GLITCH: Proffessional Journal Moule 2

March 2016

A Branding & Identity Design Journal

By Julie Aaland

MODULE 2: Creative Development and Testing 1

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FOREWORD In this edition of my professional journal I reflect on creative development and testing. A collection of research outcomes, experiences and personal learning. I will go deeper into the practices in creative development and testing. Looking at the creative industry in a broader perspective and narrowing it down to specific practices and methods within Branding. I will examine case studies which illustrate how enduser testing can be implemented in branding practices.

The updated title of my MA project is’ Branding UGLY’ and I will implement this in my creative development.

Looking at methods of making a flaw, imperfection or glitch appealing.

This edition of my professional journal will be a continuation of the first edition and follow research and development made in the first module.

GOALS FOR MODULE 2 • • • • • • • •

Learn and adopt a professional approach to creative development.

Practice a systematised process to generating and developing ideas.

Practice lateral thinking.

Become confident with visual experimentation and presenting ideas, good or bad.

Gain a broader knowledge of how testing is implemented in the creative industry, and in branding specifically.

Gain insight on how to create successful brand stories and holistic end-user experiences.

Learn about branding practices in the food and restaurant industry.

Practice implementation of industry trends and methods to MA project.

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TABLE OF CONTENT

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT & TESTING APPROACHES TO CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

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VERNACULAR DESIGN DEVELOPMENT CASE STUDY: REV DE CUBA

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TESTING, TESTING.

AN INTRODUCTION TO TESTING IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY

TECHNIQUES & METHODS

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TESTING IN BRANDING

TESTING BRAND PERCEPTION

CASE STUDY: GUMTREE RE-BRAND:

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‘MY PROCESS’

DEVELOPMENT & EXPERIMENTATION TESTING & CONTEXTUALISING

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REFLECTIONS: SUMMING UP

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT & TESTING

APPROACHES TO CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT & TESTING

From the different talks and seminar held this module I have gained insight to different approaches to testing and development varying from areas of expertise. In the end it is about finding the right process which will argue for and back up solutions made.

DEVELOPING AND TESTING ILLUSTRATIONS The illustration seminar and workshops with Sarah McConnell showcased how illustrators work with developing ideas.

In the area of illustration, which might be seen as creative doodles by an outsider, utilizes research and testing on an extensive level in order to create illustrations that are appropriate for the right audience and for the clients or product.

Illustrations are not just pretty and decorative, but also needs to convey the right message and idea.

According to McConnell, an illustration should illuminate the text, enrich the narrative, and communicate an visual idea. Illustration sits somewhere between art and design and therefore also emphasises the importance of visual identity of the artist more so than graphic design. This makes the style and quality of line of an illustrator an important differentiator. Is it recognizable as well as appropriate for the creative brief?

The workshop we had with Sarah enabled us to draw up quick sketches and ideas, without worrying too much about how pretty it or polished it looks.

As a conclusion to the first seminar with Sarah, we were asked to grab a pen and paper, close our eyes and start drawing.

Not opening our eyes until the drawing was completed, creating visuals for further development. After opening our eyes we were asked to scan the drawing, and start experimenting with the raw lines through cutting adding or subtracting elements. Encouraged to surprise ourselves and create something unexpected we all made visuals we had not envisioned before closing our eyes.

Be it good or bad. The take away from this exercise was to just do it. Start. Put the pen to a piece of paper and start creating.

“Do something, do something to that and then do something to that” -Jasper Johns

DIFFERENT APPROACHES SAME RESULT? This module is about creative development and testing. As we’ve gotten insight to different designers approach to creative development I realise that there are a lot of different approaches to creative development.

However, the end result should always be: appropriate design than is backed up by research and testing results. Creative development often goes back and forth between testing and development before arriving at the final design solution.

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REFLECTIONS

Developing appropriate illustrations takes research and further testing with end users. Also in illustration the artist need to come up with a variety of ideas in term of characters, colour usage, layouts, and expressions to name a few.

Sometimes the best way to generate ideas can be to get it out of your own head and down on paper. It will probably not be the first lines on the paper that will become the final design, but it might lead to other designs and ideas.

Sarah McConnells creative development process.

From research, to initial sketches, experimenting with expressions, layout, colours, and final illustration.

From the book ‘Marvin’s funny dance’

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT & TESTING

‘Alphabet’ by Douglas Wilson and Peter Blake.

