointers I have been given is: Innovate it. Find the innovation in the idea- what makes it new?

This is probably what I found the most difficult, finding innovation while still staying in line with a viable idea. When do you know an idea is innovative? When it scares the shit out of people... So I have come to realise that the viability of an idea must come second when looking for innovation and newness in an idea.

Viability must be proven later on.

SEEKING OUT INSPIRATION I have learned that inspiration does fall down from the sky and hit you over the head. Go figure. It might seem like an obvious revelation, but sometimes it’s good to be reminded of the thing that could seem quite apparent when. Remembering to actively seek out inspiration from other places than a computer screen is one of the most important things I have learned.

Or more so, learned to remember.

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GENERATING IDEAS FROM RESEARCH How do we generate design ideas from creative research?

The word research sounds quite dull and bland, but when you add creative in front of it,doesn’t have to be. Through researching our set briefs I have gained knowledge on how to use research to create new, creative ideas, that I can back up with facts. More so, I have gained valuable experience in how to make this process more efficient in order to quickly come up with design solutions that have a reason and make sense for the brief. The skill of systematising the design process is something that will be valuable for me in working with my MA project, as well as in the future. The idea of quick lateral thinking, moving in to vertical development and coming up with multiple possible solution is a process that is now integrated in my thought process. These ideas will of course only be the first step in the design process but are is important in order to develop ideas that test well and appeal to the demographic. If they have several strong solution to ADJUSTING ACCORDINGLY Using feedback to develop design solutions further. Through the two set briefs we have worked on I have gained thorough appreciation for the process of numerous rounds of feedback, allowing me to adjust the solutions accordingly. In my previous education there has usually not been time to actually carry out adjustments after several rounds of feedback. I have come across the frustration of having to change a project last minute due to new insight from tutorials. More so, taking in the feedback and critique, changing the idea and message, and eventually ending up with a result that I became inevitably more confident in.

The result of proper research, feedback and analysis.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS Through the two projects and the development of my MA proposal I have gone through the creative process in different ways. Sometimes with more successful outcomes than other times.

I find it hard to pinpoint the exact recipe for innovation, but a key learning outcome and revelation is the importance of a systematised process that works for you. Having a systematised process will enable you to more easily come up with new possible solutions and design ideas, and most likely, also save a lot of time THE CREATIVE BLOCK There has been times, a number of times, that I have run out of inspiration.

The right desk research can in a lot of cases help generate ideas and inspire new solutions or design. However, I have found that at some point it can also leave you in a creative block, just being sat in front of the screen in order to find

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REFLECTIONS

the right inspiration.

A GLITCH After a design lecture with Hannah Halliday we were asked to go out and take three photos of something that interested us or that illustrated something that interests us. I take loads of photos almost everyday, but having it as an assignment and actually thinking about why I wanted to take this specific photo and how made me look at the world around me in a new way. I left the assignment to the night before and became desperate to find three photos that had some sort of meaning or purpose behind them. I could always cheat and chose 3 old photos, but I felt like that would undermined the process.

As I was walking through the creative quarter in the rain late at night after a social gathering I remembered my assignment, and now saw anything as an opportunity for a photo. I reached market Square and snapped a quick photo of the Christmas lights in market square with my phone, my took my hand down too quickly and the photo became blurry and glitch. As I looked at the photo for a bit I got an idea for my photo series.

I took a bunch of glitchy and blurry photos of a walk through the city centre, of lights of colours and of the wet ground reflecting the lights. As I took the photos I shook my hand around like a crazy person, and didn’t look at any of the photos I had taken before I came back. To my relief I found just about three photos, out of about a hundred, that had an interesting glitch effect and that worked well together.

BLURRED LIGHTS I have called the series ”blurred lights” and it is meant to represent how something flawed can be beautiful and interesting. A mistake can become something that is even better and more innovative that what you were trying to accomplish in the first place.

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FINDING VISUAL IMPERFECTIONS As I started thinking more about my concept for this small photo assignment I started drawing parallels to my MA project and the ugly vegetable.

Farmers put the effort into growing fruit and vegetables, some doesn’t turn out the way they intended or that society expected, so they are discarded and go to waste. In this way I can see a parallel between deleting a blurry or glitch photo, with throwing away a fruit or vegetable that didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to or doesn’t look ”right” according to specific standards.

These kinds of mistakes or imperfections create a visual expression that is most likely to be different than what you normally see as it breaks the rules.

The more I have looked into it I am increasingly fascinated by the idea of allowing imperfections to exist.

I want to create expressions enhanced by a glitch. Big or small.

BLURRED LIGHTS. 33

REFLECTIONS: SUMMING UP

REFLECTIONS: TO SUM IT UP KEY FEEDBACK: Feedback from peers, tutors and workshops: • • • • •

Work with real scale.

Organise work better for tutorials.

Don’t start an idea digitally- brainstorm and make quick sketches.

Go out in the “real world” to find inspiration and research.

Don’t get stuck in front of the screen.

Practice lateral thinking and brainstorming.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED? At this stage of my education I have learned how to execute creative research in order to generate and validate design ideas and solutions. The process of creative research and development is one that continuously develops and changes, and the only way to get better and more efficient is to practice and repeat it. I have learned that inspiration and creativity can be a more systematized that I imagined. It’s not about sitting around waiting for a great idea to hit you over the head. Go out and hunt it down.

WHAT WILL I IMPROVE? Before entering the next module I will try to get a better understanding of the demographic, and this information will be used to test different design directions and applications.

• • • • • •

Create more free expressions by hand.

Get papers and portfolio organised.

Do more field research and go deeper into demographics.

Analyse Case studies more efficiently.

Adopt more professional practices.

Find better methods of systematising innovation.

WHAT’S NEXT? In the next module I will proceed with further visual development of my MA project. The next stage will include brand strategy, designing a strong brand identity, explore applications and opportunities for sub-brands, finalize brand architecture, and visualize the strategy for presentation.

Further on I will develop the look and feel of the brand throughout touch-points, and prioritize and design applications.

Lastly, I will use the next module to get away from the computer screen and do field research. Explore possibilities through actually going out in the world and getting inspired.

Taking photos, taking notes, sketching and taking the time to get genuinely inspired.

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Julie Aaland N0655826 julie.aaland022015@my.ntu.ac.uk

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