“Don’t always listen to what people tell you” - Douglas Wilson 8

THE PUBLISHING PROCESS WITH DOUGLAS WILSON In our seminar with Douglas Wilson we got an insight to how the publishing process works, and how the design of books is more complex than one might think from an outside view. As he took us through the process of designing and art directing the design of travel guide books it became clear how many elements and details go into the process of creating appropriate design for such books. A large team of people working on different areas of the book design, over time, come up with a product that can be released to the public. At which point it is not yet ‘finished’ by any means. Even after publishing, the travel guide book will continue to be developed and updated to fit the ever changing world of travel. Douglas emphasises the process of going back and forth between developing designs, checking with editors, testing with end user and then back to development, again. It’s a constant, almost circular, process until the final design is achieved and ready to be taken further. As the publishing process involves a large number of different areas of expertise there are a lot of people that have to sign of and approve designs before they can move further in the labyrinth of testing and developing. The process goes from initial sketches and ideas through finding the right illustrators, photography and authors to contribute to the book before it’s completed. A number of proofs, cover design test and adjustments later, the book will be ready for print.

“Don’t always listen to what people tell you”, Wilson explains, talking about the importance an critical approach to feedback Be critical towards your source of feedback. Are they telling you what you want to hear? Are they aimlessly crossing out options on an online survey without giving the choice a second thought? Critically evaluating reliability of sources is important.

‘THE COVER DESIGN CYCLE’ according to Douglas Wilson.

1. Editors write up brief.

2. Designer review brief.

3. Designer produces first visual.

4. First visual to cover meeting.

5. Revised visual as above.

6. Commission artwork from Illustrator.

7. Mock up to Cover meeting.

8. Finished cover to Cover meeting.

9. Proof Cover to meeting.

THE COVER MEETING: Editorial, design, marketing, sales.

All comment on the cover.

1. Is it eye catching?

2. Is it right for the age group?

3. Does it stand out on the shelf?

4. Is it exciting?

5. Does it portray the feel of the book?

6. Will it work “off the page”?

ANALYSING FEEDBACK From our seminar with Douglas Wilson I gained a deeper knowledge on how development and testing works in publishing. The insight I found most valuable was to always remember to be critical to feedback, and don’t always listen to what people tell you. It’s important to be critical and evaluate the source of the feedback, and choosing the right informants.

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REFLECTIONS

CHOOSING THE RIGHT INFORMANTS Regardless of what your approach to testing is, choosing the right audience will be important. Does the test object represent opinions of the target audience you’re trying to reach?

Informants for testing may or may not have previous knowledge about the work presented. Do they already have an understanding of what the design is trying to convey, or are they impartial and new to visuals presented? If possible also read into their body language and the reactions that are not words. Sometimes facial expressions or tone of voice can be just as revealing as the words spoken.

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT & TESTING

VERNACULAR DESIGN Vernacular architecture is a category of architecture based on local needs, construction materials and reflecting local traditions. While generating ideas that promote values of ‘ugly’ or flawed, looking at the principles of vernacular design can come in handy.

Vernacular design reinforces authenticity and the beauty in distressed or old materials.

This type of design tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural, technological, economic, and historical context it exists. While often difficult to reconcile with regulatory and popular demands of the five factors mentioned, this kind of architecture still plays a role in architecture and design, especially in local branches.

Vernacular, folk, traditional, and popular architecture are terms used to describe the concept.

THE SYSTEMATIC METHOD FOR CREATION: When graphic designers hear the word “vernacular,” they might think of quaint hand-painted signs or old-fashioned candy wrappers.

According to Kristian Bjornard, vernacular design is more than a collection of quotable styles and false nostalgia. He describes the term as a systematic method for creation that can guide us toward more sustainable practices.

“Systems thinking is a leading development in contemporary design and those systems requiring the least resources will best serve design on its path toward sustainability. Vernacular design offers a valuable model as its aim is accomplishing the most with the least.” Kristian Bjornard Stewart Brand approaches the vernacular with a scholarly rather than aesthetic view. He explains the vernacular process as a systematic framework for evolving concepts. The concepts of constraint, durability, and thrift provide the foundation for the vernaculars evolutionary model. The same principles applied to modern-day design practice offer new and concrete ways for design to move forward.

Vernacular design is more than just old -fashioned candy wrappers

“Once a satisfactory product has been achieved, further change may be counterproductive, especially if the product is successful. You have to know when to stop.”

-from The Design of Everyday Things

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CONSTRAINT Using local climate, culture and materials to guide the processes. The constraint of locality may limit formal elements, materials, and size, but making choices inside the presented constraints allows for innovation to take place outside of initial expectations. Constraints over sacrifices will be useful for sustainable thinking moving forward—we don’t want people to feel like they are making sacrifice.

THRIFT Indigenous buildings like Viking long-houses, Amish barns, or American bungalows all aim to get the most building for the least material, money, and time. Practicality is the main focus. A building would start with something small and necessary and is only added to as money, time, and need allow. This is a concept we have lost sight of in contemporary design, where the cheapest solution often trumps any other factor. Thrift can also be applied to the design process in the idea and problem solving, in knowledge of when to spend resources on new ideas, and when to use something old, reliable and cheap. This is now a part of the sustainable designers job.

Why use permanent plastics and foils in materials intended for immediate disposal?

DURABILITY The quality and lifespan of buildings is what allow them to grow and evolve. With this comes the consideration of material and maintenance. A lot of the materials used in vernacular buildings are naturally durable: stone and large timbers. Ephemeral materials such as straw, thatch and wooden shingles are used in ways that allow them to show their wear and enable easy repair and replacement.

DURABILITY IN GRAPHIC DESIGN is as much about longevity of systems as the materials in objects. Design processes should be long lasting and reusable. Materials choices should be long lasting and reusable. There is a

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certain importance of choosing material depending on the intended lifespan of an item. A barn is made from durable material, a candy bar wrapper is not.

Why use permanent plastics and foils in materials intended for immediate disposal?

“Think about the quantity of “disposable” objects we consume everyday: cheap paperback books, coffee cups, pounds upon pounds of junk mail. Our job for the future will be to question the materials from which the objects are made—in terms of meeting the durability requirements for the object itself—and whether the piece can be dematerialized further, even questioning its very existence.”

- Kristian Bjornard In a wider view vernacular design means common design by common people.

Cultural commonness is special due to its ability to evolve over time. Common features survive the passage of time as they are generally accepted as ‘good’, while the ‘bad’ ones eventually dissolve.

While professional designers can not always act as conservatively as vernacular designers, they are able to adopt the ideals of constraint, durability and thrift, as well as allowing material and products to be ‘flawed’ or shaped by their environment, if you will..

CASE STUDY: VERNACULAR DESIGN

On their opening week, Rev De Cuba held several promotional events to attract customers to the new restaurant. They handed out free coffee and sandwiches during the day, where they also gave out lays and invites to the launch party with free drink vouchers. The vouchers were designed as old school flight tickets from Nottingham to Cuba.

Rev de Cuba often change the design of their Menus for special events or seasons. All design go in line with the vernacular concept of communicating the Cuban values.

Rev De Cuba Website.

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REVOLUCION DE CUBA

Revolucion De Cuba, situated in Market Square in Nottingham, is a new Tapas restaurant and bar. Illustrating the concept of vernacular design they have a holistic approach to creating the complete Cuban dining experience. The venue has been crafted to embody the atmosphere of a Cuban Havana bar during the American prohibition.

With a mosaic tiled entrance and staircase, and photographs of Cuba covering the walls, the restaurant does well to communicate Latin American decor, style and vibe. Taking the atmosphere of Cuba a step further, the restaurant regularly house a traditional South American Mariachi band, that together with the friendly staff succeed in creating the perfect relaxed Cuban vibe. The venue is separated into four section for everything you would want on an evening out. From the eating area, a more relaxed lounge space, a separate bar upstairs, as well as a dace floor for salsa lessons.

The authentic vibe of a Cuban Havana is extended through the Revolucion de Cuba website and social media presence. The restaurant communicates with a persona tone of voice and emphasise two-way dialogue on their social media through encouraging feedback and emphasising interacting with customer interaction online.

The Cuban experience is extended through everything from interior, menus, food and drink presentation, website and printed material such as flyers etc.. The brand design is highly inspired by vernacular design, using flight ticket design for flyers, menu as a newspaper and delivering the check in a Cuban cigar box. Even the restrooms are a authentic Cuban inspired experience...

Vernacular design: Traditional Cuban Cigarbox to deliver the check.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT & TESTING

TESTING, TESTING

Quantitative and qualitative testing, focus groups, participation/observation, word association, laddering, contextual testing, prototyping and mock-ups, A/B testing, questionnaires, surveys and concept test questionnaire. There are many ways to test creative solutions.

WHEN AND HOW? Determining the best approach for a specific project, is where the challenge starts. Then comes planning, execution and analysing feedback.

What is certain is that testing should be an integral and continuous part of the creative development.

One of the first questions to be answered regarding testing and developing design is when and how do we test the design ideas and solutions? The answer tend to be early and often. Testing isn’t a one time process to achieve a yes or no answer. Testing should be applied as early as possible and be a part of the creative development throughout, going back and forth between testing and developing. To give a more specific answer to the when and how, considerations to time, budget and resources should be applied. What’s important is to understand that testing can bring valuable insight at any stage of the design development process.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH and testing is normally used to gain a deeper insight into perceptions and opinions of representatives of the target group. Qualitative research vary between unstructured or semistructured techniques, common methods including focus groups, individual interviews and participant/ observation. The number of informants are typically smaller and more carefully chosen to represent the target audience.

QUANTITATIVE TESTING Where qualitative data gathering is used to obtain a deeper insight, quantitative testing can help obtain a generalized result based on larger more superficial numbers. Quantitative testing uses measurable data collection to generate statistics.

FOCUS GROUPS vs. USABILITY TESTING The main difference between focus group and usability testing is that focus groups are based on opinions, where usability testing is based on behaviour.

FOCUS GROUP A focus group usually consist of a group of 6-8 representatives of the target audience, with a moderator, where the informants discuss their feelings, attitudes and ideas on a topic or idea.

The aim is to gather people’s thoughts and attitudes on ideas or designs through discussion. In focus groups new ideas can emerge through discussion, but it can also make results unreliable dependent on the composition of people. If one person has very strong opinions on the topic, he might influence others in a direction they might not have chosen on their own.

Focus groups are usually used in the earlier stages of the creative process, or when introducing new products to see the reaction.

USABILITY TESTING In usability testing or contextual interviews the participants act rather than discuss. As a result the moderator is able to observe and draw conclusions from the actions made. Compared to a focus group, a usability testing gives you more detail information on the individual informant and is this way more reliable. This method also enables the moderator to observe interactions with the product or service and that might lead to valuable findings on the user experience.

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QUICK FOCUS: Gathering a group of peers can work as a quick and easy focus group.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT & TESTING

Movember tested the original homepage background image against one that featured a crowd of people

A/B TESTING is based on having representatives of the demographic choose option A or option B, to determine which perform best according to predetermined criteria.

Criterias could be measured in many ways such as click-through, pageviews, subscriptions, direct sales, or a combination of these. The different versions of design can vary in smaller or more significant ways.

A/B testing as other techniques can have faults and therefore show incorrect results if not carried out correctly. It will be important consider the following criteria: size of audience, time period of testing, software use. Other considerations to be made is material to be tested. A large variety of options usually not the way to go. It can be beneficial to only change one variable per option, this way making it easier to determine which variable is gaining positive or negative results. Typical variables that could be tested with the A/B approach is images, colours, font, headlines, forms, buttons and navigation tweaks. The key to executing A/B test is to keep it simple and run one test at the time, there are also a lot of tools and software to make the testing process easier. One example is www.optimizely. com. An website optimization tool to help companies gain consumer insight and optimise and test their site or App.

TESTING THROUGH OPTIMIZELY The Movember foundation is a global non-profit focused on raising funds and awareness around men’s health issues. Most of their donations come from their campaign each November where participants sign-up and solicit donations for the cause.

Testing and optimizing is a big part of getting more donations and spreading awareness.

The Movember Foundation used Optmizely.com to achieve better results in 3 areas: registrations, team participation, and quantity of donations.

Through A/B testing via Optimizely they achieved 28,000 more sign-ups, 5x more Facebook shares, 75% more Email shares and 28% more Email donation requests. One of the findings from this testing was that a more peron centered design achieved higher results.

The takeaway from the Movember A/B testing was: 1. Continuous testing is critical.

2. Know which metrics matter.

3. Apply wins to future tests.

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REFLECTIONS

A

or

TESTING UGLY In the latest stages of my creative development I have used A/B testing with end user. To gain insight to their reaction to different design, but also to validate decision made on smaller variables within the design idea. I have tested ideas with 5 moderated interviews with selected representatives. This testing has helped me to make decisions on design. By using the A/B method it has been easier to get quick feedback without executing testing with a large amount of informants.

A CRITICAL EYE In this stage of the development I have not yet come up with final design solutions. For this reason I will only presenting a draft of the design, and use the feedback to validate or question further design decisions.

I have chosen to focus on offline testing as I find value in observing reactions and facial expression.

Further I find it beneficial to have

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B

the ability to dig deeper into decisions in applicable. In this round of testing I have gained deeper insight from a smaller number of representatives of the target audience. Ideally, I would collect a larger number of opinions, this will be done at later stages when the solution is more developed, and holistically contextualised.

Researching and implementing testing has given me insight on how to execute different techniques.

The importance of planning and documenting along the way has also become more clear.

As the number of participant were smaller that I would like, I will use the results in comparison with expert advice, peer feedback and own intuition. Through testing I found ways of communicating the concept in a way that is easier to understand. I also found testing helpful in deciding on tag lines and visual language diretion.

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TESTING: BRANDING

TESTING BRAND PERCEPTION From the first module it became clear that brands are not made in a factory, but as an perception in peoples head. Therefore testing end-user perception is vital in developing strong brands that resonate with the target audience.

PERCEPTION is unique to the individual and not necessarily something that comes across online surveys or in the first round of questions. Informants existing knowledge and interest vary, so it will be important to chose the right informant to get realistic feedback.

Qualitative interviews will be important in the earlier stages of creating and developing ideas. At later stages testing the perception of the brand on a larger scale, in order to gain more general insight. How does the general public see the brand?

CONTEXTUAL TESTING The first stage of the design process is usually creative research. Then follows brainstorming, a variety of ideas and a creative brief. Then comes the design and development of ideas. Testing and application of ideas. Where does the design live? In order to determine if the design will work across media the application it is vital to test design through prototypes or mockups. Deciding whether the design is appropriate will become easier when seen across a range of applications.

It might work well on a white piece of paper, but not appropriate on the side of a building, on a poster, business card, website, social media, in an e-mail or on a coffee mug.

Brand perception is unique to the individual and does not usually give a straight black or white result.

CONCEPT TEST QUESTIONNAIRE When testing ideas for sub-brands it will be beneficial to do a concept test questionnaire.

Concept test questionnaires usually ask the participants to rate the product in the following categories: INTEREST: How likely they are to buy the product?

FREQUENCY: How often they would use the product?

VALUE: How the perceive the products benefits compared to price.

UNIQUENESS: How different the products is from its competition?

BELIEVABILITY: How realistic the conceptual product is?

CONFUSION: Any uncertainty around the product features?

BRAND FIT: How closely the product fits in their existing idea of the brand?

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“A designer may examine hundreds of ideas

before focusing on a final choice. Even after the

final idea emerges, testing its viability begins yet another round of exploration.�

-Alina Wheeler, Designing brand identity

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CASE STUDY: GUMTREE RE-BRANDING

RE-BRANDING: GUMTREE One example of user driver case study done by Creative Review. Recently listing website Gumtree launched a new visual identity designed by London studio Koto, where the original logo has been replaced with a simplified tree mark.

USER DRIVEN RESEARCH “Gumtree had done quite a lot of consumer research – they’ve been increasing their profile and marketing spend for quite a while – and one of the things that came out of that was that people had universally negative feelings towards their logo.” Based on this research, Koto was given a simple brief – to create a new logo – but just three months to do it. The team came up with 11 options (some which featured trees, some which didn’t) and presented 8 of them to Gumtree. The company then selected 4 to test on non-users, lapsed users and existing users of the site.

The final logo was selected based on the user feedback they obtained, with audiences describing the new logo as simple, clean and modern. The 3 criteria they initially focused on was modern, simple and digital.

The new logo was selected based on users’ feedback, with many describing it as simple, clean and modern in testing.

Koto also took great consideration into contextual testing, where they focused on the design fitting into mobile as well as look good on a billboard.

Steven, R., (2016)

“That was quite unusual for us. I’m not always a fan of just putting visuals in front of people but in this case it was valid, because we needed to understand what was stopping people from using the site,” James Greenfield, founder of Koto.

Gumtree’s original logo.

Koto presented 11 creative options to Gumtree, with 4 logos tested on different user groups.

Koto’s style guide for Gumtree. The new logo was tested on users, who described it as “simple, clean and modern”.

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“Gumtree had done quite a lot of consumer research – they’ve been increasing their profile and marketing spend for quite a while – and one of the things that came out of that was that people had universally negative feelings towards their logo.”

-Koto founder James Greenfield.

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Behind the scenes on the Gumtree re-brand

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT Through creative development and experimentation I have gained insight on how to make my own creative process more efficient and systematised. I have become more efficient in taking an idea out of my head, visualising it and contextualising it.

LATERAL THINKING Generating ideas No right or wrong Random directions Experimental Explores irrational Explores irrelevant

All possibilities

THEN VERTICAL Choose ideas Analyse and evaluate Planning a sequence Focus on the relevant Defining a direction Proposing a solution

JUST DO IT On of the challenges I have encountered during this module has been to ‘just get started’. To take ideas out of my brain and put them down on paper, accepting that it doesn’t have to look finished or refined to start with.

It’s an idea... An idea that might lead to a different idea, that again could lead to another one. But that is not going to happen without experimentation.

DECISION-MAKING Making decisions has also been challenging. Being told every decision need to be backed up by research and test results. But before testing them, ideas need to be more refined. It’s a balance. What I have learned is to, like Nike, just do it. Just get started, put things down, visualize and test it. Take in the feedback and either scrap the idea or develop it further. Trial and failure will inevitably be a part of the process.

EXPERIMENTATION One of the most valuable learning outcomes has, as mentioned, been experimentation and the importance of this in the development of new ideas. I have been ‘forced’ to step away from the computer and experiment with materials, techniques and visuals deriving from my hands - not the click of a mouse.

Whether the final result has been successful or not has less importance, as generating ideas and testing have been in focus. I have learned that an idea need not to be finalised when it is still in the idea phase. Testing it will determine if it’s even worth developing further.

SAY IT ALOUD From the seminar with Douglas Wilson I came to realise that sometimes the first test is just saying the idea aloud and trying to explain it to someone. Even before receiving the feedback you might realise the idea is rubbish. This is where keeping it simple 22

comes in handy. Simple ideas just, simply, work better. Where complicated ideas might make sense in my head, they most likely wont when trying to explain it to and audience that does not have the same background knowledge on the topic gained through research.

VISUALISING UGLY As the topic for my MA project is Ugly veggies, I have tried to implement this in my visual experimentation as much as possible.

Using fruit and vegetables as stamps to create shapes, and making dye from vegetables to generate natural colours.

I have also tried to stick to vernacular design principles: constraint, thrift and durability. Focusing on design that were ‘crafted by nature’, authentic, simple and natural. Making visual imperfection appealing has also been an aim for my design development. I’ve gone through variations of communicating ‘Ugly’, but eventually come back to the start, simply saying it as it is- UGLY.

Experimenting vegetables and natural dyes to generate new ideas and expressions.

Cauliflower printed with beetroot dye.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

“When everyone zigs, zag.”

-

Marty Neumeier

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REFLECTIONS

‘MY PROCESS’ In this module I have explored areas of creative development and testing. I have learned how to make my own process more efficient and how to get my ideas out of my own head and ready to be tested and developed. Experimentation has been a important keyword in my process and development. I have explored and tried a number of ideas. Both irrelevant and irrational.

The aim for my development has been to create new and original idea.

Through developments and irrational experimentation come up with something that stands out. Rather crazy, than boring.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Experimenting with different vegetable prints. One of the challenges was finding ugly vegetables to create print from.

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REFLECTIONS

Trial and failure: Writing with vegetables

EXPERIMENTING WITH VEGETABLES AND PRINTMAKING Using vegetables and fruit to create print, shape and to generate ideas.

I also experimented with using the natural dye of the vegetables such as beetroot and onion dye. This gave a more natural expression, and referenced the natural ‘imperfect’ colour of the produce. A part of the experimentation was combining, subtracting and adding different elements, shapes and colours to develop a visual that was appropriate for the topic.

A challenge has been to find the right kind of ugly. People often have a different view on what is ugly. My goal has been to find the right kind of ugly

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for the demographic I am working with. Natural is not necessarily seen as Ugly with people who are health and sustainability conscious. So does natural convey the message?

Visualising right kind of Ugly is proving harder, and more interesting, than I initially expected.

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

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REFLECTIONS

EXPERIMENTING WITH MATERIAL Further along the process I have tested and experimented with more materials to find the right look and feel to go with the visual which worked best in the first round of experimentation.

I tried fine coloured paper, brown paper, cardboard and textiles with different textures and qualities. The aim of this experimentation as to find a balance between the roughness of the prints, and quality of material.

Although I have not yet come to a conclusion on which material to use, I have excluded a lot of material through testing and feedback. I implemented small scale testing of the different material samples to get an insight into which association and

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reactions people have to the different textures and combinations.

Further development and testing will be necessary to arrive at a appropriate solution backed up by results and feedback from testing.

The experimenting has not been concluded, but it has led me to new ideas.

CONTEXT & TESTING

CONTEXTUALISING AND TESTING Contextualising and testing ideas has been an integral part of my process. As my creative development process has been highly focused around lateral thinking and experimenting in different directions, it has been challenging to visualise and create an overview of all development and testing executed. In this section you will find an outline and illustration of how I have worked with end-user testing.

THEN In the later stages I have put the design in context to see if the if it would be appropriate throughout different applications Contextualising has been a great method to dismiss irrational ideas, and has made me develop ideas to fit a variety of platforms. Contextual testing has also helped me to keep in mind that the design needs to live somewhere, and have the potential to live anywhere.

After prioritising and adjusting design to different contexts, I prepared the design ideas for A/B testing with a selection of end-users. In this process I tried to make it as simple as possible, giving them the option to instinctively chose between two options, A or B.

Generate Ideas Test Moodboard associations Experiment and sketch Individual interviews Analyse feedback Scrap failed ideas Development & new ideas Contextualise Scrap more ideas Adjust & develop Experiment some more Test mock-ups Scrap more failed ideas Focus on the relevant Develop some more Put in context A/B test with end- user Analyse result Next: Prototypes & Competitor testing

NOW WHAT? In the next stage of testing I develop and refine the design solution and make realistic prototypes. These will be tested further.

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Expert advise (tutorials) & peer feedback

FIRST In the early stages of generating ideas I have tested ideas and mood-boards through a small number of individual interviews. This gave me insight to how a few representatives of my audience reacted to different ideas. Comparing reactions to different ideas was a valuable indicator of which ideas were more viable than other. This helped confirm my own thoughts and lead me in the right direction.

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APPLICATION

WHERE WILL THE DESIGN LIVE? An important part of testing ideas is to place the design in the context it will live. Will it work on different scales across media and platforms? Working with Branding in the restaurant industry I have looked at media commonly used in the food and restaurant industry.

In order to design a holistic user experience, I will have to consider all aspects of the dining experience and any possible touch-points. From finding the brand online, entering the retail location, smell and sound, ordering food from the menu, using the restroom, getting the bill and eventually leaving the restaurant. Additionally I will evaluate opportunities for social media and online interactions, as well as opportunities for sub-brands and sister-brands. Applying design to applictation with be important to see how well the brand works across platform. A consistent and recognisable brand identity will be important in order to build a strong brand. Application will also enable me to see how dynamic thebrand is. Will it work sucessfully on different media, if not, how will I make it work?

Possible touch-points Corporate identity; Online presence & Social media interaction.

Marketing material, printed and digital.

Restaurant facade & Interior.

Smell & sound.

Uniforms.

Menus.

Food presentation.

Packaging for take away etc.

Promotional events.

Merchandise.

Sub-brands.

The final design should have the potential to live anywhere.

Find contextual experimentation in portfolio.

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CORPORATE IDENTITY

ONLINE PRESENCE SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTION

MARKETING MATERIAL

FACADE INTERIOR

SMELL & SOUND

UNIFORMS MENUS FOOD PRESENTATION

PACKAGING FOR TAKE AWAY

PROMOTIONAL EVENTS

MERCHANDISE

SUB-BRANDS? 33

REFLECTIONS: SUMMING UP

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

• • • •

•

Organise information more effectively.

Experiment with materials and texture.

Look at what similar brands are doing.

Do the opposite?

Use a layout pad and various ways of mark making to encourage a more expressive approach. Move away from the computer to create more free and expressive visuals.

Think holistically.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED? The main aim for this module has been to learn and adopt a professional approach to creative development and testing.

•

• • • •

WHAT’S NEXT? For next module I will continue developing and adjusting the suggested idea.

I will test the design and ideas with end-users on a larger scale. In order to meet my goal for improvement I will focus more on :

• • • • • •

Through research, experimentation, and feedback from tutors and peers, I learned how the creative process work and how my personal process can be improved.

How to make idea generation more efficient, how experimentation can lead to new ideas and development.

The importance of testing ideas with endusers to validate and back up ideas.

How to implement testing in my MA project, try different methods on a smaller scale.

The importance of creating simple ideas that are easy to communicate clearly.

WHAT WILL I IMPROVE? This module I have focused on the creative development of ideas and lateral thinking. I have gained a lot of knowledge on testing ideas, but still need to execute these processes on a larger scale in order to fully adopt these methods on a professional level. I have improved and learned a lot from my aims but will still work on:

• • • • • • •

Becoming more organised in development.

Explain my though process more clearly.

Organise and visualise information more efficiently.

Prioritise time more efficiently by getting to a conclusion quicker and spending less time on irrelevant details.

Execute and analyse testing more effectively.

Adopt more professional practices.

Create more exciting and original content, that has bigger impact.

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Planning and organising my work.

Improve info-graphical skills to show data more efficiently.

Attend more events and network more with professionals from the industry.

Increase research on professional practices in Branding.

Become efficient in application and designing for production and media.

In the next stage I will work more on developing the brand story according to new visual development.

SOURCES BOOKS Bennett, A. (2006). Design Studies: Theory and Research in Branding and Identity. Princeton Architectural Press Noble, I. and Bestley, R. (2007). Visual Research: An Introduction to Research Methodologies in Branding and Identity, AVA Publishing Neumeier, M., (2007) ZAG- the number-one strategy of high-performance brands. US: New riders Signorelli, J., (2012) Storybranding: creating standout brands through the power of story. Greenleaf book group press Solomon, M., R., et. Al., (2013). Consumer Behavior A European Perspective.

UK: Pearson Education. Fifth edition Szmigin, I., Carrigan, M. and McEachern, M. G. (2009), The conscious consumer: taking a flexible approach to ethical behaviour.

International Journal of Consumer Studies, 33: 224–231.

Wheeler., A., (2006) Designing Brand Identity: A complete guide to creating, building and maintaining strong brands. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

ONLINE Braw, E., (2013) Misshapes fruit and vegetable: what is the business case? (online) Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/misshapen-fruit-vegetables-business-case [Accessed: 8th October 2015] Jenkins, H., (2007) Transmedia storytelling 101 (online) Available from: http://henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html [Accessed: 8th October 2015] Nielsen, (2012). The global, socially conscious consumer [Online] Available from http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2012/the-global-socially-conscious-consumer.html [Accessed 13.11.2014] Powers, K., (2010) Introducing behaviour changes towards sustainable food consumption (online) Available from: http://www.scp-knowledge.eu/sites/default/files/Power%202010%20Introducing%20behaviour%20changes%20towards%20sustainable%20food%20consumption.pdf [Accessed: 23th October 2015] Steven, R., (2016) “It isn’t about visual seduction, it’s very functional” (online) Available from: https://www.creativereview.co.uk/ cr-blog/2016/january/it-isnt-about-visual-seduction-its-very-functional-koto-founder-james-greenfield-on-rebranding-gumtree/ [Accessed: 28th Feburary 2016] WGSN, Targeting the conscious consumer: How Zady Does It [Online] Available from http://www.wgsn.com/content/search/#/consious%2520consumer [Accessed 27.10.2014] WGSN vision team, (2015) Earthed [Online] Available from http://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/#/62979/page/1 [Accessed 03.11.2015]

Williams, C., (2015) Documentaries: The new blockbuster [Online] Available from http://www.wgsn.com/ content/board_view-

er/#/61315/page/1 [Accessed 03.11.2015]

Optimizely.com, (2016) “Movember Amplifies its annual Campaign with Optemzely” (online) Available from: https://www.optimizely.com/case-studies/movember/ [Accessed: 28th Feburary 2016]

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Julie Aaland N0655826

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julie.aaland022015@my.ntu.ac.uk